Document type: article from the Centre d'études et de prospectives du Ministère de la souveraineté alimentaire (French Ministry of Food Sovereignty)
Author: Franck Bourdy
Preview: The latest issue of the Revue Semestrielle de Droit Animalier includes a dossier of some ten articles dealing with care, from different angles: veterinary medicine (definition and practices, pharmacy, euthanasia), economics, ethics, legal aspects, the human-animal relationship, interactions between animals, etc.
The introductory article explains what is meant by "animal care". In the case of a sick animal, the aim is to restore it to good health. Here, it is the veterinarian who takes the professional lead, with the help of various specialists (farriers, nutritionists, etc.). But striving to maintain a good physical and moral state extends this notion to a wider concept of care, including an animal's welfare. This in turn impacts other fields, the law for example, where restoration to health may be a duty that only concerns actions to be taken, but the protection of welfare is a duty that relates to outcomes.
There is a reciprocal relationship where human care for an animal is matched by the benefits of the animal's presence to the human. Animals induce well-being by their very presence, a particular example being that of people with illnesses or conditions who benefit from animal mediation (guide dogs for the blind, horses for autistic children, etc.).
Source : Revue Semestrielle de Droit Animalier[pages 253-402]
