Who really owns the pet? Sometimes that is a question we have to ask our clients and sometimes it is a question put upon us when a stray or even when a new pet comes in.
Defining ownership is extremely important for permission to treat, euthanize and even for financial responsibility. How many times do you have someone come in who says “oh I am not the owner, my neighbor is or my friend is.” Hopefully this happens before you treat and you can then pursue your permission with the true owner. There are occasions when it does not happen until after you have started treatment and then what? Establishing ownership should happen with your new client paperwork and your signed treatment plans, ask the right questions so the person filling it out can realize they are stating that they own this pet and have authorization for treatment and financial decisions. Train your staff to recognize and listen for clues that the person bringing in the pet or making the appointment may not be the owner. Have protocols, discussions and train staff for situations like these so guidelines are in place.
Do you have a protocol in place to scan every animal that comes in for a microchip? Most of us do have a protocol for scanning every animal. This protocol re-affirms to the client that their pet does have a microchip and it can be found, it offers peace of mind that if their pet is lost, the microchip does function. In having this protocol in place, occasionally we have a new client/pet or an existing client new pet that we scan when they come in and we find a microchip that they did not know existed. What now? Who owns this pet at this point in time? The client may say they found the pet or it was given to them, they could have owned it for many years and never knew it had a microchip. There are dozens of scenarios involved and it can get very complicated. As veterinarians and staff, we feel an obligation to try to connect the pet to the “owner” and we feel an obligation to the client standing in front of us who considers themselves to be the “owner.” What is the ethical solution to this dilemma? One could say that you should attempt to re-unite the pet and the original owner; others could say that the client in possession of the pet is now the owner. Another might say it depends on how much time has passed as to what you should do. In any case, there should be clear and decisive protocols in place so your staff knows what to do when the situation arises. You might develop a protocol that states when this situation occurs that you advise the client who brought the pet in, that the pet has a microchip and discuss what that means. Give them the phone number to the microchip organization and ask them to pursue finding the original owner. We have all tried to track down a microchip and have been successful and not so successful, people give pets away all the time and do not change the microchip information, they move, they no longer want the pet, etc. It is a difficult situation and one that needs to be handled on a case by case scenario. One thing is very clear, train your staff and have open discussions about what protocols you will have in place.
There are abandonment laws so please visit your state, city or county requirements on how to proceed with an animal you believe has been abandoned at your hospital.
Linked are some VHMA Legal Matters posts on the pet ownership topic you might find helpful:
http://memberconnect.vhma.org/communities/alldiscussions/message/?MID=19259
http://memberconnect.vhma.org/communities/alldiscussions/message/?MID=11796
http://memberconnect.vhma.org/communities/alldiscussions/message/?MID=8535
http://memberconnect.vhma.org/communities/alldiscussions/message/?MID=448