A veterinary perspective on animal sentience (full version)

Summary

The video script discusses the importance of sentience in animal welfare, emphasizing that only sentient beings like rabbits can experience feelings, which is the basis for ethical concern. It highlights the role of veterinary professionals in recognizing and promoting animal welfare, advocating for animals, and contributing to public debate on their use in society. The script also touches on the ethical challenges faced by vets in balancing duties to animals, owners, and businesses, and the benefits of acknowledging animal sentience for job satisfaction, animal quality of life, and professional reputation.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Sentience is the capacity to experience feelings and is a fundamental basis for animal welfare concerns.
• 🤔 Cognition and sentience are different; cognition involves thinking and problem-solving, while sentience is about conscious awareness.
• 🐰 The moral relevance of animal welfare is linked to the recognition of animals' ability to suffer, not just their intelligence.
• 🛡️ Veterinary professionals have an oath to protect animal welfare, which is underpinned by the recognition of sentience.
• 🏥 Veterinary practices and hospitals serve as hubs for animal welfare, providing expert advice and promoting awareness.
• 🗣️ Veterinary associations can influence public debate and policy regarding the use of animals based on an understanding of sentience.
• 🔍 Recognizing animal sentience is crucial for competently assessing animal welfare and making informed decisions.
• 🤝 Veterinary ethics involves balancing duties to animals, their owners, and the businesses that employ veterinary professionals.
• 🐭 The inconsistent application of ethical considerations to different animals, like rats, highlights the complexity of animal ethics.
• 💊 Veterinary professionals have access to treatments like analgesics to alleviate pain across various animal species, recognizing their sentience.
• 🐾 Keeping animals as companions is a universal human activity, but there's a trend towards humanizing pets, which requires a balance to avoid anthropomorphism.
• 🌟 Recognizing and accounting for animal sentience brings job satisfaction to veterinary professionals and contributes to their professional reputation.

Q & A

What is the fundamental basis for animal welfare concern according to Dr. James Kirkwood?

Sentience is the fundamental morally relevant basis upon which animal welfare concern rests, as it is the capacity to experience feelings consciously.

How does Dr. James Kirkwood differentiate between cognition and sentience?

Cognition refers to thinking and problem-solving, while sentience refers to conscious awareness. They are linked, but an animal does not need to be clever to suffer.

Why is sentience important for veterinary professionals?

Sentience is important for veterinary professionals because it underpins their oath to protect animal welfare and is a prerequisite for recognizing and promoting animal welfare.

What role do veterinary practices and hospitals play in animal welfare?

Veterinary practices and hospitals serve as animal welfare hubs within communities, providing credible expert opinion and advice to convey understanding and knowledge of animal sentience and welfare to the broader community.

How can veterinary professionals contribute to public debate about animal use?

Veterinary professionals can contribute to public debate by using their understanding of animal sentience to challenge societal norms and influence at the political level.

What are the ethical considerations for veterinary professionals regarding animal welfare?

Veterinary ethics involves balancing duties to animals, their owners, and the businesses they work for, always seeking to prioritize the best interests of the animal patients.

How does the societal view of animals as companions impact veterinary professionals?

The increasing humanization and valuing of companion animals as family members can lead to higher expectations for animal welfare, which veterinary professionals must meet.

What is the potential inconsistency in the way veterinary professionals apply animal ethics to different animals?

The inconsistency may arise from the different harms allowed to be caused to the same species of animal in different circumstances, such as rats being seen as vermin, pets, or subjects for research.

How do veterinary professionals recognize and act upon animal sentience in their daily work?

Veterinary professionals recognize sentience by using analgesics for pain relief across different animal species, demonstrating a commitment to improving welfare based on the impact on each animal's quality of life.

What are the benefits for veterinary professionals in recognizing and accounting for animal sentience?

The benefits include job satisfaction from improving animal welfare, enhancing professional reputation, contributing to public good, and helping clients achieve satisfaction in the quality of life for their animals.

How is sentience and animal welfare science contributing to the veterinary field?

Sentience and animal welfare science are relatively new research areas that are helping to elucidate important questions about what animals can feel and how to best provide care and concern for them.

Outlines

00:00

🐇 Sentience and Animal Welfare

The first paragraph discusses the concept of sentience and its importance in the context of animal welfare. It emphasizes the distinction between sentient beings like rabbits, which can experience feelings, and inanimate objects that cannot. The paragraph highlights Dr. James Kirkwood's view that sentience is the core basis for animal welfare concerns. It also differentiates between cognition, which involves thinking and problem-solving, and sentience, which is about conscious awareness. The role of veterinary professionals in recognizing and promoting animal welfare through their understanding of sentience is underscored, including their oath to protect animal welfare and the various levels at which they can influence it, from direct interactions with animal owners to contributing to public debates and policy-making.

05:05

🐀 The Complexities of Animal Sentience in Practice

The second paragraph delves into the practical implications and complexities of recognizing animal sentience in various contexts. It uses the example of rats, which can be viewed differently depending on the situation—whether as vermin, pets, or subjects for medical research. The paragraph discusses the availability of pain relief for different animal species, reflecting an acknowledgment of their sentience and the desire to act upon it to improve welfare. It also touches on the trend of humanizing animals and the importance of avoiding anthropomorphism by understanding animals' distinct needs and perspectives. The benefits of recognizing animal sentience for veterinary professionals include job satisfaction, improved animal welfare, enhanced professional reputation, and societal contributions to animal health and welfare standards. The paragraph concludes by mentioning the economic and emotional benefits for clients and animal owners, as well as the growing interest in research on animal sentience and welfare among veterinary professionals.

Keywords

💡Sentience

Sentience refers to the capacity of an organism to have subjective experiences, including the ability to feel pleasure, pain, hunger, and thirst. In the context of the video, sentience is the fundamental basis for animal welfare concerns, as it implies conscious awareness and the capacity to experience feelings, which is why it is morally relevant and underpins the veterinary oath to protect animal welfare.

💡Cognition

Cognition is the mental process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. Unlike sentience, which is about conscious awareness, cognition pertains to thinking and problem-solving abilities. The video script notes that cognition and sentience are different but linked, and that an animal's capacity to suffer does not necessarily correlate with its cognitive abilities.

💡Animal Welfare

Animal welfare encompasses the physical and psychological well-being of animals. It is a central theme in the video, with the speaker emphasizing that recognizing animal sentience is crucial for promoting animal welfare. The script mentions that veterinary professionals are committed to protecting animal welfare, and that this commitment is reflected in their oaths and professional practices.

💡Veterinary Surgeon

A veterinary surgeon is a professional who practices veterinary medicine by treating and caring for animals. In the video, the role of veterinary surgeons is highlighted as they have a direct impact on animal welfare through their interactions with animals and their advocacy for recognizing animal sentience and promoting their welfare.

💡Veterinary Nurse

A veterinary nurse assists veterinary surgeons in the care of animals, often performing tasks such as administering medications and providing nursing care. The script positions veterinary nurses alongside veterinary surgeons in their commitment to animal welfare, emphasizing their role in advocating for animals and promoting their well-being.

💡Welfare Hub

A welfare hub, as mentioned in the script, is a center that serves as a source of credible expert opinion and advice on animal welfare. Veterinary practices and hospitals are described as welfare hubs within communities, where the understanding and knowledge of animal sentience can be conveyed to the broader community.

💡Ethics

Ethics refers to the moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior. In the video, ethics is discussed in relation to veterinary and animal ethics, where professionals have duties to different stakeholders, including animals, their owners, and the businesses they work for. The script highlights the importance of balancing these interests while prioritizing the best interests of the animals.

💡Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. The video warns against the overuse of anthropomorphism, suggesting that while pets are increasingly valued as family members, it's important to understand that they are distinct species with different needs and preferences.

💡Quality of Life

Quality of life refers to the overall well-being and satisfaction of an individual. In the context of the video, it is used to describe the goal of veterinary professionals in ensuring that animals have the best possible life experiences, which includes addressing all relevant determinants that affect an animal's well-being.

💡Veterinary Ethics

Veterinary ethics involves the moral principles and guidelines that inform the conduct of veterinary professionals in their interactions with animals, their owners, and the broader community. The script discusses how veterinary ethics requires balancing the interests of various stakeholders while always seeking to prioritize the best interests of the animal patients.

💡Animal Ethics

Animal ethics pertains to the moral principles that guide the treatment and use of animals in society. The video script describes how veterinary surgeons and nurses are authoritative voices in debates about animal ethics, which includes difficult questions about how animals should be used and the justification for causing them harm.

Highlights

Sentience as the fundamental morally relevant basis for animal welfare concern, as noted by Dr. James Kirkwood.

The distinction between cognition, which refers to thinking and problem-solving, and sentience, which is conscious awareness.

The importance of recognizing animal sentience in veterinary professions to protect animal welfare.

Opportunities for veterinary professionals to advocate for animal sentience and welfare at different levels, including direct interactions and public debate.

The role of veterinary practices and hospitals as animal welfare hubs within communities.

The societal and political influence of veterinary associations in shaping animal use and welfare standards.

The expectation of society for veterinary professionals to prioritize animal welfare, aligning with global veterinary oaths.

The necessity for veterinary professionals to recognize animal sentience and competently assess animal welfare.

The intersection of science and ethics in making difficult decisions regarding animal welfare.

Veterinary ethics and animal ethics, balancing duties to animals, owners, and businesses.

The inconsistency in societal views on animal use, exemplified by the different treatment of rats in various contexts.

The availability of analgesics for pain relief across different animal species, reflecting recognition of sentience.

The universal human activity of keeping animals as companions and the trend of increasing humanization of pets.

The caution against anthropomorphism and the importance of understanding animals' distinct needs and preferences.

The benefits of recognizing animal sentience for veterinary professionals, including job satisfaction and improved animal welfare.

The positive impact on clients and animal owners when high standards of animal health and welfare are delivered.

The economic benefits of improved animal welfare for farmers and the pride in caring for animals.

The involvement of veterinary professionals in research to understand animal sentience and optimize care.

Transcripts

foreign

[Music]

to feel things and to be able to

consciously experience feelings such as

hunger thirst pleasure pain and so on to

paraphrase Veterinary surgeon and Animal

Welfare scientist Dr James Kirkwood

there may be good reasons not to damage

a rock or a radio or a rabbit but only

in the case of the rabbit is that reason

anything to do with what we would

perhaps describe as welfare or

well-being or quality of life and that's

because we have good reason to think

that the rabbit is consciously aware has

the capacity to experience feelings

unlike the other two inanimate objects

and that's why as James Kirkwood notes

sentience is the fundamental morally

relevant basis upon which animal welfare

concern rests

thank you

cognition and sentience are different

sentence refers to conscious awareness

whereas cognition refers to thinking and

problem solving

two are linked but I think a key point

is that an animal doesn't have to be

clever to suffer so humans may have some

Advanced cognitive abilities that allow

us to enjoy music and explore space

but the similarities between us and

other non-human animals in morally

relevant ways refer to our shared

emotions feelings the likes of pain

hunger thirst pleasure and so on

[Music]

sentence is profoundly important to

Veterinary professionals and all those

who care about Animal Welfare Veterinary

surgeons and Veterinary nurses are

committed to protecting Animal Welfare

but sentience is a prerequisite for

Animal Welfare we have an oath to

protect animal welfare and therefore

sentience underpins our oath

there are opportunities for veterinary

professionals to recognize and account

for animal sentience at different levels

so we Veterinary surgeons and our

Veterinary nurse colleagues have direct

face-to-face interactions with animal

Keepers and only and owners where we can

advocate for Animals recognize their

sentience and promote their welfare

Veterinary practices and hospitals like

the one we're in today serve as Animal

Welfare hubs within communities

containing credible expert opinion and

advice which allows our understanding

and knowledge of animal sentience and

Animal Welfare to be conveyed to the

broader community

and then at the level of Veterinary

associations we have the opportunity to

contribute and stimulate public debate

about how we use animals based on our

understanding of animal sentience that

gives us the opportunity to challenge

societal norms and have influence at the

political level and I think in that way

the veterinary professions have a great

opportunity to improve the welfare of

animals across many different channels

Veterinary surgeons and Veterinary

nurses care about Animal Welfare which

is what Society expects which is

consistent with many Global Veterinary

Oaths including ours here in the UK and

being Animal Welfare focused means

prioritizing the best interests of our

patients which we always seek to do

but that in itself requires first of all

recognizing animal sentence of course

and then competently assessing Animal

Welfare

including all relevant determinants of

an animal's overall quality of life and

having a good evidence base for the

conclusions that we draw

but that only gets us so far science

tells us what is it doesn't tell us what

should be and it's often the case that

we then need to make sometimes difficult

decisions based on what we know that's

where we need ethics both Veterinary

ethics and animal ethics

battery ethics recognizes that faculty

professionals have duties to different

stakeholders which is sometimes

conflicting so we have duties to animals

our patients their owners and the

businesses that that we that we work for

veterinary practices and hospitals and

we have to balance the interests of each

whilst always seeking to prioritize the

best interests of our animal patients so

that would be captured by Veterinary

ethics animal ethics is more about the

questions often difficult questions of

how we ought to use animals in society

and Veterinary surgeons and Veteran

nurses are a credible and authoritative

voice in those debates as well

um I think our views may can seem

inconsistent in the way that we apply

them to different animals so I guess a

classic example of that might be rats in

some circumstances loathed as Vermin on

the other hand much loved as pets and

sometimes coming into into this hospital

for treatment in other cases relied on

for medical advancements and scientific

research

clearly the rat the species rat is the

same in each case but we allow different

harms to be caused to them in each

instance whether or not we see a mammal

like a pet rat or a dog or a cat or a

reptile which we occasionally see or a

pet bird

we have at our disposal analgesics for

example pain relief which we can use

across those different those different

animal species and that's exactly right

we're recognizing sentience and wanting

to act upon it because of its impact on

welfare in each case

keeping animals as companions is a

universal human activity across cultures

and throughout time

one Trend that I think we're seeing here

in the UK and probably other Western

countries is an increasing humanization

and increasing tendency to view animals

as humans

on the one hand it's it's fantastic that

our pets are companion animals are being

increasingly valued and regarded as as

valued family members but we just need

to guard I think against

anthropomorphism which perhaps would

tend to view a pet

as a little person in a furry animal

suit which of course isn't the case they

are distinct species they have needs and

preferences that are different to our

own so I think the trick is to love them

and value them but to try and take their

perspective and view the world through

their eyes as best we can and then to

provide for the needs as we understand

them

[Music]

I think the benefits to Veterinary

surgeons and Veterinary nurses of

recognizing and accounting for animal

sentience is primarily job satisfaction

the reason that many of us came into

veterinary science and wanted to work

with animals in a Veterinary capacity is

because we are we care about animals and

we're motivated to improve their welfare

whenever we do that we derive job

satisfaction but there are other

benefits there are of course benefits to

the animals themselves that go on to

enjoy better quality a better quality of

life

and I think it's also important for vets

and nurses in terms of our our

professional reputation and our status

delivering high standards of Animal

Health and Welfare is a public good it's

what Society wants and that's right and

we can very much help deliver those high

standards of Animal Health and Welfare

both in our practical daily Veterinary

work and in the contribution that we can

make to helping inform society and

informing public debate about how

animals are used

there are also benefits to to our

clients to to Farmers to pet owners in

the case of farmers that can be strong

economic benefits to improving Animal

Welfare which is important I think

equally important the sense of Pride

that many farmers derive from husbanding

their animals and caring for their

animals in ways that give those animals

a good quality of life similarly pet

owners value their their pets as family

members they want them to have a good

quality of life and when that's

demonstrably achieved they too are

satisfied so a secondary source of

satisfaction for vets and vet nurses is

helping our our clients and animal

owners to be satisfied sentience and

Animal Welfare science are fascinating

areas of research they're relatively new

areas of research but some of my own

Veterinary colleagues are very much

involved in that research they don't

always work in a practice like this they

work in Academia they work in

experiments which are helping to

elucidate these important questions of

what can animals feel what can't they

feel where are we justified in providing

a certain level of care or concern and

where might our efforts be best guided

that is all important and fascinating

and a very encouraging area that many

vets and increasing event nurses are

getting involved with