1 January 2022

Unauthorized practice

Pregnant mare. Photo: Pflügler Fotografie
📷 Pflügler Fotografie // Colourbox.com

Ethical question of the month, October 2021

You attend to a pregnant mare at 8 mo gestation. The mare was bred through live cover to a local stallion. The owner is a client of the practice, but the mare has not been examined during this pregnancy. Her presentation leads to a differential diagnosis including placentitis and twin pregnancy. On abdominal ultra- sound you see a structure that appears to be a mummified fetus. When you discuss twinning and the potential complications with foaling, the owner reveals that a layperson diagnosed the pregnancy by transrectal ultrasound. This person is known to you and is a client of your practice. You are aware that she has been breeding and using ultrasound on her own mares.

The mare carried to full term, and you are called on emergency to a dystocia. A non-viable dysmature fetus is pulled as well as a mummified fetus. The mare suffers from cardiovascular collapse during the dystocia and requires aggressive treatment but survives. Do you report your breeder client to your veteri- nary regulator for unauthorized practice? Do you approach the breeder client yourself and attempt to educate them as to the risks of unauthorized practice and the unnecessary animal loss and suffering as a result of their activities?

Clare Palmer, Peter Sandøe, & Dan Weary comment on this dilemma and you can read it here: Ethicists’ commentary on unauthorized practice (pdf)

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