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Since its creation 2 years ago, the
IVIS website has grown
to one of the largest and most important veterinary information websites.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the editors, authors and IVIS personnel,
the IVIS website now counts 371 book chapters and countless other features
to assist veterinarians and veterinary students in their daily search for
information. Today the IVIS community counts 35.153 registered users.
SARAH Heath and Jon Bowen, veterinary surgeons and
pet behaviourists, have launched what they describe as an innovative
solution to bring calm and control to the world of noise phobic dogs. |
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National
Veterinary Technician Week Animal clinics and veterinary students all across the country are gearing up for National Veterinary Technician Week, which runs from this Sunday, October 13, through October 19. Officially designated by the North American Veterinary Technician Association (NAVTA) in 1993, the annual event was organized to educate the public about these vital members of the veterinary medical team and provide a forum for vet techs to salute one another for their good work. This year's theme, "Veterinary Technicians, the Heart of Animal Health Care," focuses on their unique ability to communicate and bond with their furred, feathered (and sometimes finned) patients. Visit NAVTA's official site for more on these animal-care dynamos. Interested in joining the profession? Write to NAVTA, PO Box 224, Battle Ground, IN 47920. Courtesy of ASPCA |
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APRIL
IS PREVENTION OF ANIMAL CRUELTY MONTH What would you do if you saw an animal--wild or domestic--being abused? To help get the word out about how people can better protect animals, the ASPCA is stepping up educational efforts this April--also known as Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month. "It is unfortunate that many people who witness or hear about acts of animal cruelty are unaware that legal action can be taken to help stop the problem," says Dr. Larry Hawk, ASPCA President and CEO. "Education and activism are the keys to solving this battle--and therefore we are urging all Americans to spend some time this month to educate themselves and others about existing animal cruelty laws in their state and support pending legislation." The ASPCA offers the following advice to those who wish to make life more humane for animals:
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New
Study Underway To Develop Contraceptive Vaccine For Pets
Oct 12, 2001 Researchers at the University of Virginia hope to develop a vaccine for dogs and cats which, when injected into female animals, would interrupt the process of fertilization. Not only would such a vaccine be cheaper and safer than spay/neuter surgery, it could have an enormous impact on the problem of pet overpopulation. "This study utilizes the wealth of information emerging from the research on mouse and human genomes to improve companion animal care," says John C. Herr, director of the University of Virginia Center for Research in Contraceptive and Reproductive Health. "Few investigators are applying the current explosion of genetic information in the biological sciences to dogs and cats." from the ASPCA |
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THE
STATE OF THE AMERICAN PET SURVEY
2001 The State of the American Pet Survey was conducted in August of 2000 of thousands of dog and cat owners in the US to determine their knowledge and attitudes regarding issues about pet health. This survey was commissioned by the Healthy Pets 21 Consortium of the Purina Pet Institute. The information will be used to set a pet health priorities for the future that will improve the well being of pets and the quality of their relationships with people. |
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THE STATE OF THE AMERICAN PET HIGHLIGHTS
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| Findings The research makes it clear that pet owners are committed to their animals as never before. They take their dogs and cats shopping, to restaurants and on vacation. They give them respect, love and hours of attention. It seems like a great time to be a pet in America, but we found other areas of concern:
If you’d like to know more, download the entire The State of the American Pet Survey from Purina.
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Twelve NYC Restaurants
Cut Milk-Fed Veal from the Menu
July 12, 2000 Veal Fact Sheet:
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REALITY
CHECK FOR AMERICAN PET OWNERS (NEW YORK) October 3, 2000 -- It's a great time to be an American pet
… or is it? The State of the American Pet, a national survey of dog and cat owners, was conducted by Yankelovich Partners on behalf of the Healthy Pets 21 Consortium (HP21), a think tank initiated by the Purina Pet Institute that includes some of the foremost leaders in the pet health and welfare community. The research makes it clear that owners are very committed to their animals. They take their dogs and cats shopping, to restaurants and on vacation. They give them respect, love and hours of attention. But other findings prompt concerns for America's 120 million dogs and
cats: · Though owners say their pets are well behaved, when probed further, they cite numerous behavioral issues ranging from scratching furniture to soiling in the house. · Pet owners are concerned about pet overpopulation, yet many do not act consistently to help reduce the problem. Check Up and Check Out The Scale
Moreover, though obesity among dogs and cats is a leading nutritional disease with potentially serious health consequences, more than 80 percent of pet owners think their pets are the right weight or underweight. However, veterinarians report at least 25 percent of the pets they examine in private practice are overweight. This has the Healthy Pets 21 Consortium wondering if pet owners are attuned to their pets' proper weight. "Most pet owners think a few extra pounds on a dog or cat is nothing to worry about," says Aine McCarthy, DVM, HP21 Consortium representative from Ralston Purina. "In reality, two extra pounds on a standard-size cat is like 20 extra pounds on a 120-pound human. Extra weight on pets may be dangerous and can lead to heart, digestive and respiratory problems." Who's In The Dog House?
When owners were asked whether their pet's greatest behavior problem was solved, just 21 percent of dog owners and 30 percent of cat owners said their pet's negative behavior was resolved. The Healthy Pets 21 Consortium worries these results might indicate that pet owners overlook negative behavior because of the close bond they share with their pet. Or, perhaps they accept bad behavior because they don't understand proper pet behavior. For whatever reason, owners are passive about their pets' behavioral issues. In fact, 18 percent of dog owners and 24 percent of cat owners said they did nothing about their pets' negative behavior, and only one out of every five dog owners has ever taken their dog to obedience training. In addition, of those who have surrendered a pet, 14 percent of dog owners and five percent of cat owners have done so due to behavioral problems. "First owners need to recognize their pets' unwanted behavior as a problem and understand that the negative behavior can be improved or prevented by consulting with knowledgeable trainers, behaviorists and veterinarians," says R.K. Anderson, DVM, HP21 Consortium representative from CENSHARE. "This is essential not only because unwanted behaviors fracture the bond between owners and their pets, but they also can signal a health problem for which owners should see their veterinarians. Animals seek our approval and it is the responsibility of owners - and a sign of their compassion - to help their pets learn how that approval can best be earned." Dr. Anderson also notes that while many people are reluctant to train their pets, requiring appropriate behavior actually strengthens the human/animal bond. "Not only can the unwanted behaviors fracture the bond between
owners and their pets, but they also can signal a health problem for which
they should see their veterinarian," Practice What You Preach
What is even more surprising among those who have not had their pets spayed or neutered, is the top reason cited by one in three owners -- "they simply haven't bothered to do it yet." "We applaud those pet owners who have adopted pets from shelters and spayed or neutered their pets. Their actions play a critical role in reducing the number of animals that are homeless, living in shelters or euthanized each year," says Jane McCall, HP21 Consortium representative from the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators. "A cat or dog who has babies, and whose babies have babies, can be responsible for the birth of 50 to 200 kittens or puppies in just one year." Setting the Pet Health Agenda
The Consortium's charter members are the AKC Canine Health Foundation, American Animal Hospital Association, CENSHARE (Center to Study Human-Animal Relationships and Environments), Delta Society, Society of Animal Welfare Administrators, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and Ralston Purina. Share Your Pet Point of View
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VETERINARIAN'S WORK TO PRESERVE THE HUMAN-ANIMAL
BOND RECEIVES RECOGNITION
-- Dr. Caroline Schaffer Named Recipient of 2000 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award TOPEKA, Kan. (October 6, 2000) -To the residents of a Tuskegee, Ala. nursing home and AIDS patients throughout the United States, Dr. Caroline Schaffer is a symbol of hope. Founder and director of the Center for the Study of Human-Animal Interdependent Relationships at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University, Dr. Schaffer understands the importance of the connection between people and animals, especially to those who are elderly or ill. Her work has gained hundreds of admirers, and now it's receiving national recognition as well.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Delta Society and
Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., have selected Schaffer as the recipient of the
2000 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award. The Bustad
Award is named for the late Dr. Leo K. Bustad, former President of the
Delta Society and dean of the Washington State University College of
Veterinary Medicine. The prestigious annual award, which will be presented
at the Tufts Animal EXPO 2000 in Boston on October 12, recognizes
Schaffer's outstanding work as a veterinarian in promoting the
human-animal bond in her profession and her community. There is no doubt she's making contributions to the veterinary medical profession. Throughout Schaffer's 30-year career she has participated in numerous professional organizations, such as the AVMA, the Alabama VMA, the Ohio VMA, Delta Society and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, and Tuskegee University's Human-Animal Behavior Club, all of which promote the importance of the human-animal bond. Schaffer currently serves as immediate past president of the American Association of Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians and is a member of the Board of Directors of People, Animals, Nature, Inc. One of Schaffer's most significant accomplishments centers on people living with HIV/AIDS. Schaffer co-authored a brochure titled "HIV/AIDS and Pet Ownership" that advises immunocompromised people about their pet ownership options. Schaffer said her goal is to make people understand that having a disease such as AIDS does not mean a person cannot keep and properly care for a pet. By widely distributing her brochures to veterinarians, public health workers, physicians, she's teaching safe pet selection and ownership for immunocompromised people. "Dr. Schaffer's work with AIDS patients highlights the importance of the human animal bond. Many of these patients have only their pets and the love that they provide. Her work highlights the best that our profession can offer to both humans and animals," said Dr. James E. Nave, President of the American Veterinary Medical Association. "I get letters from people saying, 'I wish I'd gotten this brochure last week. My physician made me get rid of my pet and I'm just devastated,"' Schaffer said. "As veterinarians, we understand the risks and cycles of diseases, and we can take that knowledge and explain it to people who want to keep their pets - this is work that touches many lives." In all that she does, Schaffer stresses the well-being of animals as well as people. For people taking their pets to nursing homes, for example, she and veterinary medical students at Tuskegee University produced a video tape that shows how to let the pet say, through its body language, whether it even wants to be hugged by strangers. Dr. Mary Beth Leininger, director of Professional Affairs for Hill's, and former AVMA President, sees Schaffer as an inspiration for veterinarians to continue promoting the human-animal bond through their work. "The human-animal bond is truly the glue that binds veterinarians together as we serve society," said Leininger. "By Dr. Schaffer's sparkling example, we can clearly see the strength and joy of that important connection." The Bustad Award is co-sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association, Delta Society and Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. The American Veterinary Medical Association is a professional organization of more than 64,000 veterinarians, headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill. The Association will hold it's 138th annual meeting, 'Preserving Our Heritage, Revolutionizing Our Future,' in Boston, July 14-18, 2001. Delta Society® is an international, non-profit, human service organization with a very unique mission. By uniting millions of people who have mental and physical illnesses and disabilities with professionally trained animals, Delta programs improve human health through service and therapy animals. Delta Pet Partners® trains volunteers and screens their pets for participation in animal programs in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and schools. Delta also provides consultations and referrals for people who seek specifically trained service dogs that can alert to sounds, guide around obstacles, retrieve dropped articles or provide physical and emotional support. Starting in 2001, Delta's Service Dog Trainer's Curriculum will train thousands more service dog trainers. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. manufactures Science Diet® brand pet foods, sold through veterinarians and finer pet food stores, and Prescription Diet® brand pet foods, therapeutic foods available only through veterinarians. Founded more than 50 years ago by one veterinarian's unique commitment to pet nutrition and well being, Hill's® follows its mission to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets by producing the most scientifically advanced, highest quality pet foods available. |
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SENATE PASSES LEGISLATION TO BAN DOG AND CAT FUR
TRADE -- HSUS Lauds Senator Roth For Outstanding Leadership On Bill WASHINGTON (October 13, 2000) - The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the country's largest animal protection organization with more than seven million supporters nationwide, commended the Senate today for approving strong legislation to ban the import, export and sale of dog and cat fur products in the United States. The ban is contained in the Senate version of a trade package, H.R. 4868. In July, The House of Representatives unanimously approved its own version of H.R. 4868, with a ban on dog and cat fur products, which was guided through the House by Trade Subcommittee Chairman Philip Crane (R-IL). The dog and cat fur legislation, originally introduced last year by Sen. William V. Roth Jr. (R-DE) and in the House by Rep. Jerry Kleczka (D- WI), has garnered broad bipartisan support in Congress. "By passing this legislation, the Senate sends a strong message to those involved in the dog and cat fur trade that the United States wants no part of this horrific, inhumane business that costs the lives of millions of companion animals each year," said Wayne Pacelle, HSUS senior vice president. "We thank Senator Roth for championing this cause and skillfully guiding the legislation to unanimous approval in the Senate." Attention now turns to reconciling differences between the House and "We are very hopeful that the House will agree to accept the
Senate's U.S. political leaders began taking action to ban cat and dog fur
products after The Humane Society of the United States revealed results from
a two-year investigation that exposed the international trade in
products-clothes, accessories, figurines and novelty items- made from the
fur and pelts of cats and dogs. The animals are killed by hanging, beating, stabbing, bleeding to death, or drowning with gallons of water pumped down tubes in their throats, and they are often skinned while still alive. Before their deaths, these dogs and cats are kept in deplorable conditions without adequate heat, food or water, and are forced to witness close-up the violent killing of their fellow animals as they await their own turn to die. "While a U.S. law won't eliminate the industry world-wide, it will
keep For more information on this or other animal protection issues, visit The HSUS on the Internet at www.hsus.org and www.animalchannel.net. |
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SENATE PASSES LEGISLATION TO BAN
DOG AND CAT FUR TRADE -- HSUS Lauds Senator Roth For Outstanding Leadership On Bill WASHINGTON (October 13, 2000) - The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the country's largest animal protection organization with more than seven million supporters nationwide, commended the Senate today for approving strong legislation to ban the import, export and sale of dog and cat fur products in the United States. The ban is contained in the Senate version of a trade package, H.R. 4868. In July, The House of Representatives unanimously approved its own version of H.R. 4868, with a ban on dog and cat fur products, which was guided through the House by Trade Subcommittee Chairman Philip Crane (R-IL). The dog and cat fur legislation, originally introduced last year by Sen. William V. Roth Jr. (R-DE) and in the House by Rep. Jerry Kleczka (D- WI), has garnered broad bipartisan support in Congress. "By passing this legislation, the Senate sends a strong message to those involved in the dog and cat fur trade that the United States wants no part of this horrific, inhumane business that costs the lives of millions of companion animals each year," said Wayne Pacelle, HSUS senior vice president. "We thank Senator Roth for championing this cause and skillfully guiding the legislation to unanimous approval in the Senate." Attention now turns to reconciling differences between the House and "We are very hopeful that the House will agree to accept the
Senate's U.S. political leaders began taking action to ban cat and dog fur
products after The Humane Society of the United States revealed results
from a two-year investigation that exposed the international trade in
products-clothes, accessories, figurines and novelty items- made from the
fur and pelts of cats and dogs. The animals are killed by hanging, beating, stabbing, bleeding to death, or drowning with gallons of water pumped down tubes in their throats, and they are often skinned while still alive. Before their deaths, these dogs and cats are kept in deplorable conditions without adequate heat, food or water, and are forced to witness close-up the violent killing of their fellow animals as they await their own turn to die. "While a U.S. law won't eliminate the industry world-wide, it will
keep For more information on this or other animal protection issues, visit The HSUS on the Internet at www.hsus.org and www.animalchannel.net. |
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DOG ARCHAEOLOGIST SNIFFS OUT ANCIENT HUMAN REMAINS NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--Aug. 24, 2000--Eagle, an eight year-old Doberman Pinscher-German Shorthaired Pointer-turned archaeologist, has a nose like no other for locating ancient human remains, according to a story in the September/October issue of ARCHAEOLOGY Magazine by Brenda Smiley, a contributing writer to ARCHAEOLOGY. Sniffing out human remains is a field pioneered by Eagle--the only dog in the world certified for such work. Gifted with unusual olfactory abilities, Eagle is the star of Canine Solutions Inc., a Virginia-based company that trains dogs for all manner of tracking and cadaver search. Sandra Anderson, a 40 year-old part Cherokee and mother of two teenagers who directs the Company's Michigan detection task training division and trained Eagle, doesn't think the dog has supernatural powers like some Midwestern Baskerville hound, but she does describe incidents involving Eagle that are downright eerie, like the time he scouted the entire River Raisin battlefield in Monroe, Michigan, in a matter of hours, nosing out dozens of bodies and other artifacts that helped set the historical record straight, and then two days later discovered heretofore undetected Indian burials in the center of Monroe. "Without Eagle, it would have taken us years, perhaps decades, to accurately locate all the actual sites and correlate them with old historic records," says Ralph Naveaux, a local archaeologist and Monroe's historical museum director. Police familiar with Eagle's work are also duly impressed. "I've worked with dogs before, but I've never seen anything like him," says Toledo Detective Sgt. Keefe Snyder. "Every time he hits, there's something there. He never misses. He's the best thing since DNA." Eagle stole the show at a recent Wisconsin murder trial when he was given a blind test to find a paper bag, concealed in the courtroom, containing a handkerchief with a washed-out human bloodstain on it. Two similar bags, also concealed, had handkerchiefs soaked in pig and cow blood. Eagle astonished the court by making a beeline for the bag with the handkerchief stained with human blood. The feat confirmed Eagle's credibility and led to a murder conviction. "The dog's nose is like our eyes--the main sensory link to the world," states Bill Dotson, a microbiologist and CEO of Canine Solutions. In historic searches, Eagle is detecting miniscule traces of gas that are given off by bone. When he is actively sampling the air, drawing in the gas in much the same way we sniff a stew, it sets off a cascade of biological events that signal the brain's olfactory processing area and other associated areas. There, the information is integrated with his other brain activities such as memory, communication, movement, and emotion. Once decoded, and because of imprinted learning, Eagle can now tell us, 'hey, that's a steak, or this is a human bone.'" Eagle's abilities continue to mystify the experts. What is it in that odor molecule that triggers a response, allowing Eagle to distinguish between human and animal--and to locate the smallest bit of human tooth, a drop of blood, a hair follicle, a fragment of a human bone more than a thousand years old? "We don't know," Sandra Anderson concedes. "We humans say, 'Okay, we've got the body down, the DNA chains, proteins, amino acids.' But maybe a dog at Eagle's level is hitting that envelope because there's something out there we haven't discovered yet. I know that sounds sci-fi, but hey, that's exciting, isn't it?" ARCHAEOLOGY Magazine, published for 52 years by the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), is dedicated to bringing the excitement of worldwide archaeological discovery to the public. The AIA also publishes Archaeology's dig, a new archaeology magazine for kids. Additional information on ARCHAEOLOGY Magazine is available at www.archaeology.org. Additional information on ARCHAEOLOGY's dig is available at archaeology.dig.org. CONTACT: ARCHAEOLOGY Magazine, New York. Peter Young,
Editor-In-Chief, 212/732-5154. peter@archaeology.org. |
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