Student perspectives on animal-welfare education in American veterinary medical curricula

Animal welfare is a subject of increasing interest to society, and the veterinary medical profession has an opportunity--and a duty--to provide leadership and expertise. This commentary presents the view of two veterinary students at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine on the current state of animal-welfare education in American veterinary colleges. In our experience, animal welfare and its related disciplines are underemphasized in current American professional curricula. We present a case for why animal welfare must be a cardinal subject of instruction in veterinary colleges, detail the essential components of sufficient animal-welfare education, and discuss specific methods for integrating animal welfare into the current curricula. We strongly encourage veterinary colleges to identify animal-welfare education as a priority and to work toward increasing instruction and educational resources in this critical topic area.