Animal Breeding, Disease and Welfare

Abstract

In the United States, people display two very different and conflicting attitudes towards the animals that they use. The pet paradigm evolves toward an anthropomorphic viewpoint in which the animal is seen as a dependent, obedient child. The production paradigm evolves towards a "machinomorphic" viewpoint in which the animal becomes an economic unit in a production system. An understanding of animals as animals leads to rejection of the extreme viewpoint of each paradigm. Such understanding is prerequisite to our attention to their welfare. Much of the disease experienced by domesticated animals is a result of 1) the environmental conditions of their confinement; 2) the management practices to which the animals are subjected or; 3) breeding practices that create genetic stock that is defective or predisposed to disease. Essential elements of animal health concern proper management and housing for animals and breeding programs that emphasize functional efficiency and disease resistance. Disease prevention should be a major concern of animal welfarists.