Veterinary obligations: Client or patients?

A few weeks ago, one of my class questions was about negative experiences with the veterinary profession. I can't, thankfully, think of many of my own. However, one negative about the veterinary arena that I can think of involves voluntary procedures. My husband and I were talking about veterinarians a few weeks ago, and he said that all the vets he’s ever known had an air of sadness about them. He explained that he was talking about the toll that it must take on veterinarians when they cannot help animals that are so loved and well-cared for. I originally took it as a statement about the toll it must take to see the worst of humanity – people who abuse their animals, or who euthanize perfectly healthy pets. My oldest friend, a vet in Washington, adopted a dog during her internship. The dog had been hit by a car, and his owners brought him in for care. His injuries were easily treatable, but they told her they wanted him euthanized. The cost difference between euthanasia and treatment was about $40 – a sum probably easily absorbed for wealthy people driving a Hummer. Thankfully, my friend was able to intervene and take him home, but how many of these does she see per day? How many dogs/cats can vets save from this fate? Behavioral issues are also a huge source of euthanasia for healthy pets. The cat isn’t peeing on the carpet in a vacuum – there’s a reason behind it, and if people truly were invested in working with their pets, they could solve so many issues. Vets must also make decisions regarding whether they will perform controversial procedures such as declawing, tail docking, ear cropping, debarking, etc. It becomes a question of whether the vet should do what he or she believes best for the animal or what the client requests. 

I’d like to think it could be a matter of personal ethics; if a vet is against these procedures, he or she can simply elect not to perform them. But maybe it’s not that simple. In my brief flirtation with thoughts of becoming a vet, I’d always said I wouldn’t perform certain procedures, that I couldn’t have them on my conscience. In the course of veterinary education, is this trained out of people? The AVMA’s Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics* claims that “The veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) is the basis for interaction among veterinarians, their clients, and their patients.” In this statement, clients come first. Is this a bellwether of treatment priorities, or is it simply a coincidence?

* http://www.avma.org/issues/policy/ethics.asp