Animal Welfare Conversations

From Vet to Visionary: Manda Scott on Healing, Hope, and Systemic Change

In this expansive and deeply grounded conversation, we hear from Manda Scott, to explore why personal healing and systemic change must go hand in hand if we want to leave a healthy planet for future generations.
Tracing her journey from veterinary medicine in Scotland and Cambridge to award‑winning writing and spiritual practice, Manda shares her understanding of today’s interconnected poly crisis, the sixth mass extinction, breached planetary boundaries, and why incremental solutions can’t meet the scale of the challenge.
Manda reminds us that the answers already exist—and meaningful change is still possible if we choose to act together.
 
Biography
Born in Scotland at 318ppm CO2, Manda Scott trained as a veterinary surgeon, but is now an award-winning novelist, host of the Accidental Gods podcast and co-creator of the Thrutopia Masterclass. Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, her latest novel, Any Human Power, is a mytho-political Thrutopian thriller that explores the potential for a future we'd be proud to leave as our legacy. She believes that the way forward now is for everyone to craft open-hearted connections with all parts of ourselves, each other and the Web of Life. She lives with her wife in the Shropshire Marches.
 
Further information
Accidental Gods Podcast https://accidentalgods.life/our-podcast/
Accidental Gods Membership https://accidentalgods.life/join-us/
Thrutopia Masterclass https://thrutopia.life/the-thrutopia-masterclass/
Dreaming Awake https://dreamingawake.co.uk/
Manda books https://mandascott.co.uk/ 
Resource Page from Any Human Power https://mandascott.co.uk/any-human-power-resources/
 
Audrey Tang https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/audrey-tang/
Doughnut Economics https://doughnuteconomics.org/
Wellbeing Alliance (there’s a strong hub of this in Scotland) https://weall.org/
Client Earth https://www.clientearth.org/
Stop Ecocide https://www.stopecocide.earth/
Layers for Nature https://lawyers-for-nature.ghost.io/
Biomimicry https://biomimicry.org/inspiration/what-is-biomimicry/
The Work that Reconnects https://workthatreconnects.org/dimensions-of-the-great-turning/
River Dôn Project https://www.theriverdon.org/
Local Currencies  https://centerforneweconomics.org/publications/local-currencies-in-the-21st-century-understanding-money-building-local-economies-renewing-community/

Making room for small ethical breeders

 
With Crufts taking place this weekend, we explore the future of dog breeding. Recent media attention has focused on breeding practices, conformation, the Innate Health Assessment Tool, and the Royal Kennel Club’s new nose‑to‑tail assessment / Breeding For Health Framework.
Mary catches up with Beverley Cuddy, a former podcast guest, to discuss these developments. A key theme of the conversation is the importance of involving breeders in discussions about the future of dog breeding. Beverley recently founded the Union of Dog People, representing those small scale breeders who believe that breeding a dog brings with it responsibility. 
As previously discussed on the podcast, puppy farming poses significant risks to animal welfare. Small, ethical breeders can and do play an important role in the fight against puppy farms, providing support and education for new dog owners, and enabling people to bring dogs into their family that are healthy and socialised. 
There's a lot to discuss, with social media full of different points of view on the best way forward, from academics, charities, breeders and everyone who has spent their life with dogs. Hopefully, by working together, we can find a solution to the problem of extreme conformation and have many future generations of healthy, happy dogs. 
More Information
Welcome to the Union of Good Dog People - Dogs above everything
Breeding for health framework | The Royal Kennel Club
Innate Health Assessment | Promote Healthy Breeding Now
RKC and APGAW Dog Health Action Plan
 
 

Assessing Pain, Improving Welfare: Insights from Dr Beatriz Monteiro

In this episode we are joined by Dr Beatriz Monteiro, to discuss in more depth the impact of pain on animal welfare. We consider the differences between acute and chronic pain, how pain impacts on all aspects of animal welfare, the use of validated pain scales such as the Feline Grimace Scale and the importance of evidence based medicine.
We talk a lot about the WSAVA and their resources on pain management, and you can find the links to these at the end of these notes.
We hope you will join The Animal Welfare Conversation.
Biography - Dr. Beatriz Monteiro DVM, PhD, PgDip, ISFMAdvCertFB, Diplomate ACAW
Dr. Monteiro received her veterinary degree from the Unesp-Botucatu followed by two internships at the University of Guelph. She has a PhD in chronic pain from the University of Montreal (UdeM), a Postgraduate Diploma in International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law from the University of Edinburgh, and an Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour from the International Society of Feline Medicine. She is board-certified by the American College of Animal Welfare (ACAW).
Dr. Monteiro has acted as the Chair of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Pain Committee and as a board member of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain (IVAPM) and World Animal Protection Canada. While at UdeM, she was involved in numerous studies related to the Feline Grimace Scale. She has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications, 8 book chapters and has lectured in numerous international conferences. Dr. Monteiro supports the use of science for guiding societal progress while promoting the concepts of One Welfare to improve the lives of animals and people while caring for the planet we all share.
 
Links and further information
2022 WSAVA Global Pain Management Guidelines: 2022 WSAVA guidelines for the recognition, assessment and treatment of pain - Monteiro - 2023 - Journal of Small Animal Practice - Wiley Online Library
 
2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines: 2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats* | Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association
 
WSAVA Certificate in Pain Management: WSAVA Certificate in Pain Management - WSAVA

2026: New Animal welfare conversations

Welcome to 2026, and new episodes of the Animal Welfare Conversation. 
In this introductory episode we have a sneak preview of the new interviews, covering a broad range of topics including animal welfare science, climate change, the sixth mass extinction and dog breeding.
So much is happening in the veterinary profession at the moment, including the CMA report and review of the Veterinary Surgeons Act. There are many opportunities here for the veterinary profession to have a greater influence on animal welfare and also to develop more confidence within the profession itself. 
We also have an update about the Animal Welfare Medal. We received many, many nominations and it has taken much longer than I anticipated to reach a final decision. We're awarding more than one winner, and will be contacting everyone this week. Many thanks to vet nurses Emma Ruggles and Nikki McLeod for joining me on the judging panel - it was a very difficult decision. More information will be released soon. 
Please sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with everything that's happening. The first full episode of 2026 will be along on Friday 27th February. 
I hope you enjoy the Animal Welfare Conversation. 
 

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 FRCVSEuropean & 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 FRCVSEuropean & 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
 
 

Epilepsy in Veterinary and Human Healthcare

This week we catch up with Dr Jos Bongers, a veterinary neurologist from Glasgow Vet School, and Professor Sameer Zuberi, a paediatric neurologist at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. They discuss their career paths, the similarities and differences between human and veterinary neurology, and the impact of epilepsy on welfare of both animals and children.
We consider a variety of different topics including seizure classification and video diagnostics, similarities between human and veterinary neurology, welfare and quality of life, treatment of epilepsy and clinical trials, one medicine, and future breakthroughs in the treatment of epilepsy.
The discussion underscores the value of cross-disciplinary collaboration, technological innovation (especially video and AI), and a holistic approach to welfare in both human and veterinary contexts. Jos and Sameer hope for faster, more accurate diagnoses and treatments, particularly in resource-limited settings, and highlight the shared motivation to improve lives across species.
Biographies
Professor Sameer Zuberi MB ChB (Ed), MD, FRCP(Ed), FRCPCH
Professor Sameer Zuberi is a Consultant Paediatric Neurologist at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow and Honorary Professor in the School of Health & Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow, leading the Paediatric Neurosciences Research Group. He studied at the University of Edinburgh and undertook postgraduate paediatric and neurology training in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Sydney. He is Clinical Lead of the Scottish National Genetic Epilepsy Service, Trustee of Health Innovation Scotland and Neurodevelopment Theme Lead of the Epilepsy Research Institute UK. He is immediate Past President of the European Paediatric Neurology Society, vice President of the European Brain Council (advocating for better brain health globally) and President-Elect of the British Paediatric Neurology Association.
He has been active in the International League Against Epilepsy, serving on many Task Forces, and was Chair of the Commission on Classification & Terminology 2013-17. His research group have a broad focus in childhood epilepsies including genetics, epidemiology, outcomes, trials & precision therapies and global health. In recent years he has developed and researched innovative technologies including smartphone video and AI for diagnosis & management, and devices to prevent sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. He has published more than 150 academic papers and many book chapters.
 
Sameer’s family includes a cat and a cocker spaniel. He is excited about collaborating with veterinary neurologists and owners in a project to improve classification of seizures in dogs using smartphone video.
Dr Jos Bongers MSc MVM DipECVN MRCVS
Jos is a veterinary neurologist with a primary focus on developing and expanding the Glasgow Seizure Clinic to improve diagnosis and treatment for pets with epilepsy and to strengthen support networks for their carers. She has also recently begun a PhD that examines the use of home video recordings for determining seizure semiology in dogs, guided by methods used in human medicine. She intends for this project to promote closer links between human and veterinary neurology and to deepen understanding of epilepsy across species. More information on the Seizure Clinic can be found via: https://petseizureclinic.co.uk/.
 
Other information
One Medicine and Humanimal Trust Home - Humanimal Trust

Clinical Biases

Decision making mini-series - episode 3 - Bias
In this episode we discuss the complexities of decision-making in veterinary medicine, focusing on biases that can impact clinical reasoning and client communication. We look at how biases can lead to misdiagnosis, affect treatment choices, influence client trust and ultimately impact on animal welfare. 
We consider some of the more common biases, such as confirmation bias, anchoring bias, and availability bias, and emphasizes the importance of recognizing and mitigating these biases to improve diagnostic accuracy and patient safety.
As usual, we have more resources on this topic at Vet Your Decisions 
In a future episode we're going to look at our favourite text books on animal welfare and decision making. I'm currently reading Veterinary Controversies and Ethical Dilemmas | Provocative Reflection (there are so many topics in here!) and it would be great if you could suggest your favourite books in this area. 
A couple of the authors in this text book Tanya Stephens and Sean Wensley very kindly supported the The Animal Welfare Conversation podcast in the early days. If you've not listened to them yet then you can catch up here. 
We hope you will join The Animal Welfare Conversation:
Sign up to the podcast mailing list  Animal Welfare Conversations
Sign up to Vet Your Decisions mailing list  Vet Your Decisions: Essential Vet Advice for Pet Owners (scroll to the bottom of the home page). 
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Clinical Reasoning and Animal Welfare

In the second episode focussing on Clinical Decision Making, this week we look at clinical reasoning. Last week we discussed the way in which vets make decisions and all of the things that they are juggling at the one time, considering their own knowledge and experience, alongside the needs of the owner and the needs of the animal. 
Clinical reasoning encompasses all of the processes that take place in a consultation, and that lead to the decision making process. It can be described in different ways, but one approach is to consider: collecting information, processing it, identifying problems, setting goals, taking action, evaluating outcomes, and reflecting.
Alongside this we need to consider the importance of owner input, thorough patient history, and avoiding bias, alongside the need for clear communication with owners about treatment plans and costs.
More information can be found at Vet Your Decisions 

Animal Welfare and Decision Making

In this episode of the Animal Welfare Conversation podcast, we take a break from the interviews, and will spend the next few weeks looking at the complexities of decision-making in veterinary medicine and how this relates to animal welfare.
In this first episode we look at the ways in which vets make decisions, and the mental gymnastics that go on when making clinical decisions. We look at the ways in which vets consider their own knowledge and experience, the owner wishes, and the needs of the animal. 
Find out more about clinical decision making at:
Vet Your Decisions: Essential Vet Advice for Pet Owners
Vet Your Decisions Blog
 
Speaker Biography
Mary Fraser is the founder and host of The Animal Welfare Conversation podcast and Vet Your Decisions. 
Dr Mary Fraser is a veterinary surgeon who has bridged the gap between human and veterinary medicine. She began her career in mixed practice, completed a PhD in canine dermatology funded by The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and then moved into education and clinical research in both further / higher education and the corporate sector.
Along the way she has set up her own small animal veterinary practice, developed new training pathways for veterinary nurses, worked with Stirling University’s Innovation Centre and is now Executive Director of Education at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
She is an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at Glasgow University, and in 2017 she was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (FRCVS) for Meritorious Contributions to the Profession.
Her main interests, alongside One Medicine, are animal welfare, veterinary and medical education, clinical decision making and charitable work through Humanimal Trust and UHI Perth.

The Impact of Human Bias on Animal Welfare

Welcome to the next episode of The Animal Welfare Conversation. 
This week we meet Dr Rowena Packer, of the RVC.
Rowena is the Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science at the Royal Veterinary College, London, where she leads a research group exploring diverse topics in this area, including the impact of chronic and inherited disorders on dog behaviour and welfare, the impact of owner knowledge, attitudes and behaviour on canine welfare, and caregiver burden.
In this episode we delve into the controversial world of dog breeding, where human preferences for "cute" features often override concerns about animal health – particularly in brachycephalic breeds like pugs and French Bulldogs.
The podcast reveals how human biases in pet ownership directly impact animal welfare, challenging listeners to rethink their motivations behind breeding choices.
The discussion on brachycephalic breeds uncovers the often-overlooked health implications of emotional attachment in pet ownership, urging a shift toward prioritizing animal well-being over aesthetic preferences.
Dr Rowena Packer, BSc (Hons) PhD PGCert(VetEd) FHEA
Rowena is the Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science at the Royal Veterinary College, London. Rowena leads a research group exploring diverse topics in this area, including the impact of chronic and inherited disorders on dog behaviour and welfare, the impact of owner knowledge, attitudes and behaviour on canine welfare, and caregiver burden.
She has received >£2 million of research funding from diverse sources, with ~£1 million held as Principal Investigator. 
Rowena is a frequent flyer on the conference circuit and has presented her research internationally, including in the USA, Australia, Canda, and across much of Europe. 
Rowena has co-authored >100 peer reviewed papers and book chapters and co-edited the textbook ‘Health and Welfare of Brachycephalic (Flat-faced) Companion Animals’ (2021). Rowena holds a PhD from the Royal Veterinary College (2013) which explored the impact of extreme conformation on canine health, and has continued to research and drive initiatives on this topic for 16 years. 
Rowena is a founding member of Brachycephalic Working Group and the Legal Advisory Group on Extreme Conformation in Dogs.
Find out more about Rowena’s research at https://www.rvc.ac.uk/about/our-people/rowena-packer
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