Ethicists' commentary on disagreements in course of treatment
Ethical question of the month, November 2024
You and a colleague are disagreeing on a policy matter in your practice regarding a senior horse treatment. Many senior horses suffer from a pituitary disorder, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), that puts them at risk of developing laminitis, an extremely painful and debilitating condition. Laminitis in these patients can be triggered by corticosteroid treatment. You insist on baseline blood testing before prescribing corticosteroids to mitigate this risk. Your colleague argues that withholding these medications when clients are unable or unwilling to pay for testing compromises the welfare of horses in need of treatment.
It is an awkward situation because you both share a client base and the differing expectations are confusing to your clients. How do you resolve this issue?
Clare Palmer, Peter Sandøe, & Dan Weary comment on this dilemma and you can read it here: Ethcist commentary on disagreements in course of treatment (pdf)