Vet Blog
09/16/08
 A quote from Albert Camus’ The Fall has haunted me since I first read it years ago. I was tempted to dust off my copy of the book and find the quote for this post, but let’s face it: I am a busy man living in the post-Google world. Thirty seconds after recalling the passage, I had successfully copied it onto my computer’s clipboard.
To be sure, you are not familiar with that dungeon cell that was called the little-ease in the Middle Ages. In general, one was forgotten there for life. That cell was distinguished from others by ingenious dimensions. It was not high enough to stand up in nor yet wide enough to lie down in. One had to take on an awkward manner and live on the diagonal; sleep was a collapse, and waking a squatting. Mon cher, there was genius—and I am weighing my words—in that so simple invention. Every day through the unchanging restriction that stiffened his body, the condemned man learned that he was guilty and that innocence consists in stretching joyously.
–Albert Camus, The Fall
At this point you may be wondering whether the vet blogger has lost his mind. What on earth does existential writing from 1956 have to do with a vet blog?
This topic is about California’s Proposition 2, the Humane Farming Initiative. I have covered Proposition 2 twice on this blog already: here and here.
My favorite summary of Proposition 2 comes directly from the text of the proposition(link is PDF format):
The purpose of this Act is to prohibit the confinement of farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.
Current farming practices in California allow the use of sow gestation crates, veal crates, and egg production facilities (employing battery cages) that confine animals in conditions reminiscent of Camus’ “little-ease.” The idea behind Proposition 2 is to eliminate these practices by 2015.
The people who support these practices are not sadists or medieval-style torturers. The farming practices are economically motivated.
But I quote Camus to make a point. It is absolutely obvious–in fact, it is self-evident–that confining anybody or anything in a manner that does not allow it to rest, stand up, turn around or stretch is inhumane.
So when I saw that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the nation’s largest organization of veterinarians, had issued a statement on Proposition 2, I was anxious to read it. Here is an excerpt. (I encourage you to click on the link to the AVMA’s position statement. I find it interesting that the linked page includes a photograph of a free-range chicken farm, rather than a photo of battery cages such as the one at the start of this post. Proposition 2 would eliminate battery cages.)
Although the American Veterinary Medical Association applauds every effort to promote animal welfare, the AVMA is concerned about possible, unintended negative consequences to animal welfare of enacting Proposition 2.
I beg your pardon? Allowing animals to stand up, lie down, turn around, and stretch their limbs may have negative consequences on their welfare? Does the AVMA truly think that anyone will believe such nonsense?
The AVMA is the voice of veterinary medicine in America. The AVMA represents and speaks for all vets in this nation, whether it claims to or not. When the AVMA releases a statement like the one above it damages the credibility of all veterinarians. And I don’t appreciate that.
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09/10/08
 A common adage holds that dogs and cats have a sixth sense. This sense enables them to predict impending earthquakes and other natural disasters. Stories abound about animals that became agitated or went into hiding just before major temblors in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Mexico City, and Alaska.
Personally, I am not convinced. First, I take issue with the term sixth sense. Cats and dogs (and people) already have a well-defined sixth sense. And a seventh one. (And, depending upon whom you ask, there may be an additional 14 less-well-defined senses). The seven well-defined senses are sight, smell, touch, sound, taste, proprioception and vestibular orientation (also called equilibrioception).
So, let’s rephrase the question. Do dogs and cats have an eighth sense (or a 22nd sense, according to some researchers) that enables them to predict natural disasters?
An incident that occurred the other night has left me quite convinced that they do not. A minor earthquake occurred in San Francisco. My pal Buster, Denise (that’s Buster’s mom), and I were watching a movie. Denise and I certainly noticed the earthquake. But Buster was completely oblivious.
Of course, such an isolated incident proves nothing about dogs in general. But I certainly won’t count on Buster to let me know when the “big one” is coming.
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08/17/08
 I discussed California’s Proposition 2, the California Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, in a recent post.
Proposition 2 will appear on California’s ballot in November. A brief quote from the text of the ballot initiative presents a succinct view of its goal.
The purpose of this Act is to prohibit the confinement of farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.
Veterinarians have a number of roles in society. According to the veterinarian’s oath, our duties include the conservation of livestock resources and the promotion of public health. But above all, veterinarians are supposed to help and heal animals. That is what our profession is all about. And that’s why approximately 600 California veterinarians have endorsed Proposition 2.
The California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) is the leading veterinary organization in California. Most vets in the state are members. The association’s mission is to represent and promote the interests of veterinarians in California. It is a politically active organization. It was bound to take a stand on the proposition.
The initiative presented a conundrum for the CVMA. The CVMA must not only represent the interests of pro-Proposition 2 companion animal veterinarians such as me. Its membership also includes food animal vets. Some (but certainly not all) of these vets favor the farming status quo.
So, I wondered, how would the CVMA balance the obvious moral superiority of endorsing Proposition 2 against the need to placate its anti-Proposition 2 members?
In the end, according to the initiative’s sponsors, the CVMA endorsed the measure. But the CVMA has released an official position statement that is one of the most incredibly cowardly works of neutrality, buck-passing and fence sitting I have ever seen. It is the political equivalent of betting on both red and black at the roulette table. Here it is (quoted from the July/August issue of California Veterinarian).
The CVMA, guided by The CVMA’s Eight Principles of Animal Care and Use, has thoughtfully considered the California Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act.
As experts in animal health and welfare, California veterinarians must balance scientific knowledge with ethical, philosophical, and moral considerations. While the CVMA supports the concept that animals should be allowed to turn around, line [sic] down, stand up and fully extend their limbs when confined, we also believe that issues such as public health, biosecurity and good farming practices must be considered.
The CVMA firmly believes that any modifications of [sic] the current system should be made in consultation with California’s food animal veterinarians, the leading authorities on the health and well being of production animals.
I realize that the CVMA must balance the interests of a diverse and fractious group of veterinarians. But Proposition 2 is a no-brainer. In this case, it seems that bureaucracy has trumped common sense.
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08/06/08
 It is not at all uncommon for cats and dogs to alert people when their house is on fire. Many other species are capable of such feats as well. The August 8, 2008 issue of The Week proves that point with a brief article. Enjoy.
An Australian couple are crediting their pet rabbit with saving their lives. Michelle Finn says she and partner Gerry Keogh were awakened at 7 a.m. by “the sound of a thumping rabbit.” They found their 6-month-old pet rabbit–known as Rabbit–charging around his cage, and their house on fire. All three escaped the flames, although both the house and the rabbit’s cage were destroyed. “It could have been a lot worse,” said Melbourne fire chief Mike Swift, “and without the rabbit it could have been a tragedy.”
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06/02/08
I found the following blurb in Guatemala City´s Nuestro Diario. Please pardon any translation errors.
Adopted by a Monkey
A female monkey was seen carrying a baby dog on the branch of a tree in a rural zone of the Indian state of Jammu and Cachemira. According to the local residents, the monkey lost her baby and adopted the puppy in its place to satisfy her maternal instincts.
It´s an interesting story, although I would categorize the locals´ rationale for the adoption as speculation. I did a quick google search, and was surprised to discover that with the exception of Koko the gorilla, it is actually much more common for pets to adopt primates than vice-versa.
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05/29/08
 The following feel-good story comes from the May 16, 2008 issue of The Week:
Pierre, a 25-year-old African penguin, was getting so old that he was losing his feathers. He shivered with cold and refused to go near water. But his handlers at the California Academy of Sciences had a novel solution: a custom-made diving suit. Working with Oceanic Worldwide, a supplier of diving gear, academy scientists made Pierre a close-fitting rubber garment with openings for his flippers, tail, and feet. “I would walk behind him,” said biologist Pam Schaller, “and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it was extremely streamlined.” Since wearing the suit, Pierre has gained weight and is again splashing with his fellow penguins.
I hope for Pierre’s sake that his handlers remembered to fit the suit with an opening for his cloaca. I’m sure they did.
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04/07/08
Most people know that obsesity is a, er, growing problem in pets and people the world over. And an article in the April 4, 2008 issue of The Week points out another group that is prone to weight problems: zoo animals.
America’s obesity epidemic is spreading to the nation’s zoos. Veterinary nutritionists report that gorillas, lions, and other zoo dwellers have been packing on the pounds, prompting many zoos to bring in diet and fitness experts to help them create a healthier lifestyle for their captives.
Wild animals are almost never overweight. They spend most of their waking hours searching for food, and that consumes energy. As well, food in the wild is scarce. These factors combine to make obesity almost unknown in the wild.
However, captive animals become unwilling metaphorical couch potatoes. They get much less exercise, and their food is provided regularly.
I have worked with and visited many zoos, and I know that they are doing their best with limited space, money, and resources. Zoos are vital for helping humans connect with and respect animals, and for maintaining genetic diversity in species whose habitats are threatened or gone. It is not possible for a zoo to provide a tiger with the space that the big cat truly needs. The tiger exhibit would take up many square miles, and no visitors would ever see the tiger in such a large habitat.
So, what can the zoos do? They are attempting to reduce the calories that are offered, and to increase the exercise that each inhabitant gets. As well, they are modifying their training protocols. From the article:
Zoo trainers who have traditionally used treats such as molasses and granola bars to coax or reward animals are starting to rely instead on low-calorie offerings such as sugar-free Jell-O and alfalfa biscuits.
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03/30/08
Most of us are acutely aware that millions of unwanted dogs and cats face euthanasia each year in the United States. I was surprised, however, to find out that unwanted horses are alarmingly common as well.
I first became aware of the problem in 2006 when a representative from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) sent me a preposterous e-mail. The message urged me to oppose legislation that would close horse slaughterhouses in the United States. The quote below is from the e-mail.
Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY) today will offer an amendment . . . that will drastically harm the welfare of horses . . . [t]hese changes will affectively [sic] shutdown [sic] the horse slaughter plants and will force the estimated 70,000 unwanted horses to find a new home.
I had to read that e-mail four or five times before I could believe it. The AVMA was claiming that, if you are a horse, it is better to be slaughtered than to find a new home. I was furious. To me it looked like a leading organization, with a mission to protect the interests of veterinarians and animals in the USA, was shilling to industry.
I still believe that the AVMA was pandering to the horse slaughter industry when its representative sent that e-mail. Despite the AVMA’s opposition, a ban on horse slaughter in the USA was enacted.
And, alarmingly, it turns out that horse welfare may have been adversely affected by the ban.
The AVMA reported on January 15, 2008, that horse slaughter is now being outsourced to Mexico. The number of horses sent to Mexico for slaughter each year has increased from approximately 11,000 before the US slaughterhouses were closed to approximately 44,500 after. And, it is suspected that many horses that are sent to Mexico for “breeding” or “recreation” are also ending up in slaughterhouses. The conditions inside the slaughterhouses are not known. Most of the meat is exported to Europe.
I suspect that the problem of unwanted horses will be as intractable as that of unwanted dogs and cats. But I am not convinced that re-opening the American slaughterhouses is the solution.
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03/02/08
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I hope you have been enjoying it. I especially want to thank those of you who have been commenting. The comments are interesting and they make writing the blog more enjoyable for me.
I want to take a moment to point out that I simply cannot answer every question that I receive through the blog. I wish I could, but I cannot.
Also, I occasionally receive questions from people whose pets are seriously ill. One person wrote that her cat had not urinated, eaten, or moved for two days. Another wrote that he could not tell whether his dog was breathing.
If your pet is seriously ill, or if you suspect that your pet is in an emergency situation, go straight to a vet. I’ll be happy to discuss what happened once the situation is resolved, but in emergency situations like the ones above, a vet must be physically present to help your pet.
Once again, thanks for reading. I’ll have a new, on-topic post up in the morning.
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02/01/08
Starting today, the Ask Dr. Barchas column is expanding into a new blog format. This will enable me to answer more questions each week. Also, I will be posting stories and comments on animal health topics, animals in the news, and a variety of other subjects several times each week.
I am especially happy with the new blog’s search engine. You can use it to search the new blog, as well as all of the questions and answers from the old column. If you have a question about your pet, you may be able to use the search engine to find an answer immediately.
I hope you enjoy the new format. Feel free to participate by commenting on posts, and please check back regularly for new posts.
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A quote from Albert Camus’ The Fall has haunted me since I first read it years ago. I was tempted to dust off my copy of the book and find the quote for this post, but let’s face it: I am a busy man living in the post-Google world. Thirty seconds after recalling the passage, I had successfully copied it onto my computer’s clipboard.
You have questions. 