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28 January 2001 Issue
The American Veterinary Medical Association Supports Animal Abuse

 

DOES YOUR VETERINARIAN CARE ABOUT ANIMALS? Not if he or she follows the guidelines and policies of the American Veterinary Medical Association!

You can check out the AVMA website listing all AVMA official policies at:

www.avma.org/care4pets/morewelf.htm#about 

The American Veterinary Medical Association has an Animal Welfare Committee which is supposed to write animal welfare policies to protect animals from inhumane treatment. However, the AVMA Animal Welfare Committee is made up of pro-industry veterinarians who have far more interest in economics than the humane treatment of animals.

The AVMA does not recognize the rights of any animal and has been a scathing critic of anyone wishing to address the inherent needs of animals.

CAGED HENS

Consider the fact that the fast food giant MacDonalds required its suppliers to enlarge the size of the hen's cage and to stop forced molting. However, the AVMA still supports both forced molting and tiny cages.

The AVMA states, "Housing Layer Chickens in Cages: The current use of cages to house layer chickens should be continued, and present knowledge is not sufficient to support a radical change or ban of this system".

RODEO

Coca Cola has withdrawn its rodeo sponsorship after viewing graphic video documentation of cruelty to animals in rodeo events. In addition, Coke was supplied with an extensive record of injuries and deaths of rodeo animals which has not been contested by any rodeo organization.

Coke also listened to expert opinion of what happens to rodeo animals according to meat inspectors, as told by Dr. Peggy Larson and SHARK President Steve Hindi.

Coke was extremely concerned about violence to rodeo animals and its effect on children. The AVMA was presented with the same information and yet continues to adamantly support rodeo.

WILDLIFE AND FERAL CATS

The AVMA does consider the steel-jaw leghold trap to be inhumane. However, the wildlife veterinarian sitting on the AVMA Animal Welfare Committee wants that policy changed to allow use of the steel-jawed leghold trap. This is the same individual who advocated shooting feral cats as a solution to reducing their numbers. What ever happened to "First, do no harm"? Are lap cats and family dogs the only sentient animals? Or is sentience only associated with paying customers? Unconscionable!

SPECTATOR EVENTS

The AVMA acknowledges that there are "spectator events involving animals where injuries may occur. Nevertheless, the AVMA continues to support these events, including Greyhound racing, the Iditarod, roadside animal parks (notorious for their poor animal care), rodeo (five horses were killed in rodeo events last year and the dead and injured bovines are not even counted), polo, horse racing (a dirty business where horses are sometimes killed by veterinarians for insurance money), cutting, reining, jumping and field trials. The status quo "tradition" of beating up on animals in the name of entertainment is morally and socially unacceptable. Why has the AVMA failed to evolve with the rest of us? The Europeans recognize that animals are sentient and is acting accordingly, but the AVMA disagrees and does nothing.

The AVMA merely condemns the practice of "soring" horses but does not consider it inhumane even though the federal government (USDA) considers this practice in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. "Soring" is deliberately causing pain in the front feet of Tennessee Walkers to make them step higher.

POUND DOGS AND CATS and RESEARCH

Did you know that the AVMA supports the "Use of Random-Source Dogs and Cats for Research, Testing, and Education?" According to its own policy, "The AVMA believes that there is ample justification for the prudent and humane use of random-source animals in veterinary medical education and biomedical research." No pound dog or cat is safe from the AVMA!

The AVMA also supports the use of biologic specimens, cats, frogs and other animals, in pre-college education. However, and with the help of the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights, many educational institutions are opting for non-animal specimens.

The AVMA "defends and promotes the use of animals in meaningful research, testing and education programs". Education programs use either live or dead animals as teaching aids.

FACTORY FARMING

The "AVMA commends livestock and poultry producers, animal scientists, and veterinarians who have advanced the science of animal agriculture to the benefit of animals and mankind." To this end, the AVMA supports the confinement rearing of livestock and poultry."

The AVMA supports raising veal calves raised in tiny stalls and provided with poor nutrition to make "white veal," pigs confined in crates, calves fattened in feedlots where they are fed antibiotics as growth stimulants, laying hens confined in tiny cages, and PMU farming where pregnant mares are confined to small stalls for 6 months and their foals are sold to slaughter.

The evidence makes clear that:
If you care about animals and don't want them to continue to suffer, you must contact the American Veterinary Medical Association. Let them know what you think about their heartless and hopelessly outdated policies. Tell them that condoning and promoting animal abuse is unacceptable and that the AVMA must change their policies to protect animals, not harm them. Here is the AVMA's contact information:

Bruce Little, DVM
AVMA Executive Vice President
1931 North Meacham Road, Suite 100
Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360
Phone 847-925-8070
Fax 847-925-1329
e-mail: [email protected] 

contirbuted by: SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness)
website: www.sharkonline.org
[email protected] 

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