Losing a pet can be hard for owners. However, it can be even harder for those owners to know that they will be separated from their beloved pets in their final resting place. In the U.S., households own about 89.7 million dogs and 94.2 million cats.[1] When looking at total pet ownership, including horses,
Animal Health
The Perils of Importation of Dogs from Egypt Acknowledged and Temporarily Ceased by US Government.
Rabies is a nearly 100% fatal disease when unvaccinated animals and humans are exposed. As previously discussed the risk of exposure to rabies from dogs imported from other countries, especially from Egypt, has increased exponentially resulting from the shift from pets purchased from USDA licensed or exempt breeders in to the unregulated sales of pets…
Guest Blog “Careless rescue importation exposes people to zoonotic disease” by Patti Strand
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Originally posted on July 9, 2018 at NAIA Official Blog, reposted with permission.
More troubling news from the wild world of rescue import has been picked up by the Worms & Germs blog : a rescue dog with a known history of chronic health issues is imported into a private U.S. shelter from Thailand…
Increasingly popular backyard chickens should be permitted but regulated to protect human and animal health.
An interesting study about ordinances governing backyard poultry ownership in Colorado was recently published, titled “A Method for Guarding Animal Welfare and Public Health: Tracking the Rise of Backyard Poultry Ordinances” (the “Report”).
The Report “tracks the development of municipal ordinances, with attention to provisions for animal health and welfare and significant concerns…
A proposed “Humane” license plate in New Jersey would dilute an existing program that helps pets and their owners.
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
A set of bills introduced in the New Jersey legislature would dilute funds from the decades-long spay neuter program overseen by the Department of Health, to the detriment of pets and their owners.
New Jersey bill S883 and sister bill A 2197 would authorize the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission “to issue special Humane State…
How animal rescue organizations perpetuate irresponsible dog breeding (and related issues) Part 2.
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Rescue Road Trips, inc. (the Rescue), as previously described, transports dogs from the south to the northeastern states for sale/adoption. The Rescue states that
No exchange of payment may occur within the boarders [sic] of the State of Connecticut.
Connecticut, in an attempt to protect consumers and pets, requires animal importers to register with…
How animal rescue organizations perpetuate irresponsible dog breeding (and related issues) Part 1.
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Retail rescue organizations like Rescue Road Trips, inc. (the Rescue) who purport to provide “loving, humane road trips to homeless, unwanted, and unloved dogs from Southern Kill Shelters . . . deliver[ed] to Loving ‘Forever Homes’ in New England and surrounding areas,” do nothing to decrease the number of dogs being irresponsibly bred. They actually…
Potential Risks from Pet Therapy Programs
Pet therapy programs have been expanding throughout the country, based largely on the increasing recognition that humans benefit from the human-animal bond. The human-animal bond is defined by the American Veterinary Medical Association as:
a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals that is influenced by behaviors that are essential to the health
…
Biomedical Research Advocacy
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Posted in Animal Health, Biomedical Research
Like many other animal-related businesses universities, researchers, pharmaceutical companies, their suppliers, associated businesses and non-profit trade associations, are facing increasing scrutiny by the public who seemingly object to the use of animals in research, even though research benefits animals as well as humans.
To address these issues and concerns head on, the New Jersey Association …
Pet Stores Under Attack-Mandatory Sterilization Preempted by State Law
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
The City Law includes mandatory sterilization requirements for 8 week-old puppies and kittens who weigh at least 2 pounds.
The question is not “can the surgery be performed on a 2 pound 8 week old puppy” but rather, based on the totality of the circumstances, can the veterinarian recommend the procedure for a puppy or…