Animal studies have and will continue to serve an essential role in medical development and public and animal health. This stays true for the current global efforts to find treatments and vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Animal studies are not only critical for understanding pathogenesis of COVID-19, but also
Laboratory Testing
New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health Proposed Laboratory Fee Regulation Amendments
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
The Division of Animal Health has proposed amendments to the regulation governing laboratory services provided by the State Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory, available on its website as published in the New Jersey Register on September 4, 2018 (50 N.J.R. 1919).
The amendments would increase fees charged for animal disease diagnostic and testing services…
The Benefits and Pitfalls of DNA Tests
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Genetic testing in human and animal medicine has been used for some time, and shows great promise, when used judiciously. For example, genotyping the avian influenza virus and other pathogens has helped animal and human health officials understand the spread of pathogens so that measures can be implemented to prevent or mitigate such spread.
As…
NIH Confirms It Is Retiring All Its Research Chimpanzees
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
| Guest Blog-republished with permission.First published by AMP News Service Wednesday, November 18, 2015 |
| In a late afternoon conference call with scientific society and research advocacy leaders, a National Institutes of Health official confirmed media reports that the NIH is planning to retire the 50 NIH-owned chimpanzees that currently remain available for research, and send them |
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USDA, FDA, and EPA-confusing authority over livestock production and food labeling.
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
The New York Times published an article[1] on the use of a growth promotant (ractopamine) used by some cattle and hog producers to increase the efficiency of the final stages of growth before animals are slaughtered. I recently described the shift away from the use of antibiotics in the livestock industry.
USDA recently approved…
Poop Patrol Coming to Your Neighborhood . . . Soon!
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
I previously described the potential pitfalls for those using DNA tests to identify dogs leaving behind specimens (aka poop) in public areas.
As expected, more communities are using the “poop detector tests” to penalize residents who do not pick up after their dogs. As described recently in the New York Times, a condominium in Brooklyn…
Listeria in raw pet food-basis of recall
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Concerns about raw pet food, previously discussed, have resurfaced with the laboratory isolation of listeria in pet food subsequently recalled by J.J. Fuds, Inc., out of an abundance of caution, as reported on FDA’s website.
Notably, J.J. Fuds, Inc. received no complaints about the health of animals or people resulting from exposure to…
Animal Testing Saves Animals and People Too
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Justin Goodman, PETA’s director of laboratory investigations as David Grimm recently described in the article titled “The Insurgent” published in Science, Vol. 347, Issue 6220, January 23, 2015 “attempt[s] to show researchers that animal experimentation is flawed, cruel, and just plain worthless.”
Goodman owns a dog and two cats, according to Grimm. Hopefully, those pets…
Recognizing the Vital Contributions of Animals to Biomedical Research
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
There are a lot of myths circulated by animal rights activists about the use of animals in biomedical research, which they are opposed to, even when such research benefits the animals themselves.
Most scientists and researchers understand that biomedical progress usually requires studies in animals to prove that vaccines, medications, and medical devices are safe…
Equine Infectious Anemia – Back in the News
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Equine Infectious Anemia (“EIA”), a long-dreaded, infectious disease of horses, spread mostly by horse flies and deer flies (the “insect vectors”) made headlines again, when a man reportedly admitted to providing fraudulent EIA (“Coggins”) test records when selling his horse in Louisiana, as reported by Pat Raia, in the Horse. Louisiana is one of…