[natwimbly]

* * * * Permission Granted to Disseminate To All Animal Lovers * * * *

Hi Folks,

Please take the time to read the new AVMA Draft which will revise the
Laws by which all licensed veterinarian must abide.
http://www.avma.org/education/mvpa/default.asp

I printed it out and am still contemplating all of the implications and
ramifications. My sense is that regarding some of the proposals, the
AVMA is being pressured to make the Veterinary Practice Act (Law)
clearer. This could be partially due to the "sting" operation by the
North Carolina Vet Med Board (see below) who brought to court a licensed
Chiropractor, Certified in Animal Chiropractic. That case was dismissed
by the judge. I understand that that same Board may attempt another
kind of court case - civil charges, or something similar:

http://www.animalchiropractic.org/update.htm

"We are seeking to protect both the right of the public to free access
to properly trained doctors and the right of properly trained doctors to
be protected from the "weekend chiropractitioners" who would cheapen the
quality of chiropractic care their companions deserve." Paul D. Rowan
http://www.animalchiropractic.org/ga...an_defense.htm

Today, as I read through the 'Draft', I became increasingly concerned
about many issues which will, no doubt, affect all of us, and it may be
positively and negatively. I understand the necessity to prevent the
unqualified people from doing harm to the unsuspecting public's animals.
However, in the attempts to regulate the Veterinary Profession, there
are some important issues to consider:

1) Our Right and Obligation to Advocate for our Companion Animal must
not be infringed. It should be very clear to everyone that the animal's
Guardian/Owner is the ONLY with the power and authority to make
decisions regarding any treatment for his or her companion animal.
Therefore, the AVMA proposed Law 'Draft' should be **corrected** See pg
3, Section 21, where it states: "The veterinarian has assumed the
responsibility for making clinical judgments regarding the health of the
animals and the need for medical treatment, and the client has agreed to
follow the veterinarian's instructions". We must respond to this on
behalf of our animals!

2) Freedom of Speech - if, in our experience, we have had success with
some treatment we tried for our dog, are we at risk of prosecution (pg
17, Sec.22) if we 'recommend' it to others? (pg 3, item 18, a, iv). And
this could be via Lists such as this, Web Pages, books, even telephone
conversations - "any method or mode" ... "includes telephonic and other
electronic communications for the rendering of advice or recommendation
for the treatment,... relief, or prevention of animal disease." (pg 5).

3) Invasion of Privacy, Divulging Confidential Information - (pg 16).
This proposed law would allow anyone's animals' medical records to be
sent to others *without* the guardian/owner's consent and therefore,
without one's knowledge. Why? In what specific cases would this happen?

4) Unfair Restriction of Access to Qualified and Properly Trained
Doctors. For example, our access to licensed doctors will be severely
restricted as in the case of having our animals treated with
chiropractic. There is no vet Certified in Chiropractic in my locale.

Because Veterinary Medicine is an Art as well as a Science, it is not
stagnant. We learn of new technology and research regularly, along with
healing modalities previously unknown. However, in some cases, the
information has been around for a very long time. For instance, the
famous Herbalist, Juliette di Bairacli Levy is not a vet but has about
40 years of experience in herbal therapy for animals. Would she, at the
ripe old age of 90, be arrested and sent to jail for "Practicing Vet
Medicine without a License" because she recommended one of her excellent
natural herbal treatments, such as feeding some shredded raw carrot to
increase milk production for the dam?

On the other hand, I am concerned with the many people who are actively
selling products and giving out advice who may not be as knowledgeable
or as truthful as they should be. In May, 2002, some people were sued
selling pet supplements via the internet for "numerous false and
misleading assertions and claims". To follow is an except from:
www.iowaattorneygeneral.org/latest_news/releases/may_2002/Pet_Medicine_s
uit.htm

"People love their pets," [Atty. General] Miller said. "I can attest to
that, with our dog, Sam. We also know people can become desperate when
their pets are not doing well or are very sick, and pet owners can be
very vulnerable to misleading claims about so-called medicines or
supplements that might help. And more and more people are turning to the
Internet to find cures to their pets' problems. That's why we have a
system of regulation," he said.

"We allege the defendants violated the Consumer Fraud Act by using false
assertions and claims that certainly could mislead pet owners and result
in them spending huge amounts of money."

"The lawsuit says Iowa Dept. of Agriculture inspectors submitted samples
of Pet Medicine Chest products for analysis by the State laboratory. The
analyses revealed inconsistencies between labeling information and the
actual quantities of ingredients, and revealed unapproved feed
ingredients both on the labels and in the samples. In March, the Ag
Dept. advised the defendants about the problems and ordered them to
cease any further product sales, but sales continued, the suit alleges."

So, it does send some chills up my spine to think that "big brother" or
Fascist types are attempting to so severely restrict sharing
information.

Anyhow, that's just some of what I've thought about that "Draft" for the
new Laws affecting us and our companion animals. Kind of surprised that
I haven't seen much other discussion about it as it does seem to be a
really important proposal. What many folks may not realize is that *our
preferences matter* and we should let the AVMA know exactly what we want
to do for our animals.

From the AVMA 'Draft' http://www.avma.org/education/mvpa/default.asp

"Please note that this is a draft revision only. After the PATF
[Practice Act Task Force] considers all comments received and makes
appropriate changes to the draft MVPA [Model Veterinary Practice Act],
the final proposed revised MVPA will be forwarded to the AVMA Executive
Board for consideration. The revised MVPA will only become a final
document after it has been approved by the AVMA Executive Board.

Please mail written comments to:
Dr. Beth Sabin
AVMA
1931 N Meacham Rd., Suite 100
Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360

Comments postmarked by March 15, 2003 will be forwarded to the PATF
[Practice Act Task Force] for its consideration.

Best regards,
Helen
Helen McKinnon
www.ItsForTheAnimals.com
Helen@ItsForTheAnimals.com
***********************************************

Nat
Moderator- dog forums