Ethics: Conflicts of Interest in the Pre-Purchase Exam

By R. Reynolds Cowles, DVM

The most common potential conflict we encounter in practice is one in which both the buyer and the seller are clients of the examiner’s practice. In the past, many have stated that one should not perform such an examination, and this is certainly one option. However, in many cases both buyer and seller do not object to such and are  comfortable with you performing the exam. This requires that there is full disclosure to all parties that you have a relationship with and there is full disclosure of all medical records and history of this animal by the seller.