Veterinary Training and Animal Welfare: Reducing Harm in Clinical Education

Veterinary training has historically relied on terminal procedures on healthy animals. Reform through simulation, cadaver use, and clinical placement is transforming how vets learn with less animal harm.

Key Facts

Traditional veterinary training used live animal laboratories where healthy animals underwent procedures for teaching purposes, with animals typically euthanised afterwards
Over 90% of AVMA-accredited veterinary schools in the United States have now eliminated or significantly reduced the use of live animals in invasive teaching procedures
High-fidelity simulators for canine intubation, spay surgery, cattle rectal palpation, and other procedures now provide comparable skill acquisition to live animal laboratories
Cadaver tissue, organoids, and ex vivo tissue models provide realistic surgical and procedural training without using living animals
Clinical placement with client-owned animals under close supervision provides skill development in real clinical contexts with appropriate welfare protection
The Student AVMA and Association of Veterinary Students actively campaign for humane methods in veterinary education — student advocacy has driven significant change
Research comparing simulator-trained and live-animal-trained students finds equivalent competency outcomes for most clinical skills

Welfare Considerations

The welfare paradox of veterinary training has been that learning to heal animals required harming healthy animals first. This paradox has been substantially resolved in progressive institutions through investment in simulation technology, cadaver use, and structured clinical placement. The animals who would have been used as teaching subjects in terminal laboratory sessions are spared significant suffering with no detectable reduction in graduate competency. The welfare case for continuing reform is strong: the technical capability to replace virtually all terminal animal laboratory procedures in veterinary training now exists, and institutions that have not yet completed this transition are making a welfare choice by continuing outdated practices.

What You Can Do

Support veterinary schools that have committed to humane teaching methods by preferring them for donations and engagement
If considering veterinary study, research prospective schools on their live animal laboratory policies — student choice drives institutional change
Advocate for national veterinary accreditation standards to require documentation of animal use minimisation and replacement progress
Donate to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and equivalent organisations that support simulation development for veterinary education
Engage with your veterinary school alumni association on the question of live animal laboratory reform if relevant to your institution
Support research into and development of new simulation technologies for veterinary procedures that currently lack validated alternatives
Raise awareness that veterinary training reform is achievable and that most leading schools have already demonstrated that humane methods work