Welfare and Ethics Flashcards
What are the 5 domains of welfare?
nutrition, environment, physical health, behaviour and mental domain
what are the physical/functional domains?
nutrition, environment, physical health and behaviour
what is the mental domain split into?
negative and positive experiences
what are the 5 needs?
access to: fresh water and a suitable diet to keep them healthy
adequate shelter/comfy place to rest
veterinary treatment, steps taken to prevent pain/injury/disease
company of other animals of their own kind, enough space, proper facilities so they can behave in a natural way
Kept in conditions so they will not suffer and need to be treated in a way that does not frighten them or distress them
what three components is welfare made up of?
physical, physiological and psychological
good welfare?
a good life
adequate welfare?
a life worth living (minimal suffering)
poor welfare?
a life not worth living (all suffering)
what continuum is used in animal welfare?
the animal welfare committee one
what does welfare concern?
welfare concerns the quality of an animal’s life, not how long the life lasts. When an animal is dead, welfare is no longer a concern
who introduced a bill to protect horses mules and other cattle to wanton cruelty? what year?
richard martin 1822
when was the bill modified to cover all domestic animals?
1835
why do people feel we have an obligation to animals in the 21st century?
intrinsic value
have value to us e.g. we eat them/useful
because animals can suffer
because the species is endangered
sentience?
the capacity to experience suffering and pleasure
what does animal sentience mean?
means animals can feel pain and suffer and experience positive emotions
legal status of animals?
as property
welfare inputs?
management, environment, animal
welfare outputs?
clinical health; production, behaviour and physiology
who developed the five domains?
meller (2020)
what to assess?
eating, resting, sleeping, moving and social
what do we need to consider when we are assessing welfare?
circadian variation
inter-observer variation
species-specific differences
signs of acute pain?
posture/hunching
gait - lameness, kneeling sheep
demeanour, reduced responsiveness
inappetence
increased respiratory and heart rate
grinding teeth
response to palpation
vocalisations (ultrasonic)
check animal’s response to analgesia
describe the signs of chronic pain?
altered demeanour: irritability, social withdrawal, aggression
Altered gait - lameness
weight loss
response to palpation
response to analgesia
5 components of the moral theory?
Utilitarian
Animal rights
Contractarian
Respect for nature
Relational
Utilitasrianism? - Bentham
a theory of consequences - equal consideration of equal interestss’
Deontology? - Kant
a duty-based moral philosophy
viewed as the experiencing subjects of a life
Anthropocentric?
regarding humans as the central or most important element of existence
Contractarianism?
anthropocentric - using animals as we need to for our benefit
we do not have duties to animals because they cannot enter into contracts BUT we must treat them well otherwise we would cause indirect harm to other humans who we do have contracts with
respect for nature?
consequences for species not individuals
species have value
individuals only matter as representatives of the group so selective culling of healthy animals is permissible to preserve the wellbeing of the group
farming practices may disrupt the environment,
how may farming disrupt the environment?
use of drugs excreted into the environment, affect the local microbial populations, reliance on concentrate feed with ingredients sourced from around the world, affects the ecosystem
3Rs?
Replace, Reduce, Refine
(UTILITARIAN)
what framework can we used for ethical decision making?
six point frame work
mepham’s matrix
what is the 6 point frame work?
- identify all possible courses of action - value free
- establish the interests of affected parties
- identify the ethical issues involved
- establish the legal position of the dilemma
- choose a logical course of action
- minimise the impact of the decision
mepham’s matrix?
based on
1. wellbeing
2. autonomy
3. justice
how to effectively communicate with clients?
Understand owner’s viewpoint, priorities, experience
Two-way discussion
Higher compliance: ‘win−win’
Need to ensure a ‘win’ for the animals’ welfare
