Veterinary Controversies & Ethical Dilemmas

This week, we had the privilege of speaking with Professor Eddie Clutton and Dr Polly Taylor, both distinguished anaesthetists and two of the co-editors of Veterinary Controversies and Ethical Dilemmas. Their book, now highly regarded within the veterinary profession, raises important questions about the current veterinary landscape, approaches to treatment, and standards of animal care. Our discussion covered a range of complex topics, including moral dilemmas, euthanasia, and over-treatment, offering diverse perspectives and highlighting unresolved issues within the profession.

The conversation explored the financial, emotional, and societal costs associated with animal treatment, prompting reflection on what outcomes we truly seek for our animals.

We hope you find this discussion on animal welfare both thought-provoking and informative.

Biographies

Dr PM Taylor MA VetMB PhD DipECVAA FRCVS European & RCVS Veterinary Specialist in Anaesthesia

Polly graduated from Cambridge many years ago and worked in general practice then clinical academia in Cambridge University and the Animal Health Trust. Since 2002 she has been an independent consultant in veterinary anaesthesia, covering clinical anaesthesia, teaching, drug registration and research; numerous papers on anaesthesia and analgesia have resulted. Polly is a director of Topcat Metrology Ltd, developing bespoke nociceptive threshold testing systems for several animal species. She was a member of the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (2002-2010) and has continued to be an advocate for the veterinary profession regarding drug legislation. Her most recent activity putting her head above the parapet is to encourage the profession to understand that overtreatment of animals “just because we can” is often not in their best interests.

Prof Eddie Clutton BVSc (Hons) DVA DipECVAA FRCVS European & RCVS Veterinary Specialist in Anaesthesia

Eddie Clutton graduated from the University of Liverpool in 1981 and completed postgraduate training in anaesthesia at the Department of Anaesthesia, The Royal Liverpool Hospital. After serving as Assistant Professor in Veterinary Anaesthesiology at the University of Virginia–Maryland, USA, he obtained the RCVS Diploma in Veterinary Anaesthesia in 1985. From 1990 to 2015, he led Veterinary Anaesthesia at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, and was appointed Chair of Veterinary Anaesthesiology in 2007.

He is a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia and has held leadership roles including Editor-in-Chief of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia and President of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists. His professional memberships include the Royal College of Anaesthetists, the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists, the Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law Association, the Laboratory Animal Veterinary Association, the Laboratory Animal Science Association and the Association of Veterinary Ethical Committees. 

Eddie’s research focuses on pain management, anaesthesia monitoring in pigs and sheep, and medical ethics. He co-founded EthicsFirst in 2016 and the Research Animal Anaesthesia Network (RAAN) in 2025. He currently serves as Clinical Director of the Wellcome Trust Critical Care Laboratory for Large Animals at the Roslin Institute.

His contributions have been recognised with the Morpheus Award (2019) for exceptional contributions to Veterinary anaesthesia, analgesia and intensive care, RCVS Fellowship (2019) meritorious contribution to knowledge, and the Dalrymple-Champneys Cup and Medal (2024), the British Veterinary Association's Advancement of Veterinary Science Award, for the distinctive contributions he has made to the field of veterinary anaesthesia.. He was senior author of the FELASA guidelines for anaesthesia in biomedical research involving large animals.

Further Information

Veterinary Controversies and Ethical Dilemmas: Provocative Reflections