Despite a new amendment to the public health laws in New York State that permit dogs to accompany their owners at outdoor bars and restaurants as of October 26, 2015, a restaurant patron, Sondra Hargro, sued a restaurant owner, Scott Ross, for injuries she received from a dog bite from another patron’s dog inside Ross’s
Legal Liability
Petco’s Partial Motion to Dismiss Prevails
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
In a lawsuit filed in the District of Maryland by a family purportedly exposed to an infectious disease (Streptobacillus moniliformis a.k.a. rat bite fever) from rats purchased from a Petco store which the store had obtained from SunPet Ltd., the court granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss the following claims:
assault (Counts I, VIII,
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Keeping Pets Alive
A question about keeping a dog alive was the subject of “The Ethicist,” in the NYT magazine section, on November 8, 2015, How Much Can We Spend to Keep Our Dog Alive? by Kwame Anthony Appiah.
Like most topics involving animals, this one engenders particularly emotional responses, as indicated in part by the 133 comments…
Berserk Male Syndrome – Viable Claim for Negligence?
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
A ram that had been “raised on a bottle after [its] mother died” repeatedly charged and rammed a farmer, Mr. Jay H. Rhodes, who “suffered a concussion, five broken ribs and a broken sternum and shoulder . . . [and was] hospitalized for 16 days.” 2015 WL 6689576, at *1 (Wash. App. Div. 3 Nov.…
Justice for Animals
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Posted in Animal Rights, Legal Liability
It may seem counter-intuitive to some, but for me and other like-minded animal lovers, justice for animals will not come from granting animals “personhood rights,” or by banning the commercial breeding of purebred dogs, or by substituting guardianship for ownership, or banning biomedical research involving animals, or granting owners the right to non-economic damages for…
Health Certificates Should be required before Sale or Adoption of all Pets in Maryland
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
A proposed bill in Maryland would exempt shelter and non-profit entities that offer pets to the public for adoption from providing a customer with a health certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian within 30 days of the sale.
The health certificate would disclose “any illness, disease, or congenital or hereditary condition of the dog or…
Updating Pet Trust Statutes-Part III
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
As previously discussed, the New Jersey Pet Trust statute should be amended to recognize the validity of an inter vivos trust, and to allow the trust to provide for the offspring of gestating animals under certain conditions.
Inter Vivos Trust
The statute should permit a settlor to provide for their pets during their lifetime …
Egg Producers – Avoid FDA Scrutiny
By Nancy E. Halpern, D.V.M. on
Since 2011, FDA has issued at least 21 warning letters notifying egg producers that they have violated regulations governing the safety of shell eggs. Failure to comply with these regulations is a violation of the Public Health Service Act, enforced by the FDA.
Shell eggs produced while in violation are considered adulterated. Producers with 50,000…
Marketing Veterinary Products – Avoid FDA Scrutiny
Since 2001, FDA has issued at least 28 warning letters notifying dairy farmers, veterinarians, and firms marketing veterinary products of violations including the use or sale of new animal drugs without the approvals required by federal law. Some of these violations also resulted in illegal drug residues, which can be prevented, as previously described.…
Tips for Dairy Farmers under FDA’s Scrutiny
As previously discussed, dairy farmers seem to be under increased scrutiny by the FDA for medicating their cattle without following prescribed laws governing such practices. To avoid violating federal law, dairy farmers should consider incorporating the following tips in the management of their herds:
- Implement a system to identify new additions to the herd
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