Animal Welfare What Does “Our Future” Need to Know

							          Animal Welfare
    What Does “Our Future” Need to
               Know?


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                   Gail C. Golab, PhD, DVM
               Director, Animal Welfare Division
         Goals and Responsibilities
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       Goals of Education
           Teach people how (not what) to think so that they
            can make good decisions




           Inspire (some) to advance the field
    Animal Welfare Decisions
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       Are as much about people as they
        are about animals
            Social decisions—Reflect cultural expectations (and causes) of what
             is and is not acceptable use and care
            May or may not be informed by science
            Impact both people and animals
       ALWAYS have a subjective component—Not a “diagnose
        and treat” paradigm; difficult for many veterinary students
        (and faculty) to get comfortable with
       “Good” Animal Welfare Decisions
            Meet animal needs
            Meet societal needs
            Most often not a 100% solution
           To Make Good AW
         Decisions Students Must…
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    Understand…
     Some nuts-and-bolts
         How and why animal welfare
          decisions are made
         What constitutes a complete assessment of
          animal welfare
       What is required to implement good animal
        welfare choices
             The Nuts and Bolts
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       Scientific fundamentals
            Physiology      ● Production
            Health          ● Behavior
       Ethical reasoning/how various cultures have
        addressed ethical conflicts related to use
       Animal use paradigms—animal exploitation
        to animal liberation
       Players/stakeholders—what motivates them and what they
        hope/need to achieve
       Scientific/social integration—How all of these factors
        contribute to approaches to animal welfare assessment (e.g.,
        homeostatic, feelings, five freedoms, animal choices) and the
        strengths and weaknesses of each of the approaches
       Continued integration throughout curriculum
        Implementing Good Choices
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     Forest versus trees
     (the “quick-fix” fallacy)
     Engagement strategies
     Voluntary and regulatory
      frameworks for action
     Practical realities—
      Recommendations that are not
      implementable will NOT achieve the goal of
      improving animal welfare
            Thank You For Your
                Attention!
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                                            Please Let Us Know
                                             What We Can Do
                                                To Help You!

                                              ggolab@avma.org



        Dogs rarely bark at parked cars…if no one is barking
    about what you’re doing, then you’re probably not doing much!