[Surgical interventions in animals: veterinary-ethical considerations]

In day-to-day veterinary practice moral problems may arise when human interests conflict with moral responsibility towards animals. A critical evaluation of an actor's moral intuitions in the light of basic moral principles and morally relevant facts results in a reflective equilibrium which allows the actor to take a clear stand on a particular moral issue. Four fundamental moral principles are used: the principle of beneficence, the principle of malfeasance, the principle of justice and the principle of respect for the integrity of the animal. In weighing human and animal interests, well-being and intrinsic value of animals will play an increasingly important role. In this paper the model of reflective equilibrium is worked out with respect to animal surgery, in which two main categories can be distinguished: operations which are performed for veterinary-medical reasons and those for non-therapeutic reasons. The latter category is called 'utility surgery', which is a collective term for surgery for economic or cosmetic reasons or for reasons of convenience. Both categories of operations raise their own ethical questions, which are analysed by application of the proposed method of moral decision making.