Companion Animal Ethics

Companion Animal Ethics explores the important ethical questions and problems that arise as a result of humans keeping animals as companions.

• The first comprehensive book dedicated to ethical and welfare concerns surrounding companion animals
• Scholarly but still written in an accessible and engaging style
• Considers the idea of animal companionship and why it should matter ethically
• Explores problems associated with animals sharing human lifestyles and homes, such as obesity, behavior issues, selective breeding, over-treatment, abandonment, euthanasia and environmental impacts
• Offers insights into practical ways of improving ethical standards relating to animal companions

About the Authors

Peter Sandøe is Professor of Bioethics at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, where he has been teaching animal ethics to veterinary and animal science students for nearly two decades. He is co-author of Ethics of Animal Use (Wiley Blackwell, 2008) and co-editor of Dilemmas in Animal Welfare (CABI, 2014).

Sandra Corr is Clinical Reader in Small Animal Surgery, at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, UK. She is a European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery, who spends her time teaching veterinary students, and working in referral practice. She has published widely in veterinary and comparative journals.

Clare Palmer is Professor of Philosophy at Texas A & M University, USA. She is the author of Animal Ethics in Context (Columbia University Press, 2010), the editor of Animal Rights in the Ashgate International Library of Essays on Rights (2008) and co-editor of Killing Animals (Illinois University Press 2006).

Foreword vii

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction 1

1 History of Companion Animals and the Companion Animal Sector 8

2 The Development and Role of the Veterinary and Other Professions in Relation to Companion Animals 24

3 Human Attachment to Companion Animals 41

4 Companion Animal Welfare 58

5 Theories of Companion Animal Ethics 73

6 Breeding and Acquiring Companion Animals 89

7 Selective Breeding 103

8 Feeding and the Problem of Obesity 117

9 Companion Animal Training and Behavioural Problems 132

10 Routine Neutering of Companion Animals 150

11 Performing Convenience Surgery: Tail Docking, Ear Cropping, Debarking and Declawing 169

12 Treating Sick Animals and End-of-Life Issues 186

13 Unwanted and Unowned Companion Animals 201

14 Ethics and Broader Impacts of Companion Animals 217

15 Other Companions 235

16 Companion Animals and the Future 252

Index 269

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