Drug Free Cowboys

[wd40]

The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association is pushing to have complete control over all vacinnes, and health drugs including De-wormers for horses.
You will no longer be able to buy dewormers for your horses with out your vet adminestering them for you.

[cowman]

Well I suspect the vets need some sort of income? Lets face it they haven't been getting a lot of calls lately? When a cow isn't worth anything the most economical solution is the old .22?
I guess they have been doing alright killing off the old cows for the downer program but other than that I suspect the pickings are fairly slim?

[wd40]

From the Appaloosa Folks
Subject: Fw: Proposed Changes to the Alberta Veterinary Act
Please read on If you answer Yes to this question...Do you own Your own
horses?
This regarding proposed veterinarian changes in Alberta...do you vaccinate
,deworm ,(medically treat,etc) your own horse?Please take the time to read
this and forward it on to any horse owners you may know who would be
interested...

Proposed Changes to Veterinary Act
Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005
The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has put forth proposed
amendments to the Veterinary Practice Act that, if accepted, will change
the definition of Veterinary Medicine. The proposed changes will give
complete control to the AVMA over ALL aspects of animal health care.
In other words, if you own horses and give them shots, or deworm them, or
like to have a therapist or chiropractor treat them, you would no longer
be able to do so without veterinary approval. That means more money out of
your pocket, as well as inevitable delays and the inability to have
non-veterinary experts care for your animals.
If you value your right to choose, please click on the following link and
send a letter to the Ag Minister and your MLA.
http://www.successnetwork.ca Click on Animal Owners of Alberta

Carol Brooks
Appaloosa Horse Club of Canada
Email: aphcc@appaloosa.ca
Phone: 403-625-3326
Fax: 403-625-2274

[PureCountry]

Cowman, I don't know what your vet is up to, but I have yet to see one that's hurting. If they get their way with this new law, I'll probably use them less, b/c they'll monopolize on it and jack the prices even more. Remember when a bottle of penicillin was under $20? Have you bought one lately?

And I know it's not just the vets that mark up prices. But when was the last time anyone looked at a vet bill and went, "Gosh, I thought it'd be higher!"?

[cowman]

I actually don't know what a bottle of penicillin is worth. I think I bought a 500 ml. bottle of liquimiacin LA last year and it seems it was around $65?
Never had a vet out this year and I think he was out last year to sow up a prolapsed uterus. I don't remember what that cost but I think it was reasonable?
Don't have any horses so am not sure how expensive it is to keep them healthy? My dad was a great horseman but I don't think he ever put much in them. Sure never bothered worming them or anything like that. Trimmed their feet etc. himself.
Actually a big animal vet doesn't make a fortune? It is a pretty dirty job at the best of times and I doubt they make anywhere near what most professions do considering the education they have to go through?

[smcgrath76]

I am slightly on the other side of the fence on this one. I don't agree that a vet is the only one who should administer treatments. I kind of agree with them being the only place to access some of the new drugs/vaccines that are out there as many are significantly dangerous (whoops I meant effective).
Depending on the legistation are there even enough rural vets to accomplish all treatments of large animals, I don't think so, but if it means they can restrict dewormer for dogs (for example) there is a goldmine waiting for small animal clinics.
I think we will go the way of Ontario, where we will be forced to take a course to get our registered needle liscence so we can vaccinate cows like we have always done. (I don't agree with this).
Veterinary products support a large infrastructure, the least of which is our local vet. There are drug reps running all over large territories, multinational pharmaceutical companies running research programs, etc. I am not sure what our local vets markup is on product he gets from the various companies, but I suspect it is less than the within company markup (from production to the vet's door).
Perhaps it will create jobs for the new graduates of the provinces proposed veterinary school (another screwup if you ask me).
Anyway, the original point was, I don't mind purchasing product through the local vet. Ours is even working with the local auction to provide certified calf sales for his customers. I don't agree with them administering product exclusively.

[wd40]

I take offence to the assumption that we as producers can't be qualified enough, or capable, or responsible enough to adminester our own drugs.

]I also take offence to the fact that free enterprise shouldn't be the effective process to keep prices competitive either.

The fact of the matter is, the associatioon is totaly focused not on stewardship issues but only on control.
More to come.

[wd40]

Check out
www.sucessnetwork.ca

and link to

aoa (animal owners of Alberta)