Associations & Organizations
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AVMA Life health insurance kicks off July 1
1/17/2019
Program will be accessible to members in most states
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LMU veterinary college earns full accreditation
1/15/2019
Number of accredited programs in U.S. climbs to 30
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Veterinary telemedicine poised to headline AVMA meeting
1/9/2019
Model practice act revisions, dues increase to be debated
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Veterinary student business group seeks former members
12/26/2018
Veterinary Business Management Association establishes alumni branch
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AVMA plans re-entry into group health insurance arena
10/24/2018
Government stance that ended AVMA Life medical coverage is reversed
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LIU accreditation decision slated for spring
10/8/2018
Controversy surrounds veterinary college proposed in New York
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S. Dakota-Minnesota veterinary school plan advances
9/19/2018
South Dakota VMA lauds goal of enhancing rural veterinary education
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AVMA to members: Enlarge global footprint?
7/30/2018
Veterinarians debate merits of devoting resources to international activities
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Veterinarians split on anti-debarking policy
7/16/2018
AVMA resolutions pass on foot-and-mouth disease, responsible breeding
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Support staff unionize at two veterinary hospitals
6/21/2018
Pro-union votes are a first for Mars-owned VCA and BluePearl
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Louisiana bill caused certifiable confusion
5/16/2018
Veterinarians opposed regulating word used to describe specialists
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Attempt fails to change Washington law on nonprofit veterinary clinics
2/12/2018
Bill would have let humane societies, animal-control agencies broaden services
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Veterinary student essay contest seeks 'solutions for the profession'
1/24/2018
Last year's winners tackled school debt, mental health, leadership gender imbalance
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Proliferation of corporate practice at forefront of veterinary meeting
1/8/2018
AVMA delegates discuss the changing veterinary landscape
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COE amends standards to address veterinary student well-being, debt
1/4/2018
Jan. 31 deadline to comment on revisions to standard 11
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AVMA Life might reinstate group medical insurance
10/23/2017
Trump executive order opens door, but process is lengthy
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Labor union for veterinary workforce makes national push
9/21/2017
Associates, technicians, support staff would be represented
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Should botanical medicine be a formal veterinary specialty?
8/25/2017
As Sept. 1 deadline for comments nears, practitioners debate
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Veterinarians implore AVMA to address marijuana in animals
7/25/2017
Delegates enact telemedicine policy requiring in-person VCPR
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Veterinary herbal medicine supporters seek recognition
7/18/2017
ABVS invites feedback; comment period ends Sept. 1
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Veterinary leaders to debate telemedicine
7/12/2017
Remote care, marijuana therapy and stem cells top House agenda
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COE seeks veterinarian input on accreditation changes
6/21/2017
Comparison: Does COE independence match that of accreditor for human medicine?
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Push underway to adopt ‘nurse’ title for vet techs
6/15/2017
Some question plan’s feasibility, effectiveness
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What role does accreditor play in protecting students?
4/11/2017
Q&A with CVTEA on veterinary-technology program closures
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AVMA enacts policy on responsible breeding
1/25/2017
Policy makes no mention of specific breeds or medical conditions
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Aggressive pets adopted out in quest to save animals’ lives
11/17/2016
Has no-kill philosophy gone too far?
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AVMA opens top job to non-veterinarians
9/6/2016
DVM or VMD no longer required to run national organization
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Dr. Janet Donlin takes AVMA helm
8/16/2016
Replacing DeHaven, association appoints first female CEO
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Federal panel finds in veterinary accrediting body’s favor
7/5/2016
Concerns linger as AVMA COE earns positive recommendation
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Petco grooming promotion hits snarl
6/9/2016
Retailer modifies advertising after veterinarians object
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Another review of AVMA COE nears
3/31/2016
Public comments due April 8
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Leininger wins appeal
8/5/2015
Embattled former COE member reinstated
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Leaders aim to end battle over veterinary accreditation
7/24/2015
House rejects bids to study or alter how COE functions
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Leininger appeal culminates without resolution
7/8/2015
Hearing kicks off days of debate on veterinary accreditation
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Veterinarians challenge AVMA status quo
7/3/2015
USDE taps COE to evaluate foreign schools amid calls to upend how the accrediting body operates
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Stakeholders urge veterinary accreditation overhaul
6/9/2015
Leininger appeal converges with bids to boost transparency, independence
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Veterinary internships lack uniform quality
2/24/2015
Concerned about exploitation, AAHA offers new accreditation option
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Veterinarians urge AVMA to spin off accrediting body
1/26/2015
COE hosts 'listening session' in Orlando
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AVMA president: Mistrust undermines health of veterinary community
1/16/2015
Dr. Ted Cohn calls for transparency, accountability
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Debate on AVMA governance to continue
1/8/2015
Accreditation a likely topic during House of Delegates meeting
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Million Cat Challenge aims to reform shelter methods
12/31/2014
Veterinarians leading campaign encourage shelters to share tactics
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USDE staff heeds 800-plus complaints against AVMA COE
12/4/2014
Report calls for significant change for accrediting agency
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New veterinary degrees may not pay off, economists find
10/29/2014
AVMA conference highlights debt, salary issues
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Veterinarians, schools emphasize yearly pet checkups
8/15/2014
Survey finds more pet owners concerned about cost of care
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Attempt to reorganize AVMA governance fails — again
7/30/2014
Changes urged to retain, attract members
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Cohn poised for AVMA presidency
7/22/2014
Kinnarney, Dee campaign for president-elect during House of Delegates meeting
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Dueling legislation a sore spot in horse community
4/10/2014
Bills tackle pain as training technique
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Surveys yield conflicting trends in U.S. pet ownership
3/31/2014
Counts of dogs and cats differ by millions
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Lawmaker behind proposed Fairness to Pet Owners Act aims to inform consumers
3/14/2014
Congressman heading toward retirement reintroduces bill
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Help exists for those struggling to pay veterinary bills
3/4/2014
Charitable groups offer to defray expenses
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Boyce ushers major changes to NAVLE while eyeing retirement
3/3/2014
Partnership with human medicine poised to modernize veterinary exam
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Judging merits of veterinary homeopathy not an AVMA objective
1/23/2014
Delegates defeat resolution to discourage controversial modality
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Bid to end foreign veterinary accreditation dies at AVMA meeting
1/16/2014
House of Delegates votes to continue spreading U.S. standards internationally
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AVMA to debate homeopathy, jerky, foreign accreditation
1/6/2014
House of Delegates meets this week in Chicago
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Veterinarians to AVMA: Focus on members
10/28/2013
Debate to alter mission statement slated for January
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Veterinarians grapple with end to GHLIT health insurance
8/16/2013
GHLIT opens private exchange to all AVMA members
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Veterinarian targets shortage of women among profession’s leaders
8/7/2013
Men top hierarchy, yet women are majority
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Veterinary group pumps new blood into leadership
4/22/2013
Ethics society chooses Petco doctor as president
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Task force to alter AVMA governance regroups after backlash
1/16/2013
House delegates could be asked to vote on their own demise
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Veterinary prescription problems aired with regulators
1/12/2013
Pharmacy boards urge veterinarians to file complaints
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AVMA delegates to scrutinize veterinary homeopathy
1/3/2013
Debarking, stem cell policies among several up for debate
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GHLIT health insurance for veterinarians to end by 2014
12/26/2012
Obamacare killed association-based plans, officials say
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Government orders veterinary-school accreditor to correct problems
12/14/2012
Veterinarians air criticisms before education panel
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AVMA’s role as education accreditor scrutinized
12/11/2012
USDE addresses critics as scheduled review of COE draws near
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British veterinarians welcome advertising ban on antimicrobials
10/16/2012
Efforts made to curb antimicrobial resistance
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Welfare college receives provisional recognition
8/16/2012
Veterinarians eager to watch specialty group evolve
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AVMA proposed stance on raw diets draws critics
8/2/2012
Group stresses that policy — not law — is up for consideration today
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Veterinarians brainstorm to change AVMA governance
7/20/2012
Efforts to enhance democracy reflect ongoing transformation
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Helping Pets Fund closes
7/19/2012
AAHA cites decline in donations
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Ohio Veterinary Medical Association building burns
6/1/2012
Flames destroy more than half of structure
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Challenges face proposal to create welfare specialty
5/1/2012
Appeal to overturn COE's rejection of the group underway
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California veterinarians ready to testify against lay dentistry
4/16/2012
Scope-of-practice battle wages over teeth cleaning
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AVMA issues email fraud alert
4/6/2012
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Private university in Arizona plans new veterinary school
3/8/2012
Midwestern University cites shortage of rural practitioners
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AAVMC leadership change puts Osburn at helm
10/21/2011
Dr. Marguerite Pappaioanou resigns to pursue work in public health
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AVMA challenges Wal-Mart’s push to make veterinarians script out
10/5/2011
Fairness to Pet Owners Act sits at controversy's center
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St. George’s veterinary school receives U.S. accreditation
9/23/2011
Roughly 90 percent of program's graduates draw from North America
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AVMA asked to acknowledge court ruling in compounding brochure
9/20/2011
Some celebrate while others downplay ruling's significance
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GAO calls for better data on antibiotic use in livestock
9/13/2011
Federal auditor finds little progress in past decade
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North Carolina veterinarians brace for Hurricane Irene
8/26/2011
NCVMA collects names of volunteers
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AVMA mulls governance overhaul
7/26/2011
Calls to upend entrenched bureaucracy surface at House session
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AVMA task force to review merits of foreign accreditation
7/20/2011
Resolution stripped of economic language on advice of AVMA lawyer
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Veterinarians challenge authority of AVMA Executive Board to make policy
6/16/2011
Calls for change prompted by controversial revision to Veterinarian's Oath
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Antibiotics: spinning the data from Denmark
5/27/2011
Antibiotics do little to enhance growth, yet producers still use them
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Antibiotics: precaution vs. proof
5/26/2011
Weighing risk to public health from antibiotics used in livestock
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FDA: Food-animal antibiotic consumption dwarfs human medical use
5/25/2011
New data reveal flaws in figures presented by AVMA, industry
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Scrutiny of livestock antibiotic use pressures veterinary profession
5/24/2011
AVMA negotiates shifting regulatory landscape
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Resolutions ask AVMA to explore foreign accreditation, globalization efforts
5/20/2011
Members seek greater transparency into AVMA's international activities
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Report: unprecedented change in store for AVMA, profession
4/28/2011
'Continuous improvement' prescribed for nation's largest veterinary association
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AVMA terminates online CE venture
4/22/2011
AVMA Ed to close by Dec. 31
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PLIT rolls back workers' comp advice for relief veterinarians
3/29/2011
Broker Hub International issues clarification
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New blood challenges seasoned official for AVMA Executive Board seat
3/16/2011
Veterinarians urged to get ballots to AVMA headquarters by April 1
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NAVMEC addresses great challenges facing veterinary profession
3/8/2011
Economist's call for change goes beyond NAVMEC recommendations
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AVMA raises dues as membership numbers climb
1/25/2011
Incremental increases to generate $4 million in three years
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AVMA seeks members’ opinions on ‘critical initiatives’
1/19/2011
Critic says it is a start, but more conversation needed
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GHLIT ends endorsement of Pets Best while severing ties with Aetna
1/14/2011
Deal dies quietly as GHLIT exits pet health insurance arena
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AVMA delegates reject bid to add transparency to governing processes
1/11/2011
Delegates expressed fears of retribution by public on controversial issues
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Decision to alter Veterinarian's Oath strikes discord
1/6/2011
Faction of AVMA members report feeling disenfranchised
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Proposed welfare specialty college bends to veterinarians' concerns
12/16/2010
AVMA welfare principles no longer a point of contention
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California veterinarians target unlicensed care
12/14/2010
Conflict between profession, lay practitioners intensifies
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AVMA seeks third-party audit of accreditation program
12/10/2010
Voluntary review meant to allay scrutiny, concerns raised by veterinarians
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Texas veterinarians author legislation to bridle lay dentists
12/3/2010
Judge's order prompts end to regulatory crackdown on unlicensed teeth floating
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AVMA condemns activists targeting UC Davis researchers
12/1/2010
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AVMA solicits public input on model veterinary practice act
11/11/2010
Comment period begins in January
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NAS veterinary workforce study nears release
10/28/2010
Stakeholders expect report to shed light on supply and demand in America
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Calif. spay/neuter program breeds skepticism among veterinarians
9/23/2010
State attempts to tackle pet overpopulation by selling specialty license plates
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Veterinary regulators poised to define parameters of lay dentistry
9/9/2010
Stakeholders across America watch as Texas takes on controversial issue
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Texas veterinarians mull reviving bid to examine AVMA’s role in global accreditation
8/19/2010
Those calling for audit face accusations of racism; issue clouded by politics, some contend
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Proposed animal welfare college challenged by veterinarians
8/5/2010
Critics lambast mandate to sign AVMA welfare principles
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Veterinarians challenge AVMA’s governance in quest to be heard
7/30/2010
‘1 Member, 1 Vote’ drive kicks off at annual convention in Atlanta
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Foreign-school accreditation clash continues in JAVMA
7/21/2010
Editorial letters express concern in July 15 edition
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What's happening with accreditation of foreign health professional schools?
7/13/2010
Veterinarians in heated debate; dentists pushed to test water; physicians eye from a distance
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Veterinarians question AVMA's role in international accreditation
7/13/2010
Texas resolution calls for self-study
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Veterinarians to AVMA: Talk to us
7/6/2010
In VIN survey, group rates low on communication, high on leadership
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Western U receives full accreditation
3/5/2010
COE grants three-year window
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Accreditation under fire in veterinary medicine
2/26/2010
Concerns surface with the accreditation bids of two controversial programs
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Osburn resigns from Banfield board of directors
2/13/2010
UC Davis dean cites potential conflict of interest as impetus for decision
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AVMA seeks to deter news investigation
1/21/2010
Alleges reporter misappropriated confidential documents
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Pets Best flap revives debate about merits of pet insurance
12/15/2009
DVMs concerned Aetna policy portends a future similar to human health insurance issues
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PAC pits school against school for donations
8/27/2009
Competition designed to spur fundraising surge
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Activists go after stores selling dogs from puppy mills
7/27/2009
Movement to stamp out large commercial breeders gains traction
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Leaders ask California DVMs to watch for local ordinances
7/22/2009
New law safeguards veterinary practice, but opens window for bans
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Survey: Rescue organizations turning away 38 percent of unwanted horses
7/15/2009
Economic downturn highlight, exacerbates ongoing problem
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Prop 2 rattles Calif., prompts welfare council
7/15/2009
Advisory group receives mixed reaction
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AVMA town hall meeting skims tough issues facing profession
7/12/2009
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AVMA debates profession's role concerning antimicrobials in livestock
7/11/2009
Resolution gets pushed aside for further review
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New AVMA president-elect calls diversifying profession a major priority
7/11/2009
Kornegay sails into top elected seat following uncontested presidential race
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MARKETLink proceeds help fuel AAHA PR campaign
7/1/2009
National groups freeze dues hikes
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Funding woes kill Fresno lab, haunt DVM program
6/26/2009
Calif. budget crisis wreaks havoc on veterinary medical education
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AVMA, GHLIT respond to VIN survey
5/7/2009
Neither group directly addresses objections to GHLIT-Pets Best partnership
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'Swine influenza' name sickens U.S. pork markets
4/29/2009
AVMA issues statement; efforts underway to rename virus
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Dr. Janis Audin dies
4/23/2009
Longtime JAVMA head leaves legacy, official says
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Veterinarians must comply with Red Flags Rule by May 1
4/22/2009
Most practice owners already meet requirements, AVMA official says
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HSUS to take Prop 2-like action to Ohio
4/6/2009
Veterinarians gear up for talks to thwart high-stakes conflict with activists
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Veterinary charity highlighted by economic woes
3/30/2009
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Survey shows veterinarians wary of AVMA GHLIT-Pets Best deal
3/23/2009
AVMA, GHLIT promise to respond soon
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AVMA portfolio in the red
2/24/2009
Economy batters association’s investments; dues increase looms
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Off the table?
2/12/2009
Calif. sales tax on veterinary services loses steam
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Veterinary Behaviorists Question Dominance Theory in Dogs
2/5/2009
Position Irks Some Trainers
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AVMA announces new strategy for annual meeting
1/22/2009
Are conferences in trouble?
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Consulting firm releases user guide that avows pet insurance merits
1/21/2009
AVMA issues policy shift as criticisms of GHLIT-Pets Best partnership ensue
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About-face by Florida regulators eases permit policy for DVMs
1/14/2009
Refunds are on the agenda, FVMA says
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MVMA pushes animal protection legislation
1/14/2009
Measure directs courts to consider pets when issuing domestic violence protective orders
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Application deadline nears to certify for exotic mammal specialty
12/16/2008
New group focuses on ferrets, rabbits and other small pets
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FDA puts cephalosporin ban in abeyance
12/11/2008
Veterinary medicine credited by some for pushing last-minute change
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AVMA unveils online CE
12/8/2008
Leadership confident state regulators will accept association-branded education
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AVMA investments take hit, treasurer says
10/21/2008
Market turmoil impacts veterinary medicine’s largest association
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AVMA leaders think like you do, survey reveals
10/17/2008
Group seeks to remain relevant to membership
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Internships, residencies skyrocket in popularity, AVMA says
10/17/2008
40 percent of 2008's graduating class to seek advanced training, report shows
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AVMA falls short of $1 million goal for PAC
10/9/2008
Campaign for contributions underway
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AVMA addresses Congress on antimicrobial resistance
9/26/2008
Delegates to challenge national association’s stance in January
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Colorado to release welfare principles
9/25/2008
Association awaits leadership’s approval
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Mexican university seeks AVMA accreditation
9/22/2008
COE nod could usher Mexican veterinarians into the United States
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AVMA condemns alleged abuse at swine operation
9/17/2008
Undercover PETA video shows animals kicked, beaten and inhumanely slaughtered
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NJVMA wins NPI exemption for veterinarians
9/9/2008
State backtracks on law designed to track Medicare/Medicaid fraud
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AVMA to release economic data
9/9/2008
Biennial economic survey, starting salaries report set for publication
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AVMA launches Web-based TV channel
9/3/2008
AVMAtv provides public information about veterinary medicine
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CVMA mum as AVMA moves in on Prop 2
8/27/2008
Association sits quietly as AVMA adopts a contradictory stance on ballot state initiative
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HSVMA to launch insurance options, recruitment campaign
8/25/2008
Membership drive markets group as a welfare-friendly alternative to AVMA
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GHLIT tackles latest PR flap concerning Pets Best deal
8/22/2008
Promotional e-mail advertises AVMA’s endorsement of insurance agency
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AVMA wants YOU!
8/20/2008
Volunteer opportunities abound; leaders welcome nominations
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Senate to consider bill prompted by declaw ban
8/18/2008
Measure protects medical procedures from local meddling, CVMA says
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AAEP wants veterinarians to inspect shows for welfare violations
8/8/2008
Group issues white paper suggesting ways to end ‘soring’
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Disgruntled CVMA members spin off with new group
8/5/2008
Association's support of Proposition 2 divides California veterinarians
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GHLIT-pet insurance partnership raises red flags
7/28/2008
Competitors question ethics, legality of Trust’s newfound relationship
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No dues increase — this time, AVMA reports
7/21/2008
$29.6 million budget detailed during annual convention
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GHLIT rate increases slow
7/3/2008
Premiums jump 1.1 percent, compared to a 12.8-percent hike in November
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UPDATE: FDA bans cephalosporin drugs in food animals
7/3/2008
Federal regulators issue change amid concerns about antimicrobial resistance
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On the record
The VIN News Service recently conducted a Q&A session with the American Veterinary Medical Association and its indemnity arm, the Group Health and Life Insurance Trust (AVMA-GHLIT). The discussion explores the controversial partnership that’s emerged between GHLIT and Pets Best Insurance, a private entity.
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AAHA enters $10 million tentative deal to sell MARKETLink
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Associations & Organizations
Antibiotics do little to enhance growth, yet producers still use them
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May 27, 2011
By: Jim Downing
For The VIN News Service
Series
Part 4 of 4: Antibiotics: spinning the data from Denmark
Editor's Note: This is the fourth installment of a four-part series that
explores the use of antibiotics in the livestock industry, the threat of
antibiotic-resistant pathogens and the veterinary profession’s role in
safeguarding animal and public health. Today's story shows what can be learned from Denmark's experience with a ban on growth-promoting antibiotics.
As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers restrictions on growth-promoting antibiotics in livestock, stakeholders on all sides of the debate point to evidence from Denmark, where the drugs were banned from chicken and pork operations in the 1990s due to concerns about antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
While growth-promoting antibiotics have been banned elsewhere in Europe, Denmark makes a particularly useful test case for several reasons. It has a sizable, industrialized meat industry; more than 10 years have passed since the restrictions took effect; and the Danish government has funded detailed monitoring of the effects of the ban on drug resistance in pathogens, with data reported publicly each year.
The Danish experience often is cited in the U.S. debate on the issue, from reports by public health advocates to fact sheets from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). When Congress holds hearings on livestock antibiotics, Danish veterinarians are called to testify.
Public-health advocates hoping to restrict the use of antibiotics for growth promotion in the United States refer to a number of positive changes that followed the Danish ban: Overall antibiotic use in Danish livestock fell, as did the rate of resistance to growth-promoting antibiotics carried by those animals. In addition, the Danish pork industry — which accounts for most of the country’s meat production — not only survived without growth promoters but expanded briskly during the last decade.
Opponents of a U.S. ban on antibiotics — including the pharmaceutical groups, meat industries and the AVMA — point to evidence that withdrawing growth promoters hurt pig health and drove an increase in the use of therapeutic antibiotics. They also note that there’s little indication that the ban has helped to reduce the number of drug-resistant infections acquired by Danish citizens.
Perhaps most interestingly, the Danish data suggest that withdrawing antibiotics for growth promotion had little impact on the growth rate of pigs.
Inside the Danish numbers
Data collected through Denmark’s antibiotic-resistance surveillance effort are presented in annual reports from DANMAP, the Danish Integrated Antimicrobial Resistance
Monitoring and Research Program.
As Figure 1 shows, Denmark’s total use of antibiotics per kilogram of meat produced is lower today than it was before the bans on growth promoters began to take effect in chickens in 1995 (restrictions on use in pigs followed in 1998). At the same time, the rate of use of therapeutic antibiotics has increased since the ban.
The U.S. pharmaceutical industry and the AVMA argue that the post-ban rise in therapeutic use shows that withdrawing growth-promoting antibiotics hurt animal health. But a 2010 American Journal of Veterinary Research paper authored by several Danish veterinary researchers offers several alternate explanations for the increase, including the appearance of new infectious diseases (which required antibiotic treatment) and a drop in the price of therapeutic antibiotics.
Even before the growth-promoter ban, Danish antibiotic use in meat production was well below U.S. levels. In 2009, an average kilogram of Danish pork, chicken or beef was produced with roughly 53 milligrams of antibiotics. By comparison, U.S. meat is produced with a total of 270 milligrams of antibiotics per kilogram, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the FDA. Counting only antibiotics defined as medically important by the FDA, the U.S. figure is still at least 145 milligrams per kilogram of poultry, beef or pork.
The rate of resistance (the fraction of samples that showed resistance to a given drug) to avoparcin, virginiamycin and avilamycin in Enterococcus faecium sampled from Danish broiler chickens fell dramatically in the late 1990s after growth-promotion uses of these drugs were phased out (Figure 2). Drug-resistance rates that had exceeded 60 percent fell to less than 10 percent within a few years.
In pigs, there was a sharp drop in resistance to erythromycin — a macrolide widely used in human medicine — among Campylobacter coli, E. faecium and Enterococcus faecalis samples after the use of macrolides as growth promoters ended in the late 1990s (Figure 3). In Camplyobacter coli, the rate of resistance fell from roughly 70 percent in 1997 to less than 15 percent in 2007, though rates have increased slightly since then. For E. faecium and E. faecalis, resistance rates dropped from more than 80 percent in 1997 to around 30 percent in 2001, but have since rebounded to between 35 percent and 45 percent. Macrolides continue to be administered to pigs in Denmark for non-growth-promotion uses.
U.S. food-animal groups and the AVMA argue that banning growth-promoting antibiotics would do little to improve public health because the link between antibiotic resistance in pathogens in animals and antibiotic-resistant infections in humans is weak. As evidence for this view, they point to Danish data showing that resistance to certain classes of antibiotics in pathogens sampled from humans increased during the last 15 years despite decreases in the use of those antibiotics in animals.
For instance, in samples of Streptococcus pneumoniae taken from humans, resistance to erythromycin has increased since the 1990s (Figure 4, top), even though the growth-promoter ban reduced the use of macrolides in animals by more than 80 percent.
However, during the same period, the per-capita use of erythromycin use in humans in Denmark increased. Both sides in the debate agree that human — not animal — antibiotic-use trends likely are the primary driver of changes in antibiotic-resistant infection rates in humans.
The food-animal industry argues that the increased use of therapeutic antibiotics that followed the ban on growth-promoting antibiotics has helped to foster the development of resistance to therapeutic antibiotics. The Danish data provide some support for this contention, though there is a dispute about the degree to which the ban on growth-promoting antibiotics was responsible for the increase in therapeutic use.
During the past decade, samples taken from Danish pigs have shown an increase in the resistance of Salmonella Typhimurium to three classes of antibiotics that are used heavily to treat illnesses in livestock — tetracyclines, sulfonamides and ampicillin, a pencillin (Figure 4, bottom left). The prescription use in animals of all of these drug classes has increased since the ban on growth promoters was enacted.
Industry and the AVMA also contend that one reason to continue using growth-promoting antibiotics is that they benefit animal health, citing the increase in swine mortality and illness rates that followed the ban (Figure 5). However, these rates were rising before the ban was implemented, for both weaner (weight 16 lbs to 66 lbs) and finisher (more than 66 lbs) pigs. Since 2004, weaner mortality rates have fallen each year, and they dropped below pre-ban rates in 2008. Mortality and condemnation rates for finisher pigs leveled off in 2004.
Danish pork industry grows despite ban
The U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries argue that growth-promoting antibiotics help farmers to produce meat more efficiently, reducing resource consumption, lowering prices for consumers and helping farmers to remain profitable. The Danish figures provide little support for this perspective.
Measured in total hog production, the Danish pig industry has grown substantially during the past two decades, including a 25-percent increase from 1996 to 2004 (Figure 6). While production dipped after the ban began to take effect in 1998, the industry never fell back to pre-ban production levels and, after 2000, grew steadily for eight consecutive years.
Curiously, the withdrawal of growth-promoting antibiotics had little or no discernible impact on rates of growth and feed efficiency — the very traits the drugs are supposed to enhance (Figure 7). The feed-efficiency ratio — the amount of feed a pig must consume to grow a given amount — has slightly dropped (that is, improved) since 1998, while growth rates, measured in grams gained per day, increased substantially in the years during and after the ban. Weaner growth rates were declining gradually in the years before the ban, but have increased since. Finisher growth rates increased before, during and after the implementation of the ban.
Antibiotic use practices are only one of many factors influencing growth rate and feed efficiency. The Danish swine industry has an aggressive breeding program designed to improve growth; changes in husbandry practices also play a role.
Lessons for the United States?
The Danish experience suggests that if the United States were to ban antibiotics in livestock for the purpose of hastening growth, the change would not ruin the meat industry and might even prove to be a boon. At the same time, such a ban would not by itself solve the problem of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens and could in some ways aggravate the problem.
Regardless of government mandates, other forces already are changing the way the U.S. meat industry uses antibiotics.
In the poultry sector, pressure from consumers and food retailers such as KFC and McDonald’s led Tyson Foods and other major producers to stop using growth-promoting antibiotics during the past decade. While these decisions were made with public relations in mind, they may have saved producers money as well. A 2002 study funded by Perdue Farms Inc., America's third-largest poultry company, found modest production benefits from the use of growth-promoting antibiotics; 2007 analysis of the Perdue study data concluded that these benefits were too small to cover the cost of the antibiotics.
The U.S. beef sector uses relatively small amounts of growth-promoting antibiotics with the exception of ionophores, polyether antibiotics that do not have counterparts in human medicine and are thus generally less scrutinized than medically important drugs.
“If you don't touch the ionophores, I think removal of antibiotic claims for increased efficiency or rate of gain would have very little, if any, effect on the cattle industry,” said Dr. Mike Apley, a professor of production medicine at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine (KSU CVM). Apley stressed, however, that restricting the use of major disease-preventing antibiotics — such as Tylosin, a macrolide used to prevent the liver abscesses associated with grain-heavy feedlot diets — would have a substantial impact on the beef sector.
Research on U.S. hog farms also has indicated that growth-promoting antibiotics have limited benefits. A 2002 study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association on pigs raised in modern barn systems — the kind that house more than three-quarters of the nation’s hogs — found that standard courses of growth-promoting antibiotics did not actually promote growth after the nursery phase (when the animals reach 55 pounds). The most likely explanation: Hygiene in the barns was good enough that the addition of antibiotics failed to increase feed intake and growth rate.
Despite this result, which is supported by subsequent research, many pork operations continue to use growth promoters after the nursery phase, according to the study’s author, Dr. Steve Dritz, a KSU professor who studies ways to optimize swine production. While Dritz estimates that the use of growth-promoting antibiotics in the swine industry has declined somewhat in recent years, he notes that pharmaceutical companies — as well as many veterinarians and animal nutritionists — still promote the drugs, and many swine farmers continue to believe that they deliver an economic benefit.
“They're highly marketed feed additives,” Dritz said. “If you go to the (American Association of Swine Veterinarians) meeting, the major sponsors are the pharmaceutical companies. They’re a lot more visible than a paper from 2002.”
VIN News Service commentaries are opinion pieces presenting insights, personal experiences and/or perspectives on topical issues by members of the veterinary community. To submit a commentary for consideration, email news@vin.com.
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