Archive for the ‘Animal News’ Category
Dear Readers Digest- What were you thinking?!
Filed under: Animal News, Opinion Corner | Tags: 50 things your vet wont tell you, American Veterinary Medical Association, Caribbean, readers digest, ross university, Veterinary care, Veterinary school
Comments (2) Last week, one of my coworkers came in with a readers digest article called “50 Things Your Vet Won’t Tell You”. There are quite a few things in there that I admit, are absolutely true (such as 1-10, for example. And number 22 made me laugh my ass off it’s so true). However, when I got to number 20, my jaw dropped to the floor.
20. “Your vet may not have gotten into vet school! Vets who can’t get into traditional U.S. veterinary programs due to bad grades and poor test scores often go to for-profit schools in the Caribbean, where, basically, if you can pay the tuition, you get in.”—A vet in California.
Please, pardon my mouth for the next paragraph while I vent at this stupidity:
Who the hell does this jerk think he is?! He obviously knew he was going to get a TON of backlash for saying this, he didn’t even have the balls to put his name onto it!! You want to know why I’m so angry about this? Every single doctor I work with with the exception of one got their degree internationally, 2 of which went to the Caribbean. And that one who didn’t get their degree internationally? She went to an international school for her first year because she decided she wanted to go to vet school after admissions to US schools closed, so instead of waiting a year she went internationally for the first year and then transferred to the states.
Here’s the thing- just because you go to the Caribbean to get your degree does not mean that you are not a good, even great, veterinarian. Even if the “vet in California’s” claim was true regarding if you can pay you can get in (and I assure you it’s not- if it was, one of the vets I work with would not be in debt from school right now), you still have to graduate to get your degree, AND when you return to the US you have to pass the Veterinary Boards, AND you have to go through your clinical period in the states after you graduate!
I particularly love the AVMAs (American Veterinary Medical Associations) response to this article:
“We really take exception to the comment in #20 that implies a veterinary education can simply be purchased from a Caribbean veterinary school and that students who attend these schools weren’t good enough for U.S. schools. The fact of the matter is that the veterinary schools at Ross University (on St. Kitts) and St. George’s University (on Grenada) are fully accredited by the AVMA Council on Education, which means these schools meet or exceed the exact same standards to which all U.S. schools are held. An education from these schools is NOT inferior, and the veterinary degrees they confer cannot simply be purchased.
Our advice to pet owners – establishing honest communication with your veterinarian is one of the best things you can do to protect your pet’s health and life. And we’re not afraid to tell you that.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself, and I am thrilled and thankful that the AVMA chose to take a stance so quickly on the subject, and we can only hope that the comments from veterinarians around the world will cause the people at Readers Digest to post a retraction regarding that statement.
Effective Animal Advocacy 101
Filed under: Animal News | Tags: animal advocacy, Animal rights, Lifestyle Choices, Veganism, Vegetarian, Vegetarianism
Comments (1) Effective Animal Advocacy 101.
A repost from something I saw on my facebook news feed- it’s a pretty good view on animal advocacy and veganism. I’m not vegan mind you (although I have cut down quite a bit on the amount of animal products I consume over the last few months), but I really agree with this article. Going up to someone and telling them they’re wrong for eating meat and being rude and mean to them isn’t going to make them change- it’s just going to make them hate you, and gives all vegans a bad name. This could go for anything though when you think about it- religion, politics, even right down to the color of people skin. Give this article a go and tell me what you think!
BSL is BS- Punish the Deed NOT the Breed!!
Filed under: Animal News | Tags: American Staffordshire Terrier, Breed Specific Legislation, BSL, canine, Chow Chows, Doberman Pinscher, dog, pet care, Pit bull, Rottweiler, Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Comments (8) Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). Those are 3 of the most hated words among animal owners, primarily pit bull owners. And I’ve just learned that one of the towns in the county next to mine is trying to put a BSL ordinance into affect forcing owners to muzzle their pit bulls when they are out in public. An animal control officer for the county is requesting that the ordinance be put into affect after a 3 year old girl was attacked by the same pit bull that was involved in an attack on December 2nd. The officer feels that there have been too many bites, and pit bulls have been the main type of dogs involved in the attacks.
Now some may be wondering what exactly Breed Specific Legislation is. I feel the ASPCA says it best, and I quote-
“Breed-specific legislation (BSL) is the blanket term for laws that either regulate or ban certain breeds completely in the hopes of reducing dog attacks. Some city/municipal governments have enacted breed-specific laws. However, the problem of dangerous dogs will not be remedied by the “quick fix” of breed-specific laws—or, as they should truly be called, breed-discriminatory laws.
It is worth noting that in some areas, regulated breeds include not just American Pit Bull terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, English Bull Terriers and Rottweilers, but also a variety of other dogs, including American Bulldogs, Mastiffs, Dalmatians, Chow Chows, German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, or any mix of these breeds—and dogs who simply resemble these breeds.”
I don’t understand why it is necessary to punish an entire breed just because some people can’t (or won’t) keep their dogs under control. I know plenty of pit bull and pit bull type dogs who are the nicest, sweetest animals on earth- why should they be forced to wear a muzzle and get a bad rap? Why should they have to wear a muzzle just because they “might” bite? Well guess what, any dog can bite without warning! Does that mean that all dogs should wear muzzles out in public? No, of course not, so why should one breed be singled out?
For example- the attacks that sparked the talk of BSL near me was on a 3 year old girl who was playing in her yard. The pit was running loose, and went into the child’s yard and attacked her, completely unprovoked. The attack on December 2nd, a woman was beaten by 2 men, and the same pit bull that attacked the child plus an additional pit bull were ordered by the men to attack her (although according to the article, the dog that attacked the child did not attack the woman- it attacked the other pit bull).
See why I’m against BSL? Why should the breed be discriminated against when it’s obvious that irresponsible ownership is to blame? People like this should not only not be aloud to own pit bulls, but the shouldn’t be aloud to have dogs, period.
Although I am against BSL, I do feel that there needs to be much stricter rules to regulate who can adopt certain breeds, and those who wish to adopt breeds that are considered “dangerous” should have to go through a canine behavior/training course to prove that they are smart/strong willed enough to handle a dog that has a dominant personality. As much as I love dogs such as pit bulls, rottweilers, and dobermans and the like, I do believe that these particular breeds are not for everyone, and they should be trained how to properly handle them.
http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/dog-fighting/breed-specific-legislation.aspx
