Veterinary ethics and companion animal euthanasia: what can we learn from critical disability studies?

Within veterinary ethics and practice around companion animal end-of-life and euthanasia, the political and cultural dimensions of death and dying are rarely addressed. This reduces the ability to engage with questions like: what future potential goods (positive affective states, meaning) could an animal experience by continuing to live; what constitutes a life worth living; and how can we make this decision for another being? These are questions that have been subject to extensive dialogue within Critical Disability Studies. The aim of this paper is to provide an analysis of how core considerations from Critical Disability Studies could be useful in veterinary ethics when considering companion animal end of life and euthanasia.

Spatialities of Dog Theft: A Critical Perspective.

Dogs are considered property under U.K. law, while current discourses of pet ownership place canine companions as part of an extended family.