Animal Welfare

About a dozen PETA protesters converged on the AVMA's annual meeting to voice opposition to a scheduled motivational fish toss slated during the conference.

With an SUV stuffed with medicine and food, Dr. Anne Scholl-Mealey pulls off an Orlando highway and stops at a clearing. She walks carefully through the sticky swamp and clouds of mosquitoes until she finds what she's looking for -- indigent animal owners.

St. Louis -- State and federal authorities, assisted by humane society agents, seized nearly 450 dogs and made nearly 30 arrests in eight states in what is perhaps the nation?s largest-ever dogfighting sweep.

An AVMA resolution that would have revised its policy on use of random-source dogs and cats for research has been quietly killed.

Bethesda, Md. - Cost plays a major role in keeping some pet owners from having their cats neutered, according to a new study.

Seattle - The Utah Veterinary Medical Association wants the AVMA to lay off the "hard-line slant" it took when the policy on ear cropping and tail docking was changed late last year.

Washington - Reopening of U.S. processing plants is among the four most popular solutions suggested for dealing with increasing numbers of unwanted horses, according to a new survey.

Albany, N.Y. - New York veterinarians may have to certify some animal breeders if a bill is passed by state legislators.

Schaumburg, Ill. -- After AVMA reiterated its decision to move forward with a motivational fish-tossing presentation by the Pike Place Fish Market fishmongers at the AVMA convention next month, PETA threatened to "out" those in attendance.

Washington -- The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has received a license as a higher education degree-granting institution by the District of Columbia Education Licensure Commission.

Davis, Calif. -- An Animal Welfare Advisory Council has been formed at the University of California-Davis to review welfare issues related to food animals and to promote science-based recommendations to improve the welfare of livestock and poultry.

Denver -- A benevolent fund for pets that was suspended as a result of too many requests and too little funding has resumed its grant giving after a $25,000 donation from Veterinary Pet Insurance Company (VPI).

Schaumburg, Ill. -- The Pike Place fishmongers will perform as planned during the AVMA's annual convention in Seattle.

Sacramento, Calif. -- As a result of Proposition 2, which bans gestational crates, veal crates and battery cages, the state Legislature is considering a new bill that would limit the import of eggs.

Washington -- The American Horse Council (AHC) is putting together what it believes will be "the most inclusive presentation on safety and welfare ever assembled" June 16 at its annual National Issues Forum, focusing on "Welfare of the Horse."

The House of Representatives is considering a bill to ban transporting horses in double-deck trailers.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette's New Iberia Research Center was cited for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Stillwater, Okla. -- Starting this fall, live animals used in Oklahoma State University's veterinary school surgical laboratory will be returned to shelters for adoption instead of being euthanized, officials say.

Profession continues its evolution, remains strong despite uncertainty and changes.

Lake City, Iowa - An Iowa veterinarian says there's little more he can say about his testimony in 2007 trial just released in a documentary on HBO.

This is the first of a three-part Web presentation of more than 90 data tables by Advanstar Research Services and DVM Newsmagazine.

Perry, Iowa -- Stopping swine abuse starts with a strong policy statement and veterinarians, according to the AASV Pig Welfare Committee.

Columbus, Ohio -- The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is targeting Ohio's farming practices in an effort to change housing requirements for farm animals.

National Report - While the shortage of rural veterinarians across the country is palpable, the number of people needed isn't.

The dramatic shortage of public-health veterinarians could put the nation at risk.

New animal-welfare laws are at a high and it's taking its toll on the profession.

New legislation would prohibit euthanization of healthy wild horses and burros on federal lands.

Stillwater, Okla. - It began with the college newspaper's interview with a philanthropist who said she wanted to redirect her $5 million gift to Oklahoma State University's Center for Veterinary Health Sciences because of the way animals used in teaching and research there were treated.

Phoenix -- The Humane Society of the United States filed a class-action lawsuit against Petland Inc. and the Hunte Corp. for allegedly selling "unhealthy puppy-mill puppies to unsuspecting customers."

Springfield, Ill. - An Illinois Senate bill that would have labeled cosmetic ear cropping and tail docking as "animal torture" was cut to the point of removing all substantial policy change.