04/08/2022
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We Must Stand United – Veterinary Medicine
This article is Part 1 of 3. You may read the article in its entirety on our website.
Parts 2 and 3 to follow.
It is Time to Ask Some Questions
In recent years there has been a significant paradigm shift in veterinary medicine. During the COVID crisis of 2020 veterinary medicine saw a spike in business with animal owners having more time to spend with pets as well as a slew of new pet owners. Compared to twenty to twenty-five years ago, there has also been a dramatic rise in the type of care veterinarians are able to offer patients from medicine and treatments available in general practice. We have also seen a rise of specialty medicine for animals and the continued need for staff and associate veterinarians. There are new avenues to serve clients over social media and other technologies, and more career opportunities for veterinarians and veterinary staff members. Overall, there has been a huge surge in the pet industry; it has become a 35 billion dollar per year business.
Along with the numerous positive changes, we are also seeing negative consequences and it is time to take a look at how the changes in veterinary medicine have an overall impact, not only on the industry itself but the overall result. Some of the negative consequences that have erupted over the last twenty plus years include the su***de pandemic, the rise of burn out and compassion fatigue, as well as increased incidences of highly emotional responses from clients including their losing trust and becoming disrespectful. It is also important to consider the forces of outside influences on veterinary medicine and how they put the profession and animal ownership at risk.
Veterinarians and Veterinary Team Members Play a Critical Role in Society
The veterinary industry from veterinarians to hospital staff members need to embrace their critical and important role in our society. Veterinarians and veterinary staff members have incredible influence on how the public views animal welfare, animal ownership, animal research, pet breeding, zoos and aquariums, species conservation, and farming and ranching. Essentially all sectors of animal industry rely on veterinarians, and veterinarians and veterinary staff members rely on all the sectors of animal industry as well. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider the information being relayed to the public and the groups that are being supported. This article is meant to be thought provoking and to help veterinarians and veterinary staff members recognize the importance of standing united with animal ownership.
Animal Extremist Groups Impact on Veterinary Medicine
Animal extremists and other nongovernmental groups have worked diligently to further their agenda by using money and influence directed at the field of veterinary medicine, with a special emphasis on the small animal sector. These groups are aiming to end all animal ownership and are making strides using veterinary students, veterinarians, and their staff to further the process. Animal extremist groups use very subtle language to achieve their goal. Even their term of "animal rights" is proof of this insidious language and because of that, we are calling it what it is: animal extremism. When veterinarians and veterinary staff members support animal extremist campaigns and ideology, they do not realize they are being utilized to structure their own demise.
The Ideology of Animal Extremism Virtually Eliminates the Need for Veterinary Medicine
Animal health and welfare has nothing to do with the ideology of animal extremism. The idea that animals should have the same rights as humans, including the freedom from the ‘slavery’ of being owned is the primary ideology of animal extremism. The basic tenets virtually eliminate the need for veterinarians:
• There is no need for veterinarians if there are to be no animals in human care.
• There is no need for veterinarians if no one owns animals.
• There is no need for veterinarians if animals are to be “admired from afar”.
• There is no need for veterinarians if animals are to have no contact with human beings.
• There is no need for veterinarians if animal ownership is considered slavery.
• How can animals receive medical care if there is an expectation of their “consent”?
The Veterinarian’s Oath
Consider the Veterinarian’s Oath:
“Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge.
I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics.
I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.”
If you understand the ideology of animal extremism, it is very clear that the veterinarian’s oath does not support it. In spite of this, there are a concerning number of veterinarians and veterinary staff members involved with animal extremist groups who support their initiatives. Many are going along supporting the animal extremist narrative by utilizing their biased statistics and buying into many of their campaigns without understanding the far-reaching consequences or the underlying agenda.
Animal Extremist Campaigns
“Adopt Don’t Shop”, “Don’t Litter”, and “Animal Guardianship” are examples of subtle anti-animal ownership campaigns launched by animal extremist groups and they have been unwittingly embraced by some in the veterinary industry. The ideology that animals should have guardians or human rights can cause veterinarians to have a judgmental view of clients that consider their pets as property instead of persons. The issues only get exponentially worse from there depending on how deeply a veterinarian or their hospital team members get drawn into the animal extremist ideology. Pushing for animal extremist legislation, fighting against animal research, and shaming clients or breeders are just a few of the negative repercussions the animal extremist philosophy has caused.
“Client Shaming” A Real Issue in the Veterinary Industry
Spend any time in veterinary groups on social media and you will see the topic of client shaming discussed. Protect The Harvest has volunteers that have spent the bulk of their careers working in the veterinary field. These volunteers have been involved in every aspect from working as Licensed Veterinary Technicians to Hospital Staff members and Management Consultants with expertise in training, client service, OSHA compliance and insurance. They know first-hand the culture and impact of “client shaming” in veterinary medicine.
Client shaming is the tactic of making clients feel guilty about their choice of a pet, where and how the pet was obtained, whether or not their pets have been spayed or neutered and their choices when it comes to providing both preventive and acute care. A negative comment will often cause a loyal client to find a new veterinarian, or worse, may make them rethink bringing their pet to “the vet” in the first place. This is well documented within the industry and numerous articles and training courses have been created about the subject.
Veterinarian’s Role in Pet Selection and Adopt Don’t Shop Client Shaming
The choice of an animal should be left strictly to the client. That being said, veterinarians and their staff play a valuable role in pet selection. They can guide owners by making recommendations so that clients find the right pet for their lifestyle and specific needs. Veterinarians and their staff know how much genetics affect behavior, intelligence, physical attributes as well as the possible health issues associated with specific breeds. These should be addressed to the client, without making the client feel guilty.
Animal extremist groups are pushing for the elimination of domestic animals and breeders by making the public feel guilty about where they choose to obtain pets. They do this by creating and spreading false information about animal breeders. They often preach that all breeders are “in it for the money”. Animal extremist groups have villainized people who make their living owning and breeding pets by claiming that they do not care about their animals. They have also villainized pet owners for keeping their pets intact and choosing to breed them on a hobby basis. Nothing could be further from the truth regarding most pet breeders and owners, whether they raise only one litter per year as a hobby or operate a commercial kennel.
Pet breeders should not be chastised or shamed into ending their breeding programs. Good breeders work to keep their animals healthy and provide a pet that fits specific lifestyles or preferences. Veterinarians are supposed to be working with breeders and pet owners to help move pet ownership in the right direction, not remove their rights or dignity like the animal extremists want.
The Impact of Adopt Don’t Shop and Spay-Neuter Programs
We’ve all heard the slogan “Adopt, Don’t Shop” as it pertains to pets. Many veterinarians push that philosophy onto their clients, not taking into account the needs of the client. The movement has been so popular that some rescues and shelters are making it a big business to adopt. When there is a shortage of adoptable pets, they import them into their areas. Some shelters have even suggested breeding shelter dogs to each other without knowing much about each dog’s particular personality.
According to a 2016 study by researchers at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, in the United States alone, the demand for dogs has reached a staggering 8 million dogs annually. This same study also shared that approximately 5.5 million dogs entered shelters in the same period and less than 780,000 dogs were euthanized. Most euthanasias were due to the dog being extremely ill or dangerous. An additional 969,000 dogs were returned to owners, 778,000 were transferred to other rescues or shelters and 2.6 million were adopted. These numbers show a shortage of dogs. Shelters in many areas are not able to meet the demand for dogs by the public.
Meeting the Need for Adoptable Dogs
So how do shelters meet the needs of the public? According to Patti Strand, Director of the National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA), the answer is “retail rescue.” “There is a lot of money in this new kind of rescue that has emerged,” Strand stated. “These groups move dogs from just about any place they can get them.” NAIA estimated an annual import of one million dogs from countries including Turkey, China, Korea and areas in the Middle East. The issue with many of the dogs imported from these countries is that they carry invalid or forged health records, and are carrying infectious canine diseases, some of which are zoonotic diseases.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, foreign dogs are subject to different health and welfare laws than those of professionally bred U.S. dogs. An example of this is rabies. The rabies virus is rampant in Mexico, India, and Taiwan, yet dogs continue to pour in from these countries with very little medical supervision. At this point in time, 6 dogs have been imported that were carrying rabies. Dogs with parasites, such as whipworm and heartworm also cross borders. In the past heartworm disease was uncommon in dry, arid western states such as California, Arizona and New Mexico. However, since Hurricane Katrina, and the importation of dogs from other tropical areas, it has become necessary to test for heartworm in those states. It is not uncommon to find positive test results in a “rescue dog” and it is being found more often in dogs in the Western United States.
More recently in Vermont, the demand of adoptable dogs exceeded supply due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Due to this, a group of Vermont shelters asked the governor to authorize the resumption of interstate pet transports to supply them with the hundreds of dogs sourced annually from outside the state, regardless of the threats to the public health those activities may cause. Part of the conversation among these groups even included a New England initiative aimed at encouraging the breeding of family-friendly, affordable dogs and cats at shelters. The breeding of pets by shelters would be recommended, rather than recommending that potential owners purchase their new pet from a responsible breeder who has done the research and made the commitment to breed healthy purpose-bred animals.
Why Are Veterinarians Remaining Quiet?
If the majority of veterinarians believe in animal welfare, why don’t they speak out against animal extremism and the harm it does to animal owners and the pets themselves? Could it be that they simply do not know the harm animal extremist ideology is causing? Or are they simply afraid of the backlash that comes from voicing their opinion? Some of the issues that animal extremist groups are pushing go directly against animal ownership, yet many veterinarians refuse to publicly voice the truth to their clients or the community.
Animal Research is Being Vilified and Needs Support
Animal research is a vital, necessary part of veterinary medicine. Caring for animals in research requires special training. Animal research is a board-certified specialty for both veterinarians and licensed technicians. To advance in research veterinary medicine, a technician must have a B.S. in Animal Science/Veterinary Technology and they carry the title of Licensed Veterinary Technologist (LVTg). These veterinarians and their staff work to give patients the best care and attention, paying close attention to animal welfare.
Animal research is the most highly regulated specialty in veterinary medicine. Animal researchers follow very strict animal welfare protocols. Each research project has multiple oversight committees who evaluate the project, the protocols, and the welfare of the research animals, which includes environmental enrichment.
It is disappointing to see veterinary staff members share misinformation crafted by animal extremist groups about animals in research. Just like humans, the veterinary field benefits immensely from animal research. The animals used in research are providing valuable information that saves human and animal lives. The medications we use to treat animals, the vaccines we use to prevent disease, and the medical procedures we perform to help animals all come from utilizing animals in research.
Though most veterinarians side with scientific facts on this topic and fully recognize the role animal research plays in animal health and welfare, they often do not like to speak out against animal extremist groups and their anti-animal research messaging.
When Animal Ownership is Threatened – Veterinary Medicine is At Risk
The most important takeaway for veterinarians is the fact that animal extremist groups are not going to be forthright with their agenda and ideology. These groups advance and achieve their goals incrementally. They aim to end animal ownership and animals in human care, one small step at a time. Veterinarians and veterinary staff members are facing a crossroads in their profession. Are they going to support the agenda and ideology of animal extremist groups? Will they fight for the basic tenets of animal ownership, animal welfare, and their very clients and patients? Can they continue to remain quiet about the activities of animal extremist groups? Has anthropomorphism gone too far?
Veterinarians, their staff, animal owners, and breeders all need to stand together to ensure their rights to own animals are protected. Not only will they help secure a bright future for healthy pets and their owners, but also for the health and wellbeing of veterinarians and veterinary team members.
For links to articles referenced and many others, visit this article on our website.
