We most all know of some old-time veterinarian, who tells the story of the veterinarian who would put a nail under the dog, when doing an abdominal X-ray, so he could do the emergency surgery. It may be an "urban legend", but it is not bio-ethics. It is fraud. Some may say it is not professional, but then, fraud is never professional.

Cropping ears, docking tails, declaws, surgically augmenting the scrotal sac so a cryptorchid purebred can show and sire, or worse, euthanasia of unwanted puppies or kittens, because they are not "breed type", are all bio-ethical issues for the veterinary profession. But now, bio-ethics are going beyond those basic issues with:

 Proactive preemptive pain management.

 Pre-anesthetic blood screening based on risk level assessments.

 Intra-operatory fluids during surgery.

 Forms of monitoring (ECG for dogs, BP for cats).

 Reversible gas anesthesia versus non-reversible injectable.

 Monitored recovery from anesthesia.

 Adequate post-surgical pain management.

 Sequential laboratory screening.!

 Number of visits per year per pet.

 Senior profiles, or more recently, "Over-forty" surveillance programs.

 Genetic predisposition discussions and surveillance.

 Multi-consult room scheduling for a single doctor, with adequate staff.

 Staff zoonotic disease protection programs.

 Practice safety precautions and personal protective equipment (PPE).

 Skip-year vaccinations, based on anecdotal information without DOI data.

 When to refer the auto-hemolytic anemia to a specialist, rather than call around to try to find "the next step" in treatment.

 Year-round heart worm treatment in northern or arid areas.

And the list goes on-and-on-and-on. More issues are being raised daily that fall into the bio-ethical arena. These are not easy "yes" or "no" issues. They are based on level of training, equipment available, expertise of the staff, and a host of other factors that are seen as reason by some, excuses by others, neglect by the protagonists, okay by the advocates, and confusing by the practice staff.