Insights
Election results pose obstacles for veterinary prescription law
DVM360 Magazine Flip in U.S. Senate’s majority may slow progress of Fairness to Pet Owners Act. The American veterinary profession ends its fourth year battling legislation in Congress that seeks to drive pet owners to big box retailers for their pet medications. The fight began after the first Fairness to Pet Owners bill emerged on…
Critics’ attack on COE is a solution in search of a problem
DVM360 Magazine A look at the facts reveals a different picture of veterinary school accreditation than what’s being presented. Since 1981 the AVMA’s Council on Education (COE) has approved a total of three new veterinary colleges in the United States. That’s right: three new veterinary schools in 33 years, for an average of one new…
What ‘elitism’ really means for veterinary school accreditation
DVM360 Magazine Decades-old formula presented as the only model for success. If you want to understand how elitist the viewpoint is of academic critics of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA’s) Council on Education (COE), read the September 9, 2014, words of former University of Pennsylvania veterinary school dean Robert Marshak, DVM, from an ACVIM…
Federal regulation of veterinary school accreditation brings elitists out of the woodwork
DVM360 Magazine Critics of Council on Education seek establishment of independent agency. Few veterinarians are aware of a hearing soon to happen (Dec. 11) in Washington, D.C., that may change the shape of veterinary medicine in the United States for years to come. What’s particularly interesting is how a handful of armchair advocates are working…
Why it’s a great decision to be a veterinarian
DVM360 Magazine Demographic trends point to increasing demand for veterinary services. It’s been a busy summer for the perennial debating society about whether the United States has too many veterinarians. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s convention in Denver saw a panel debate the alleged oversupply of veterinarians with your blogger taking the side that the…
Pet medications issue stirring in Senate, FTC
DVM360 Magazine Too soon to tell if new activity will move government closer to mandatory veterinary prescriptions. Rumors abound that Senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) are poised to file a Senate version of Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah)’s H.R. 4023, the latest Fairness to Pet Owners bill. Unlike many political rumors, these appear…
Sourcing of dogs revisited; the clock is ticking
DVM360 Magazine Take a page from Starbucks when looking to source foreign-bred dogs for the American market. Many of my dvm360 blogs this past year touched on a looming issue for veterinarians, animal welfare groups and the pet industry: namely, where is the source for humanely-bred dogs to meet the needs of American society during…
Idaho joins battle over shelter veterinary clinics
DVM360 Magazine Prepare to see more state VMAs weighing in on the role of low-cost shelter veterinary services. This blog has raised the issue before about growing concern over the scale and scope of shelter veterinary clinics, with Alabama and South Carolina being two states considering restrictions. Add Idaho to the list as the Idaho…
The calm before the calm on the high seas of animal policy
DVM360 Magazine Congress, states do little to interfere with veterinary medicine. This blogger has been quiet for the past month or so. Not for lack of work or interests, but to wait and see if state legislatures across the country or Congress signaled any appetite to challenge veterinarians or blaze new trails in animal welfare…
Much ado about the legal status of pets
DVM360 Magazine Veterinary profession, industry would be heavily affected by changes. Readers of this blog are aware of my fondness for the Wall Street Journal, so it will come as no surprise that today’s blog is triggered by an April 14 Wall Street Journal guest article by author David Grimm: “Should Pets Have the Same…