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No More Elephant Rides at Orange County Fair - Finally!
KNBC News | Los Angeles...
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No More Elephant Rides at OC Fair.
The rides were part of the fair for 25 years, and were stopped with a 6 to 1 vote.
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By Samantha Tata
| Thursday, Mar 22, 2012 | Updated 6:25 PM PDT
Elephant Rides Nixed from OC Fair
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Endangered Asian elephants were at the heart of the board's decision to nix elephant rides at the OC Fairgrounds.
Something big will be missing from the OC Fair this summer. Elephant rides, which have been part of the fair for 25 years, have been nixed.
The fair board voted 6 to 1 to get rid of the rides, which have drawn the ire of veterinarians, animal rights groups and elephant experts.
The private company Have Trunk Will Travel lost their contract with the fair after being notified 10 days ago that they were on the chopping block.
"It didn't make a bit of sense to me," said Kari Johnson.
Johnson said liability concerns were blamed for why she and her husband's company were let go from the fair after more than two decades.
"I think a lot of people are going to be surprised when they learn about this," said Johnson, who discovered from a blog that liability would play an role in Thursday's hearing.
She doubted the legitimacy of those fears, namely because her team of 6 elephants had never posed any problems on the road and the company has more insurance than the fair requires.
Still, animal rights concerns seemed to seep into the decision to stop the rides.
A television special chronicling elephant behavior inspired OC Fair board director Nick Berardino to examine how his own company was handling the endangered species, he said.
"I remember last year, right after I was appointed to the fair board, the fair had elephant rides and there were protesters there," he said. "So, I began to look into it."
That's when he suggested the board discontinue the rides, which cost about $7 per person and lasted for several minutes in a 50 by 100 foot grass enclosure.
Johnson's company would typically supply the fair with two to three elephants, and stay there for the five days a week that it operated before heading back to their Perris ranch.
"It was a month-long gig, and quite a chunk of income for us," Johnson said, adding that the company is privately funded and does not receive donations or grants.
The large audience, which spilled into the lobby, at Thursday’s board meeting was split on the issue.
Citing new research into how elephants react in captivity, advocates against elephant rides said using fear and "extreme human dominance" with such a large animal is unnatural and insensitive.
While others, including commercial animal trainers and singlular "nay" voter David Ellis, defended the rides by citing an incident-free history at OC Fair, coupled with a educational and sentimental value was proof enough to keep the attraction.
"We love animals elephants, and that's what we do," Johnson said, adding that Have Trunk Will Travel operates their own breeding program and is heavily involved in elephant conservation and research.
Supporters' "prime motivating factor is: we've had them for 25 years and we've never had an incident," Berardino said. "Now, given our action, we guarantee we will never have an incident."
More than 60 community members were each allotted two minutes to make their case in front of a packed board room.
Johnson also two minutes and was not asked questions by the board. She met with Berardino prior to the meeting, but suspects the rest of the board made up their minds beforehand.
"I don't think we could've done anything to please them," she said. Her husband, the company's co-founder and co-owner, was unable to make the meeting due to short notice.
Notable voices weighed in on the contested rides, including that of "The Price is Right Host"-turned-PETA supporter Bob Barker, who sent a letter to the board opposing the use of endangered Asian elephants for entertainment.
"Offering [elephants] for rides send the wrong message about how we treat our planet's rare and vanishing species," Barker wrote.
Have Trunks Will Travel is no stranger to the backlash that comes with keeping elephants in captivity. They had a similar issue at the San Diego County Fair.
That fair decided to keep the rides and revisit their liability worries in 2014, when new guidelines set by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) will go into affect barring trainers and elephants from sharing space.
Bererdino cited those restrictions as part of his decision, but Johnson said she's not sure why the blanket rule would apply to them.
AZA "continuously recertifies us, even though we offer rides, which is in conflict with their rules against elephant rides at zoos," she said. "We're not a zoo. ... We have a higher degree of training than most zoos can provide.
"I didn't quite get it."
Thursday's decision makes the fair the second Orange County entity in three months to end elephant rides.
The Santa Ana Zoo put an end to them last December following allegations of elephant abuse, which were not confirmed by a city investigation.
.KNBC News | Los Angeles... . No More Elephant Rides at OC Fair. The rides... more-
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How to Introduce Your Dog to Your New Baby: Holistic Veterinarian Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM
Expecting a new baby can change a lot of things, including your adult dog’s behavior. His position in your family will change and you don’t want him to blame the baby. Make as many changes in your home environment and your dog’s routine as early as you can.
If certain areas of your home will be off limits, like the nursery, establish that now. It’s also a good idea to teach your dog the difference between his toys and the baby’s. For dogs that have trouble differentiating between certain toys, use scent recognition to teach them the difference – put a dab of Listerine on the baby’s toys, truss the scented baby toy and a dog toy then play the game “which one is yours?” Playing this game once a week, most dogs learn the difference within a month.
The sound of a crying baby also upsets a lot of adult dogs, so it’s a good idea to desensitize your dog to the sounds before the baby arrives. Use a tape of a baby crying, put it in the crib, turn it on and see how your dog reacts.
http://www.organizedwisdom.com/introducing-your-dog-to-your-new-baby-dr-carols-naturally-healthy-pets-blog/6682682-9157762/nxi/medExpecting a new baby can change a lot of things, including your adult dog’s... more-
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The Scoop on Pet Nutritional Supplements | Dr. Carols Naturally Healthy Pets Blog
Consumer demand is requiring mainstream veterinary medicine to make way for a more natural, holistic approach, including the use of supplements to improve pet health.
Dr Carol Osborne discusses nutritional supplements for pets and lists some ingredients that pet owners should avoid.Consumer demand is requiring mainstream veterinary medicine to make way for a more... more-
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Short [Beautiful] Video on the Rescue of Edie, Who Was Almost Euthanized
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Beautiful video story of the rescue of Edie, a dog about to be euthanized but who, instead, was given her second chance at life... a REAL life.
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Link above doesn't work. So please take the two additional seconds to click on THIS link (below) -- it'll be worth your time!
http://www.wimp.com/neededhug/
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LqSHfkLvHk
.. Beautiful video story of the rescue of Edie, a dog about to be euthanized but... more-
- EthicalVegan
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Jabba, Los Angeles Zoo's Only Hippo, Has Been Euthanized
Los Angeles Times...
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L.A. Zoo's only hippo euthanized after weeks-long illness
January 20, 2012 | 6:56 pm
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Jabba the L.A. Zoo's hippo had to be euthanized
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The sole hippopotamus at the Los Angeles Zoo was euthanized Friday after being ill with an unknown ailment for a month and not responding to treatment, zoo officials said.
Zookeepers noticed in December that the 28-year-old hippopotamus, Jabba, had a decreased appetite, abnormal bloating and was not responding to medication, zoo spokesman Jason Jacobs told City News Service. The hippo was under close veterinary care, but his condition rapidly worsened in the last few days.
The zoo's staff made the "difficult decision" to euthanize Jabba, according to a statement released by the zoo.
Jabba had been at the zoo since 2009. Before that, he lived at the San Diego Zoo for several years, where he sired several calves.
His body will be taken to the California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System at UC Davis for a necropsy.
.Los Angeles Times... . L.A. Zoo's only hippo euthanized after... more-
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Warning - EXTREMELY Graphic Photo/Video: We MUST Find Justice for Vucko, a Dog, Whose Face Was Blown Off By Two Sickos
Justice for Dog Whose Face Was Blown Off By Fireworks!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/441/petition-for-the-dog-whose-face-was-torn-off-after-people-put-a-lit-firework-in-his-mouth-and-later/
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Please sign the petition -- these two ugly humans need to be punished.
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care2 petitionsite
Justice for Dog Whose Face Was Blown Off By Fireworks!
Justice for Dog Whose Face Was Blown Off By Fireworks!
signatures: 90,724
deadline: ongoing
signature goal: 100,000
Target: Federal Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sponsored by: International workers for animal rights
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Please share Vucko's story on Facebook.
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SARAJEVO -- Two intoxicated youths duct-taped a firework in a German shepherd's mouth and blew off his face. But the torture didn't stop there. The poor dog, known as Vucko, wandered for five days, unable to eat and with maggots infecting the meaty pulp of his ruined face. Vucko was finally picked up by authorities and euthanized after vets were unable to perform reconstructive surgery.
Click on the link in the story if you can bear viewing EXTREMELY GRAPHIC footage of Vucko being examined by vets. Notice the firework's shell casing still embedded in the dog's head.
We must bring the animal abusers to justice and ensure that this inhumanity is never repeated; sadly, animal welfare laws are practically nonexistent in much of Eastern Europe. Sign this petition urging Bosnian authorities to hunt down the guilty parties, expose the severity of animal abuse, and create proper legislation that will protect animals. Don't let Vucko die in vain!
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Pas Vucko je uzasno stradao kad neki su zalepili vatromet za usta od psa I zapalili to. Od explozije je pas tesko bijo ranjen u lici. 5 dana se vrtio u ulice od Sarajevo dok su ga nasli. Na zalost nista nije se moglo ucinit da se ga spasi i Vucka se trebalo eutanizirat. Te ljude koji su ucinili tu uzast bi trebalo da se osudi.
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.Justice for Dog Whose Face Was Blown Off By Fireworks!... more-
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Exploited Horse Dies at Calgary Stampede's Opening Night
July 9, 2011
From the pages of the Toronto Sun
CALGARY - A horse has been put down after it suffered an injury on the opening night of the Stampede.
The Rangeland Derby got off to rough start — Rookie driver Cliff Cunningham’s right wheel horse went down with a broken leg going into Turn 2 and Cunningham was forced to pull his wagon to a stop.
Stampede spokesman Doug Fraser said the veterinary team was on the scene immediately.
“During the fifth race, one of Cliff Cunningham’s horses suffered a broken leg,” Fraser said.
“This is considered a catastrophic injury, and the vet made the decision to euthanize the animal immediately.”
Fraser said the type of injury the horse suffered is not uncommon in the racing world.
“It’s one of the most common types of musculo-skeletal injuries that you’ll see with thoroughbred racing,” he said.
“It’s not just with chuckwagon racing. “But we will send a blood sample out to toxicology to determine if there were any contributing factors.”
The Stampede cut the number of outriders in half in an attempt to reduce the number of equine casualties. Every outriding horse finished Friday night’s races without issue.
“With all the different measures we’ve taken over the past year to increase animal safety, we are greatly saddened by what happened.
“We’ll review all the circumstances to see if there’s anything that could have been done differently and to see if we can learn from it.”
.July 9, 2011 From the pages of the Toronto Sun CALGARY - A horse has... more-
- EthicalVegan
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- 11 months ago
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San Francisco Considering Banning the Sale of ALL "Pets"
Los Angeles Times...
San Francisco considers banning the sale of all pets
The proposal started with dogs and cats, expanded to birds and hamsters, and now includes any animal that walks, flies, swims, crawls or slithers — unless you plan to eat it.
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By Maria L. La Ganga, Los Angeles Times
June 26, 2011, 6:29 p.m.
Reporting from San Francisco—
The first vision was simple and straightforward: To curtail puppy mills and kitten factories, the sale of cats and dogs should be banned in San Francisco, where the loving guardians of animal companions come to regular blows — politically — with the loving parents of children.
The ban was put on hold last year after animal advocates broadened it to include anything with fur or feathers. Now it's back, with a new name and a new strategy: More is more. The Humane Pet Acquisition Proposal is on its way to the Board of Supervisors, and it hopes to protect everything from Great Danes to goldfish.
Yes, goldfish. And guppies, gobies, gouramies, glowlight tetras, German blue rams. No fish, no fowl, no reptiles, no amphibians, no cats, no dogs, no gerbils, no rats. If it flies, crawls, runs, swims or slithers, you would not be able to buy it in the city named for the patron saint of animals.
Representatives of the $45-billion to $50-billion-a-year pet industry call the San Francisco proposal "by far the most radical ban we've seen" nationwide and argue that it would force small operators to close. Animal activists say it will save small but important lives, along with taxpayer money, and end needless suffering.
"Why fish? Why not fish?" said Philip Gerrie, a member of the city's Commission of Animal Control and Welfare and a coauthor of the proposal. "From Descartes on up, in the Western mindset, fish and other nonhuman animals don't have feelings, they don't have emotions, we can do whatever we want to them. If we considered them living beings, we would deal with them differently.… Our culture sanctions this, treating them as commodities and expendable."
The commission voted earlier this month to send a proposal to the Board of Supervisors recommending a ban on the sale of all pets in the city to shore up the adoption of unwanted creatures from shelters and rescue organizations. Commissioners are now looking for a supervisor or two to sponsor such an ordinance.
Snake food was almost exempt from the proposal. After all, pythons have to eat, and they like their lunch alive. But at a heated meeting, Commissioner Pam Hemphill questioned how it could be humane to sell live animals to be fed to other live animals.
"If a snake is caught with a rodent in a box, the rodent can scratch its eye and cause an infection," said Hemphill, who noted that reptiles on display at the California Academy of Sciences eat dead, frozen prey. "The snake can't escape, and the rodent might be stuck for one or two days in the box with the snake because the snake's not hungry right then.
"So it doesn't seem very humane to me," she continued. "And if the frozen [food] works, then I think the killing of the animals to be food is probably more humane."
It is legal in San Francisco to sell live animals for eventual human consumption, and the proposed ban would not stop markets from selling live fish, poultry, turtles or seafood for that purpose.
Rebecca Katz, director of San Francisco Animal Care and Control, said her agency supports a ban on pet sales — particularly one that includes the so-called smalls, such as hamsters, which are euthanized at her city shelter at a higher percentage than any other domesticated animal. Although she did not advocate for the inclusion of fish, she is not against it.
"We're the agency that receives the old, filthy fish bowl with the goldfish at risk and have to determine whether we can make them healthy and adopt them out or flush them down the toilet," Katz said. "These are the lucky ones. Most people just flush them themselves."
Jennifer Scarlett, a veterinarian and co-president of the San Francisco SPCA, notes that only a handful of stores in San Francisco sell animals of any kind and that the effect of a ban would be largely symbolic. But she said that symbolism, and the conversation that it raises, is critical in improving the lives of millions of helpless creatures.
"For us as an organization, we've identified the larger problem of online purchasing of dogs, and we hope this is an avenue to get to that," she said. Still, when it comes to birds and fish, "there's a lot of cruelty around where they are sourced from. We see the cruelty."
But Jonathan Ito finds the proposal to be far more than symbolic. To the owner of Animal Connection — who has sold fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, rats, mice and hamsters for a generation — the ban is a threat to his livelihood.
"It would put us out of business and our employees out of work," said Ito, who believes there is "no cause and effect" to the proposal.
Pet stores, he said, do not cause overcrowding at the shelters. They do not promote impulse buys of small, cute creatures that will later be tossed aside by bored children. And they work hard to educate prospective pet owners.
"The animal-rights activists are trying to drive a wedge any way they can in order to get a foothold on changing the ownership of animals," Ito said. "They don't believe they should be bred. They don't believe people are responsible to care for them.… They are about eliminating animals as pets."
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PHOTO: Jonathan Ito is the owner of Animal Connection in the Sunset District. The city's Commission of Animal Control and Welfare voted earlier this month to send a proposal to the Board of Supervisors recommending a ban on the sale of all pets in the city to shore up the adoption of unwanted creatures from shelters and rescue organizations. (David Butow, For The Times / June 22, 2011)Los Angeles Times... San Francisco considers banning the sale of all pets The... more-
- EthicalVegan
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Animal Rights in Egypt: Truth or Myth?
Animal rights in Egypt: Truth or myth?
Amany Aly Shawky
Sat, 04/06/2011 - 11:53
Although the term “animal rights” may sound like Chinese to many, the Cairene community seems to be becoming gradually interested in the welfare of domestic animals.
“Comparing to other governorates, Cairo is animal heaven,” says Dina Zulfikar, one of the most renowned animal welfare activists in Egypt.
She says there are 11 animal rights organizations and they are all in the capital. “There is Brooke, an international organization dedicated to improving the lives of working animals in poor countries, the donkey sanctuary, and the Egyptian Mau Rescue Organization (EMRO) for Mau cats, which also encourages adoption,” adds the activist, explaining that there are also sanctuaries concerned with the welfare of cattle. Finally, there are three animal shelters: the Egyptian Society for Animals (ESAF), the Society for the Protection of Animal Rights in Egypt (SPARE) and the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals (ESMA), which currently shelters 632 animals (cats, dogs and horses).
It is very hard to get correct numbers and statistics on stray animals in Egypt. According to Zulfikar the census office and the American Embassy are the most reliable sources. However, she believes that thorough statistics are really hard to get today because of the increasing number of slum areas in the capital.
Mona Khalil, chairperson of ESMA, says that “the government stands rigid against any project to gather statistics,” and the Ministry of Agriculture does not see the urgency of projects concerning stray animals. Mass killing using poison or shooting seems to be the most common method used by the government to ‘solve’ the problem of stray dogs, she adds. “Strychnine is an internationally banned poison but the Egyptian government pays in dollars to import it to kill stray dogs. It is a highly toxic alkaloid.”
According to Zulfikar, there are enough people interested in animal welfare in Egypt, but in order to make this fight a priority, they need to get involved in politics. “There has to be a serious attempt to the change the law concerning animals and that would be achieved through the parliament."
Khalil explains that the major problem related to animal welfare in Egypt is lack of awareness. “ESMA approached 20 public figures and only one showed interest and got back to us,” she says. “It is not the animals' fault that we live in a country that has no human rights! What happened to mercy?”
“In the 19th century, there were masaqy al-kelab (fresh water source for dogs) behind Al-Azhar supervised by a dedicated sheikh called al-Sawaf,” says Khalil.
Both activists think that the Organization for Veterinary Service, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and all society should all be involved in the passing of a new law on animal welfare. “We have the best laws for wild animal protection worldwide because they were passed through the Ministry of Environment. But domestic animals fall under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and are only mentioned in two vague paragraphs," Khalil says.
“The law that protects domestic animals is extremely vague, she explains, quoting the following excerpt: “It is forbidden to kill an animal without necessity,” stressing how the term “necessity” can be understood in many different ways.
"Donation money and sponsors are effective for animal rights organizations and shelters but awareness is even more important,” explains Zulfikar. She organizes events in public facilities and events to reach more people and raise awareness, for example at the Cairo Film Festival for children.
Zulfikar’s last event was “Orphans Day” in Saqqara, raising awareness on animal rights among a group of young children through games and drawing. “Children are the future,” she explains.
Breeders and pet shops also share responsibility for spreading awareness. “We all need to work together, the media, prominent NGOs, activists, animal welfare societies, law makers and enforcers, to reach a comprehensive and applicable law," Zulfikar says. “Do you know that most animal abuse is committed by kids? How do you expect to legally punish a child for abuse charges?"
“We have to refuse violations and report any incident of abuse to the police or to an animal organization,” says Khalil, addressing each and everyone one of us. “There has to be a change of attitude and animal lovers need to work together and know that they are not a minority anymore. There has to be an elaborate article in the Egyptian law concerning all types of animals, stray, owned, circus and working animals, in addition to exports and imports of animals.”Animal rights in Egypt: Truth or myth? Amany Aly Shawky Sat, 04/06/2011 - 11:53... more-
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Chinese Dog Eaters and Dog Lovers Spar Over Animal Rights
The Washington Post...
Chinese dog eaters and dog lovers spar over animal rights
By William Wan, Published: May 28
BEIJING — The mutts were destined for the dinner table — all 520 of them crammed onto a truck hurtling down a Beijing highway toward awaiting restaurants in northeastern China.
Then, fate intervened in the form of a passing driver, an animal lover who spotted the truck and angrily forced it off the road.
From there, things began spiraling out of control. News of the confrontation hit the Chinese blogosphere, sending more than 200 animal activists flocking immediately to the highway. Traffic on the road slowed to a standstill. Dozens of police officers were called in. Animal activists, however, kept arriving with reinforcements, carrying water, dog food, even trained veterinarians for a siege that lasted 15 hours.
Weeks later, those who were there still talk in disbelief at how quickly things escalated. But in many ways, it was a battle that has been brewing for years between the rural and the urbanites, the poor and the rich — between China’s dog eaters and its growing number of dog lovers.
The standoff last month has sparked the widest-ranging discussions to date in China over animal rights. Pictures and videos from the incident have spawned endless arguments on e-mail groups and blogs, Web polls and news stories delving into each side’s points.
And the debate is the latest sign of China’s rapidly changing mores and culture. For centuries, dog meat has been coveted for its fragrant and unique flavor; it is an especially popular dish in the winter, when it is believed to keep you warm. But pet ownership has skyrocketed in recent years as China’s booming economy produced a burgeoning middle class with both money and time for four-legged friends. And with the new pet stores, a once powerless animal rights movement is slowly gaining traction.
The highway incident has been its biggest success thus far. The mob of dog lovers finally won the standoff by pooling together more than $17,000 to pay off the truck driver. But their victory was quickly eclipsed when they soon realized they had no idea where to house the hundreds of loud, wild and decidedly not housebroken canines.
Even after combining forces, the handful of animal rights groups in the region had trouble handling the overflow from the truck. Most of the dogs they unloaded were strays, and many were dehydrated, malnourished or suffering from deadly viruses. Several have died since the rescue. Dozens this week remained under treatment at animal hospitals around Beijing.
“We are a small organization. We haven’t even tried to pay the animal hospital bills yet,” said Wang Qi, 32, who works at the China Small Animal Protection Association. “There was so much enthusiasm when the dogs were first rescued, but our worry is, what happens now?”
The trucker, Hao Xiaomao, has not fared any better in the aftermath. Reached by phone in his home province of Henan, Hao said he lost a small fortune, more than $3,000, after being forced into the deal. Worst of all, because he failed to deliver, no one has been willing to hire him since.
“I still don’t understand what was immoral about my shipment. People also eat cow and sheep. What’s the difference?” he asked. Of the activists, he said, “They were just a group of rich bullies who own pets and have nothing better to do.”
Several others have also raised the specter of class warfare — a common meme in modern China amid the widening gap between rich and poor. In online debates, many have noted the symbolic nature of the confrontation: a working trucker forced off the road by a black Mercedes-Benz whose driver was on his way to a resort hotel with his girlfriend.
The issue comes with historical baggage as well, notes Jiang Jinsong, a philosophy professor at Tsinghua University. “During the Cultural Revolution, having a pet was seen as a capitalist activity. Only the rich and arrogant had dogs and allowed them to bite poor people,” he said. “So there’s this implication that if you treated pets well, you will treat those who are weaker badly.”
At least one netizen has taken this argument to the extreme. Enraged by activists fighting for animals while ignoring the plight of so many rural, impoverished Chinese, a man in Guangzhou posted threats online to kill a dog a day until animal activists donate the money they raised to peasants living in poverty instead of to dogs.
“I felt I had to do something to represent the grass-roots people,” said Zhu Guangbing, 35, who recently plastered his threat on Twitterlike microblogs in China. “I grew up in a poor village. We raised one dog to watch the door and one to be killed in the Lunar New Year because we were too poor to buy pork. I don’t understand what’s wrong with that.”
Within days, Zhu found his name, cellphone number, office number, and even his parents’ number posted online.
“My parents got calls condemning them for raising a son like me,” he said, having logged more than 200 threats so far. “One elementary school teacher even called me and had her students insult me over the phone one by one.”
But dog activists have defended their fervor as a necessity. China does not have any laws against cruelty to animals, and by some estimates, as many as 10 million dogs — some vagrant, others stolen pets — are sold for consumption each year and are often kept under horrible conditions.
“People are saying it’s a silly thing protecting animals,” said Wang, the activist. “But it is a question of civilization.
“By teaching people in this country to love little animals, maybe we can help them to love their fellow human beings better.”
But Zhu scoffed at that notion. Last week, he was forced to quit his job after his company began receiving threatening phone calls as well.
“I didn’t even intend to kill dogs. I was just making a point,” he said. “The animal activists claim to have the moral high ground, but look at what they did to me. Can they really say they have love at the front of their heart?”
Staff researcher Zhang Jie contributed to this report.The Washington Post... Chinese dog eaters and dog lovers spar over animal... more-
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Pet Health | The Institute For Vibrant Living Announces Their Expansion Into The Pet Health …
Camp Verde, AZ (PRWEB) May 11, 2011
The Institute for Vibrant Living (IVL), a heading producer of synergistically-blended nutritive supplements has partnered with holistic veterinarian, Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM, who has created a line of house pet health supplements written especially for the sly and dog companions. Dr. Osborne has gained national recognition in alternative veterinary pet therapies and natural health care for dogs and cats. She is the nation’s only veterinarian to be a Board Certified Diplomat of the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine.
IVL’s formulating truth is to use innate mixture to residence definite complaints whilst ancillary the whole body structure. Dr. Osborne is a foremost expert in the use of naturopathic and holistic pet therapies, promoting wellness whilst addressing their health issues. The outcome of this earnest partnership is a line of cutting-edge supplements.
“Pets are the most appropriate friends and give us with unconditional love and companionship,” says Dr. Carol. “They give us the best years of their lives; with these supplements you can give them the best of theirs.”
The lineup of new house pet supplements existing from IVL includes:
PAAWS™ Dog Vitamins is a patented, all-natural, USA Made, organic radical dog vitamin network that promotes health, wellness and dog longevity. PAAWS Dog Vitamins soothe the symptoms of aging, dog arthritis and allergies.
Dr. Carol’s Canine Hip Joint Support is an all-natural dog arthritis supplement. The Advanced Flexibility Formula provides a unique, all-natural, organic multiple of USA done human rank dog arthritis nutrients: Glucosamine, MSM, Chondroitin Sulfate, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C, Manganese, Zinc and the Essential Omega-3 Fatty Acids: EPA and DHA. Dr. Carol’s Canine Hip Joint Support supplements are tasty, bacon flavored chewable tablets, providing innate dog arthritis suffering relief, rebuilding of bones, joints and junction tissue.
Dog Probiotics enclose a patent-protected, USA made, thorough merge of “friendly” germs profitable in progressing great dog digestive tract health by ancillary abdominal balance. Dog Probiotics are concentrated source of valuable microorganisms supports a strong dog defence network and promotes physical nature in dogs of all ages.
Cat Probiotics enclose a patent-protected merge of “friendly” germs profitable in progressing great sly digestive health by ancillary abdominal balance. Cat Probiotics are concentrated source of valuable microorganisms supports a strong defense network and promotes physical nature in cats and kittens of all ages.
Cat Digest-Zymes is a complete, full-spectrum, plant-based, USA-made digestive chemical substance supplement. It comes as a powder for blending in to any of your cat’s meals. Cat Digest-Zymes ensures total digestive process and assimilation of any nutritious in your cat’s diet at the mobile level.
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About the Institute for Vibrant Living
A personality in the dietary addition industry, the Institute for Vibrant Living is committed to providing customers with indication formed nutritive supplements. Their unique product line reflects a idea that any person can accomplish lifelong health. All products and formulations are formed on endless research, clinical trials and box studies. All products are 100% guaranteed.Camp Verde, AZ (PRWEB) May 11, 2011 The Institute for Vibrant Living (IVL), a heading... more-
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As Doggie Diabetes Soars, Human Treatment May Help
Just like their human owners, dogs and cats are increasingly likely to be diagnosed with diabetes. And more and more, veterinarians are turning to tools developed for use by diabetic humans to help out our canine and feline companions.
:http://www.livescience.com/13887-diabetic-pets-human-treatments.htmlJust like their human owners, dogs and cats are increasingly likely to be diagnosed... more-
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Japan launches massive search
Japan to launch massive search for quake bodies
By SHINO YUASA, AP
4 hours ago
TOKYO — Japan will send nearly 25,000 soldiers backed by boats and aircraft into its disaster zone Monday on an intensive land-and-sea mission to recover the bodies of those killed by last month's earthquake and tsunami, the military said.
Agriculture officials also plan to send a team of veterinarians into the evacuation zone around a stricken nuclear plant to check on hundreds of thousands of abandoned cows, pigs and chickens, many of which are believed to have died of starvation and neglect. The government is considering euthanizing some of the dying animals, officials said.
About 14,300 people have been confirmed dead so far in the catastrophic March 11 tsunami and earthquake. Another 12,000 remain missing and are presumed killed. Some of their bodies were likely swept out to sea, while others were buried under the mass of rubble.
Cleanup crews have discovered some remains as they gingerly removed rotting debris to clear the area for rebuilding.
But the two-day military search operation will be far more extensive, Defense Ministry spokesman Ippo Maeyama said Sunday.
"We will do our utmost to recover bodies for bereaved families," he said.
A total of 24,800 soldiers will scour the rubble, backed by 90 helicopters and planes, he said. Another 50 boats, along with 100 navy divers, will search the waters up to 20 kilometers off the coast, he said. Police, coast guard and U.S. troops will also take part.
"It's been very difficult and challenging to find bodies because the areas hit by tsunami are so widespread," he said. "Many bodies also have been swept away by the tsunami."
The operation will be the third intensive military search for bodies since the disaster last month. With the waters receding, Maeyama hopes the teams will have more success.
The search was complicated by the decomposition of some of the corpses, he said. Some had already turned into skeletons.
"You have to be very careful in touching the bodies because they quickly disintegrate. We cannot tell the bodies' gender anymore, let alone their age," he said.
The searches will continue, however, "as long as families want us to look for their loved ones," Maeyama said.
Meanwhile, the government in the Fukushima prefecture will send a team of six veterinarians into the 12-mile (20-kilometer) evacuation zone around the radiation-leaking Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant to survey the livestock there.
Farmers in the area were estimated to have left 3,000 cows, 130,000 pigs and 680,000 chickens behind when they hurriedly fled the area last month when the nuclear crisis started.
With no time for burials, veterinarians who find dead livestock will spray lime over them to prevent them from spreading disease, agricultural officials said.
The government is also considering euthanizing dying animals, but only after getting permission from their owners, said Yutaka Kashimura, an agricultural official in Fukushima.
"Killing animals is the very last resort," he said.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewriJapan to launch massive search for quake bodies By SHINO YUASA, AP 4 hours ago... more-
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Dead Birds Fall in Italy, Sweden, U.S. (AR, LA, KY) | Millions of Dead Fish Found in Brazil, New Zealand, U.S. (MD, SC) | Constant Updates | Photos | Videos
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Dead Birds Fall From Sky In Sweden, Millions Of Dead Fish Found In Maryland, Brazil, New Zealand
The Huffington Post | Travis Walter Donovan First Posted: 01- 5-11 09:11 AM | Updated: 01- 5-11 06:16 PM
UPDATE: Wildlife officials say that even more previously unreported dead birds were found in Kentucky last week.
--
Millions of dead fish surfaced in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay in the U.S., Tuesday, while similar unexplained mass fish deaths occurred across the world in Brazil and New Zealand. On Wednesday, 50 birds were found dead on a street in Sweden. The news come after recents reports of mysterious massive bird and fish deaths days prior in Arkansas and Louisiana.
The Baltimore Sun reports that an estimated 2 million fish were found dead in the Chesapeake Bay, mostly adult spot with some juvenile croakers in the mix, as well. Maryland Department of the Environment spokesperson Dawn Stoltzfus says "cold-water stress" is believed to be the culprit. She told The Sun that similar large winter fish deaths were documented in 1976 and 1980.
ParanaOnline reports that 100 tons of sardines, croaker and catfish have washed up in Brazilian fishing towns since last Thursday. The cause of the deaths is unknown, with an imbalance in the environment, chemical pollution, or accidental release from a fishing boat all suggested by local officials.
In New Zealand, hundreds of dead snapper fish washed up on Coromandel Peninsula beaches, many found with their eyes missing, The New Zealand Herald reports. A Department of Conservation official allegedly claims the fish were starving due to weather conditions.
While all three events are likely unrelated, they come after recent reports of mysterious dead birds falling from the sky in both Arkansas and Louisiana. Thousands of dead birds were found in Beebe, Arkansas on New Year's Eve, and a few days later, around 500 of the same species were found 300 miles south in Louisiana. A Kentucky woman also reported finding dozens of dead birds scattered around her home. In the days prior to New Year's, nearly 100,000 fish surfaced in an Arkansas river 100 miles west of Beebe. Officials are now saying that fireworks likely caused the Arkansas bird deaths, and power lines may be to blame for the death of the birds in Louisiana.
Some remain skeptical of the explanations. Dan Cristol, a biology professor and co-founder of the Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies at the College of William & Mary, told the AP that he was hesitant to believe fireworks were to blame unless "somebody blew something into the roost, literally blowing the birds into the sky."
Wednesday, officials in Sweden reported the finding of 50 dead birds on a street, suggesting that cold weather or fireworks were the likely culprit.
Bird deaths and fish kills at smaller numbers aren't all that uncommon, though the size and proximity of some of the recent events have led people to allege their relation, though officials deny the frequency of these wildlife deaths as being anything other than coincidence.
In August of 2010, tens of thousands of dead fish were reported washing ashore in two separate occasions, 200 miles apart on the East Coast.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------... more-
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Mama Cat Found Injured and Tortured, With Her Face Duct-Taped, Inside Clothes Dryer
Cat Found Injured And Tortured Inside Riverside Dryer
December 3, 2010 4:23 PM
Officer Chris Peck holds an abused and tortured cat found in Riverside.
(credit: rivcocha.org.)
RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA (CBS) — Officials are looking for the person, or persons, responsible for abusing and torturing a 4-year-old cat found Friday with her face duct taped.
The cat, who apparently is also a recent mom, was found inside a clothes dryer at a Riverside apartment complex.
The feline was discovered early this morning in a laundry room at a building in the 3000 block of Watkins Drive, near UC Riverside, according to Riverside County Department of Animal Services spokesman John Welsh.
He said a resident opened a dryer and found the gray tabby inside with duct tape over part of her face.
It’s unclear whether the cat was in the dryer while it was running, but the feline’s injuries indicated she was, said Animal Services Sgt. Jason Sanders.
“This is an act of a coward,” Sanders said. “Who would do something like this to a defenseless animal?”
The cat suffered a punctured left eye and fractured tooth, according to Welsh.
Animal Services veterinary technician Eileen Sanders said the tabby is able to drink and eat.
“I can’t imagine what this poor thing must have felt going through that ordeal,” Sanders said. “Whoever did this is going to move up and harm other animals, or maybe people.”
She feared the mommy cat’s kittens were starving — “if they haven’t already been tortured.”
Welsh said Animal Services personnel looked around the apartment complex, but couldn’t find any trace of the kitties.
He said a kitten was found in the area a few hours later. Animal control officers weren’t sure whether it belonged to the injured feline, but when the two were introduced, “the little kitty cuddled right up.”
Animal control officers encouraged anyone who might be able to help with the investigation to call (951) 358-7387.
The cat is not available for adoption yet because of her condition.
Welsh said anyone interested in adopting her in the future should e-mail the shelter at shelterinfo@rivcocha.org.Cat Found Injured And Tortured Inside Riverside Dryer December 3, 2010 4:23 PM... more-
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The Dark Side of the Kentucky Derby
Gary Smith
The Dark Side of the Kentucky Derby.
PART ONE...
The Kentucky Derby, considered the most prestigious horse race in the world, will be run on Saturday. The race is one and quarter miles long, lasts approximately two minutes, and takes place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Kentucky Derby attendance ranks first in North America, usually surpassing all other stakes races including the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup. It’s also one of the most highly watched sporting events on television: people tune in from all over the world to watch the beauty and splendor of thoroughbred horses.
But behind all of the pageantry and tradition lies a deep, dark secret the public is not privy to. That secret is the intense cruelty and abuse that horses are subjected to because they are regarded as little more than income-generating property.
Breeding is not a pretty picture. A thoroughbred mare will be kept pregnant 90 percent of her life. To make sure insemination is successful, the industry uses various practices that would amount to rape if they were performed on a human female.
Only four weeks after a mare has given birth, she will be impregnated again. Horses would naturally give birth in the mild Summer months, but in Australia, artificial lighting and drugs are used so that foals are born as close to August 1 as possible – their winter. This allows the most time for training before racing season. Australian breeders produce the second highest amount of thoroughbred foals in the world, but most are discarded due to injury, birth defects or lack of racing promise.
However, thoroughbred breeding stats showed a decline in 2009. The number of stallions bred dropped almost 9 percent, and the number of mares bred fell 13.5 percent, according to The Jockey Club. Before we cheer, the numbers of horses bred are still staggering. This year alone more than 45,000 mares were “covered” (bred), which means that tens of thousands of foals will be born into the racing industry and, if successful, will suffer broken bones, stress, loneliness, drugs, abandonment, neglect, and slaughtered when they are no longer considered “useful.”
Thoroughbred horses are bred specifically to race. Because of selective breeding they have many genetic problems that are exacerbated by hard track surfaces, year-round racing schedules, and owners who race them too frequently in an effort to make more money. They weigh at least 1000 pounds yet their bodies are supported by ankles the size of a human’s, and they’re forced to run around dirt tracks at speeds of more than 30 miles per hour – all while carrying people on their backs, being yelled at and whipped.
Training is rigorous and takes a huge toll on horses. They are fed highly concentrated diets rather than grazing as they would normally. This is done to give them the energy to be able to train for many hours. The problem with this diet is that it causes health problems, such as painful gastric ulcers. Studies have shown that horses can develop bleeding ulcers within eight weeks of starting training.
Horses are highly social, and have strong instincts to be part of a herd, yet when not racing or training, racehorses spend all their time confined in stables. Being stabled separately, many develop neurotic behaviors such as wind sucking, self mutilation and head weaving, very similar to animals confined in cages, zoos, factory farms and circuses.
Racehorses travel from state to state, and racetrack to racetrack, in cramped and less than ideal conditions. Only a select few will run in the popular, well publicized races; the majority are instead trucked, shipped, or flown to the thousands of other races that take place all over the country every year. A travel schedule like this causes immense stress for the horses.
Drugs play a large role in the horse racing industry and are administered (illegally) to increase performance, cover up pain and increase recovery time. Some insiders have revealed that horses can be injected with various drugs 25 to 30 times in the week leading up to a race. Any time a horse is not racing it cuts into profits, so trainers and even veterinarians commonly give painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs to mask fatigue and give horses a temporary burst of strength. Just as they do on a human body, drugs take a physical toll and create addiction and dependency. Among legal drugs, horses are given Lasix to control bleeding in the lungs, phenylbutazone, an anti-inflammatory, and cortiscosteroids for pain and inflammation. Often these legal substances have performance-enhancing effects, since they can mask pain or make a horse run faster. Compounding the problem, labs cannot detect all the illegal drugs out there, and which drugs are legal varies from state to state, with Kentucky holding the reputation as the most lenient state.
CONTINUED...Gary Smith The Dark Side of the Kentucky Derby. PART ONE... The Kentucky... more-
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Florida Resident Shane Thompson Allegedly Beat and Choked His 3-legged Dog to Death
A man who tried to have his dog's body cremated was arrested Wednesday on an animal cruelty charge. Authorities said he beat the white puppy and choked it to death at his home.
Shane Thompson, 20, who lives west of Boca Raton, took the dead, three-legged dog, named Moonshine, to Cole Animal Clinic in Boca Raton on Oct. 7, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Thompson told the staff that his pet, a wolf-dog mix, had died that morning, possibly from a seizure.
A veterinarian examined the dog and found it had bruised ears and a bloody nose. Moonshine had food stuck in his throat and likely choked to death, the vet said, according to the report.
The same day, a friend of Thompson's called Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control to say he believed Thompson had killed his pet. He said Thompson had called asking for money to pay for the cremation.
"Our investigators spent lots of hours trying to find that dog," animal control Capt. David Walesky said Thursday.
They eventually tracked down the dog at the animal clinic and demanded that the staff release the body. A necropsy concluded that Moonshine, who was less than a year old, had been beaten and then choked to death.
Investigators interviewed Thompson's roommate and friends, who all said they had seen Thompson abusing Moonshine in an attempt to discipline the animal.
At one point, Thompson's roommate told detectives Thompson bit off a piece of the dog's ear.
If convicted, Thompson faces up to five years in prison.
According to the police report, he and his roommate bought the dog in February.
When Thompson's roommate arrived home from work on Oct. 7, Moonshine lay dead on the floor. Thompson said the dog tried to bite him but never explained how he died.
Animal control investigators had been called to the apartment twice since February after getting complaints that the puppy was heard yelping in pain. But the dog was unhurt and didn't seem scared, Walesky said, so they issued Thompson a warning.
"There are a lot of people who are heavy-handed, but that's not a reason to take their dog away," Walesky said. "We can do something if the dog is hurt or terrified of someone."
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/22/1885920/porn-actor-accused-of-killing.html#ixzz12wQfcii9
So the roommate had no idea the dog was being abused? Hm...
Tips if you suspect abuse or neglect in dogs:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Tips-if-you-suspect-abuse-or-neglect-in-dogs
Report animal cruelty:
http://www.sniksnak.com/ac/report.html
http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/report-animal-cruelty.htmlA man who tried to have his dog's body cremated was arrested Wednesday on an... more-
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U.S. Meat Farmers Brace for Limits on Antibiotics
U.S. Meat Farmers Brace for Limits on Antibiotics
Photo: At Elite Pork, a large pork farm in Ralson, Iowa, pigs are fed antibiotics for weeks after weaning to ward off possible illness.
By ERIK ECKHOLM
Published: September 14, 2010
RALSTON, Iowa — Piglets hop, scurry and squeal their way to the far corner of the pen, eyeing an approaching human. “It shows that they’re healthy animals,” Craig Rowles, the owner of a large pork farm here, said with pride.
The questions over antibiotics come at a time when animal confinement methods and other aspects of so-called factory farming are also under attack.
Mr. Rowles says he keeps his pigs fit by feeding them antibiotics for weeks after weaning, to ward off possible illness in that vulnerable period. And for months after that, he administers an antibiotic that promotes faster growth with less feed.
Dispensing antibiotics to healthy animals is routine on the large, concentrated farms that now dominate American agriculture. But the practice is increasingly condemned by medical experts who say it contributes to a growing scourge of modern medicine: the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including dangerous E. coli strains that account for millions of bladder infections each year, as well as resistant types of salmonella and other microbes.
Now, after decades of debate, the Food and Drug Administration appears poised to issue its strongest guidelines on animal antibiotics yet, intended to reduce what it calls a clear risk to human health. They would end farm uses of the drugs simply to promote faster animal growth and call for tighter oversight by veterinarians.
The agency’s final version is expected within months, and comes at a time when animal confinement methods, safety monitoring and other aspects of so-called factory farming are also under sharp attack. The federal proposal has struck a nerve among major livestock producers, who argue that a direct link between farms and human illness has not been proved. The producers are vigorously opposing it even as many medical and health experts call it too timid.
Scores of scientific groups, including the American Medical Association and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, are calling for even stronger action that would bar most uses of key antibiotics in healthy animals, including use for disease prevention, as with Mr. Rowles’s piglets. Such a bill is gaining traction in Congress.
“Is producing the cheapest food in the world our only goal?” asked Dr. Gail R. Hansen, a veterinarian and senior officer of the Pew Charitable Trusts, which has campaigned for new limits on farm antibiotics. “Those who say there is no evidence of risk are discounting 40 years of science. To wait until there’s nothing we can do about it doesn’t seem like the wisest course.”
With the backing of some leading veterinary scientists, farmers assert that the risks are remote and are outweighed by improved animal health and lower food costs. “There is no conclusive scientific evidence that antibiotics used in food animals have a significant impact on the effectiveness of antibiotics in people,” the National Pork Producers Council said.
But leading medical experts say the threat is real and growing. Proponents of strong controls note that the European Union barred most nontreatment uses of antibiotics in 2006 and that farmers there have adapted without major costs. Following a similar path in the United States, they argue, would have barely perceptible effects on consumer prices.
Resistance can evolve whenever drugs are used against bacteria or other microbes because substrains that are less susceptible to the treatment will survive and multiply.
Drug use in humans, including overuse and misapplication, clearly accounts for a large share of the surge in antibiotic resistant infections, a huge problem in hospitals in particular. Yet biologists and infectious disease specialists say there is also enormous circumstantial and genetic evidence that antibiotics in farming are adding to the threat.
Livestock and poultry have been identified as the most likely sources of drug-resistant strains of microbes like salmonella and campylobacter that have caused outbreaks of severe intestinal illness in people and of E. coli strains that cause serious bladder, blood and other infections. (Resistant strains have not been implicated in the recent outbreak of salmonella contamination in eggs.)
In a letter to Congress in July, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cited “compelling evidence” of a “clear link between antibiotic use in animals and antibiotic resistance in humans.”
As drug-resistant strains of microbes evolve on the farms, they are passed along in meat sold in grocery stores. They can infect people as they handle the uncooked product or when eating, if cooking is not thorough. The dangerous strains can also enter the environment via manure or the clothes of farm workers.
Genetic studies of drug-resistant E. coli strains found on poultry and beef in grocery stores and strains in sick patients have found them to be virtually identical, and further evidence also indicated that the resistant microbes evolved on farms and were transferred to consumers, said Dr. James R. Johnson, an infectious-disease expert at the University of Minnesota. Hospitals now find that up to 30 percent of urinary infections do not respond to the front-line treatments, ciprofloxacin and the drug known as Bactrim or Septra, and that resistance to key newer antibiotics is also emerging. E. coli is also implicated in serious blood, brain and other infections.
“For those of us in the public health community, the evidence is unambiguously clear,” Dr. Johnson said. “Most of the E. coli resistance in humans can be traced to food-animal sources.”
The proposed Food and Drug Administration guidelines focus on the use of antibiotics to speed growth. Just how antibiotics have this effect, which has been known for decades, is unclear, but scientists suspect that the drugs improve the absorption of nutrients as they prevent low-grade disease.
Mr. Rowles, the proprietor of Elite Pork and a trained veterinarian himself, estimates that by feeding his pigs an antibiotic in their final months he is saving $1 to $3 per animal in feed costs. For the consumer, this is negligible, but from his perspective it looms larger because, he said, in good years his net profit is only $7 to $10 per animal.
More contentious is the routine use of antibiotics to prevent disease, as Mr. Rowles and other pork producers do with newly weaned pigs.
Dr. James McKean, an extension veterinarian at Iowa State University, said experience in Denmark, Europe’s leading pork producer, showed that ending the practice would result in more illness, suffering and death among pigs, and cause a jump in antibiotic treatments of actual disease. Dr. McKean estimated that a ban on most nontreatment uses of antibiotics would raise the cost of pork by 5 cents a pound.
Others counter that farmers in Denmark have learned to hold down illness in young pigs by extending the weaning period, altering feeds and providing more space and veterinary scrutiny of the animals. Some of the drugs used in prevention by farmers like Mr. Rowles would also be permitted under the measure before Congress because they are not used in human medicine.
“In the end, the producers will do what is right,” Mr. Rowles said. “We will make sure we deliver a product that meets the needs of consumers.”
“My only concern is that we make decisions in a scientific fashion, not a political fashion,” he said.
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/09/15/us/15farm-span/15farm-span-articleLarge-v2.jpgU.S. Meat Farmers Brace for Limits on Antibiotics Photo: At Elite Pork, a large... more-
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Haiti's Earthquake-Injured Animals Are That Country's Lowest Priority | 8 Deeply Touching Photos... Accompanied by Some Hope
Haiti's injured animals lowest priority
More than six months since Haiti's earthquake, family dogs and pigs search for food in the rubble. "Animal welfare is a new concept in Haiti," said Max Millien, director of animal health at the Haiti Ministry of Agriculture.
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First aid groups treat Haiti's injured animals
By Daphne Sashin, for CNN
August 9, 2010 10:44 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Groups say animals are lowest priority in aftermath of Haiti's earthquake
* For the first time, the nation has non-profit animal welfare organizations
* They have treated tens of thousands of animals since the January disaster
* One group plans to build an animal care and veterinary training center
(CNN) -- More than six months since the earthquake in Haiti, family dogs and pigs paw through garbage and rubble in search of food, putting them at risk of infections, abscesses and parasites, according to animal welfare groups.
Owners want to help their pets and livestock, but they have little to give. With 1.5 million people still living in tents and the nation in the middle of hurricane season, animals are the lowest priority, animal rescue groups say.
Despite this, tens of thousands of animals have been treated while a public service campaign features a Creole-speaking dog telling families to include their animals in evacuation plans.
"The animal situation is only a reflection of the people's situation," Gerardo Huertas, of the UK-based World Society for the Protection of Animals, told CNN from Costa Rica.
"They live together. Until the whole shelter situation resolves, all you can do is help them with little veterinary support that we can provide," added Huertas, the society's Director of Disaster Management for the Americas.
But animal welfare groups are hopeful that in time they can actually give the nation and its people something it didn't have before the earthquake -- equipment, training and an awareness that animal welfare is critical to their own survival.
"Often in disasters we try and only deal with the problems caused by the disaster and not the underlying problems ... but Haiti was a special case," said Ian Robinson, Emergency Relief Program Director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, based in Massachusetts.
The animal situation is only a reflection of the people's situation
--Gerardo Huertas, World Society for the Protection of Animals
"To put it back like it was before the earthquake wasn't good enough."
There wasn't a single animal welfare organization in Haiti before the earthquake. The government was focused on preventing the spread of animal-to-human diseases like anthrax, rabies and classical swine fever.
"Animal welfare is a new concept in Haiti," said Max Millien, Director of Animal Health at the Haiti Ministry of Agriculture.
"The children have to start to understand ... if you treat the animals well, that's a way to protect yourself."
Robinson and Millien recently presented their observations at the annual American Veterinary Medical Association conference, in Atlanta, Georgia.
The earthquake damaged the buildings that held vaccines for rabies, heartworm and other diseases. Vets lacked supplies. International volunteers struggled to get around the country.
As for the animals themselves, hundreds were injured. Some of them had wounds caused by the quake or from having to find food in dumps. Others had infections and needed immediate treatment.
Days after the earthquake, the two non-profits created The Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH), with a dozen other animal rescue groups to provide more than $1.1 million in aid to the Haitian government over the next year, including:
• A team of Haitian vets to reach the hardest hit areas with antibiotics, vaccinations and other treatments for animals that in many cases had never been seen by a doctor. Since January, the ARCH mobile clinic has treated 30,000 pigs, goats, dogs, cats and other animals.
• Solar-powered freezers and refrigerators to store temperature-sensitive vaccines in rural areas without electricity, along with coolers that will fit on the back of motorcycles, horses or bicycles for mobile veterinarians.
• Haiti's first census of dogs and cats to determine the level of care they are receiving, people's attitudes toward companion animals and the risk of rabies and other diseases to humans.
• A public awareness campaign to educate families about disaster planning. Last month, public-service announcements began airing a speaking dog telling families to take them along if they have to evacuate.
"Any emergency plan is better than no plan," Huertas said. "We're just asking them to include their pets."
Separately, The Christian Veterinary Mission has promised laptops and projectors for mobile veterinarians to give presentations on animal care.
In addition, Humane Society International has spent $400,000 in Haiti and pledged more than $1 million over the next five years. It has begun planning an animal care and veterinary training center in Croix-des-Bouquets and is also working to establish spay-neuter and vaccine clinics.
"I do consider the earthquake as an opportunity," Millien said. "We have a lot of promises ... I hope the situation will be better than before."
Click here to see photos of our voiceless friends...
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/08/06/haiti.animals/index.html?hpt=C1Haiti's injured animals lowest priority More than six months since... more-
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The Oakland Press Blogs: Cat Chat
Cody and Dakota's Trip To The Vet! http://opcatchat.blogspot.com-
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