“Anybody who's anybody”

Like many other foreign veterinary schools, UNAM operates differently from its U.S. and Canadian counterparts.

Veterinary students enter the university following high school and complete a five-year program. (Certain other COE-accredited programs, such as those at Murdoch University in Australia and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, are similarly structured.)

Mexican students pay a nominal fee to attend UNAM, which relies heavily on federal funding. (This is similar to the situation for Massey University in New Zealand and the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, where tuition fees for domestic students are subsidized entirely or partly by the government.)

UNAM does take an uncommon approach with its admissions. Dr. Carlos F. Rodriguez, an associate at Tulare Veterinary Hospital in Tulare, Calif., and a 1993 graduate of the veterinary school, explained.

“A lot of people get accepted, but few walk away with a degree,” Dr. Rodriguez said. Typically hundreds of students enter a class each year, but a sizeable percentage do not graduate. “It does have a good filter system. It's just a different way of doing things.”

Dr. Rodriguez emphasized that “anybody who's anybody” in Latin America studies at UNAM, because it is considered one of the premier schools in that region—if not the best.

“I think it's getting better, but when I went there, we were behind the times compared to U.S. schools,” he said. “With the basic sciences like pathology, immunology, and all the stuff that comes from books—it is a top-notch kind of education. But when it comes to putting everything in practice, I believe it lacked a lot. But that was more than 15 years ago. Lots of money has been going into developing those areas as far as training students.”

UNAM is currently accredited by Mexico's National Council of Education for Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, or CONEVET. Sixteen veterinary schools are accredited by the organization, which also certifies veterinarians. The school first expressed interest in COE accreditation in 1996, a year after CONEVET was formed.

Dr. George H. Cardinet Jr. is a former COE member who served on the council from 1997–2004. He served on site visits to schools and colleges in Australia, France, and Mexico during his term. Dr. Cardinet also participated as an observer on three CONEVET veterinary school accreditation reviews and an unofficial visit to UNAM; his last visit was in 2003. He echoed Dr. Rodriguez's assessment that the veterinary school continues to improve.

“(UNAM has) many facilities that are not significantly different than what you would find at an average veterinary school in the states, such as laboratories and lecture halls, as well as the rudiments of a clinical facility,” Dr. Cardinet said.

He said he didn't have sufficient time to get a good sense of the clinical program but that at the time, it appeared it wasn't at the same level as U.S. colleges with regard to caseload.

“I've heard secondhand they've improved their clinical facilities and program with monies granted by Banfield and the like, so that my comments that date back to things in 2003 may not reflect the situation today,” he said.

Building a foundation

Banfield, The Pet Hospital, has aided UNAM's efforts to comply with COE standards in the area of small animal medicine.

The Portland, Ore.-based small animal veterinary hospital network built a full-service, 12,000-square-foot small animal teaching hospital on the school's campus, completed in 2005. The primary care facility is designed to handle a high volume of patients and offer 24-hour care. It has nine examination rooms, an in-house laboratory, and a large surgical suite.

Banfield also funded the renovation of UNAM's teaching hospital, which was developed into a specialty hospital, and a language laboratory for the school's students to learn English as a second language.

John Payne, CEO of Banfield and former president of Bayer Animal Health North America, said Banfield's interest in helping UNAM dates back to when he first met the school's dean, Dr. Francisco Trigo Travera, in 1996. (Dr. Trigo declined to comment for this article.)

View Full Size

(Courtesy of Banfield)

Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 236, 10; 10.2460/javma.236.10.1030

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

“I had a very favorable impression of what Dr. Trigo wanted to accomplish, and I strongly recommended to Banfield at that particular time that they get involved and help UNAM get accredited, and so that's how it all came about,” Payne said.

He continued, “Obviously our board was very interested in expanding our practice in the United States and also in Canada and Mexico. Of course, Canada has very adverse laws that prohibit, in a lot of instances, our type of practice, but Mexico does not, and we wanted to expand in Mexico, and so the first natural thought was, ‘Well, let's help UNAM with a facility.’”

Banfield's dedication to cultural and ethnic diversity also made the decision a natural one. Its veterinary hospitals are staffed by veterinarians from well over 100 veterinary schools.

Payne cited the ever-increasing Latin American population in the United States but the continuously low enrollment of Spanish-speaking students in U.S. veterinary schools as a real problem that can't be resolved without serious work.

Payne applauded the AVMA for “not being protectionist, but reaching out to the world and saying we believe we have the highest standards in veterinary medicine and we'd be happy for you to meet those standards and be accredited. I think that's a fantastic goal.”

Differences of opinion

Graduates of COE-accredited foreign veterinary schools who wish to practice in the United States are generally not required to go through the AVMA Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates program or the American Association of Veterinary State Boards' Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence. However, they still must pass national and state licensing examinations and must adhere to all U.S. immigration laws.

Yet, not everyone agrees accreditation of UNAM would be a good idea.

Dr. Paul D. Pion is president and co-founder of the Veterinary Information Network, a Web site dedicated to the veterinary profession. On the site, specifically VIN's message boards, Dr. Pion and others have lambasted the COE for considering UNAM for accreditation.

In an interview with JAVMA, Dr. Pion explained that although he hasn't yet visited UNAM, he's been told by colleagues who have lectured at the institution's veterinary school that it's unrealistic to expect UNAM graduates on the whole to be equivalent to U.S. veterinary school graduates in the field of small animal medicine.

He is concerned that AVMA-COE accreditation, “backed by millions of dollars from Banfield, is meant to encourage UNAM students to pursue a career in small animal medicine in Banfield clinics” in the United States.

“If I believed this would raise the level of small animal practice in Mexico or increase opportunities at home for our colleagues in Mexico, I'd not be as concerned,” Dr. Pion said. “But it is not possible to find employment practicing high-quality small animal medicine there, other than in a very small number of practices serving the very wealthy or tourists.”

View Full Size

(Courtesy of Banfield)

Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 236, 10; 10.2460/javma.236.10.1030

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

Consequently, he predicts that UNAM graduates wishing to pursue small animal medicine of the standard that is practiced in the United States would be encouraged to emigrate here with the help of Banfield, which needs personnel to staff its growing practices.

“AVMA accreditation makes choosing to cross the border much easier. And in today's job market, if (UNAM graduates) come here to work for Banfield, they're basically indentured servants, because they will need that job to stay in this country. In addition, they don't have the debt our kids have. That creates an unlevel playing field.”

Payne countered that Banfield has had no problem hiring quality veterinarians.

Dr. Pion's comments haven't been limited to UNAM. Tuskegee University officials circulated to its alumni a remark made by Dr. Pion in late January that, with regard to the COE standards of accreditation, “Tuskegee would never pass if truly held to the standard (I've never been there, so can't speak from personal experience).”

Dr. Tsegaye Habtemariam, dean of the Tuskegee School of Veterinary Medicine, said, “When I read his statement, I was surprised and deeply disappointed, because it was basically untrue and an exaggeration and misinformation at best.”

Tuskegee veterinary graduates have excelled in many areas of the profession, Dean Habtemariam said, from academia to government to private industry.

“I do not know Dr. Pion or what his motivations are, but I know the outcome of his statement. It indicates he is a closed-minded person who is not in the 21st century, and he does not see what I consider are the underpinnings of the profession, which are ethical and moral activities,” Dean Habtemariam said.

Dr. Ruby L. Perry, associate dean for academic affairs at the Tuskegee veterinary school, was equally dismayed.

“When you make third-party statements, it can be very damaging, especially in an area where it's been read by such a large audience. People take that information to be true. It just fosters miscommunication and shows ignorance of the roles of the Department of Education and the COE,” Dr. Perry said.

Global perspective

The AVMA and COE also haven't taken Dr. Pion and his followers' criticism lightly.

The AVMA Executive Board will focus on the topic of foreign veterinary school accreditation during strategic discussions at its June 10–12 meeting at Association headquarters.

In addition, the board plans to vote on a recommendation to reaffirm the AVMA's existing policy that states the Association will accept a leadership role in international veterinary medicine.

The AVMA Committee on International Veterinary Affairs submitted the recommendation, which was supported by the COE at its spring meeting.

In the recommendation's background, the CIVA responded to Dr. Pion's accusations that, among other things, accreditation of UNAM has the potential to negatively impact the U.S. veterinary profession, in part, according to Dr. Pion, because of a perception that educational standards would be lowered and veterinary jobs would be lost to foreign-educated veterinarians willing to work for lower salaries.

“The CIVA believes that it is beyond the purview of an accrediting entity to withhold the opportunity for accreditation based on an unknown potential negative economic impact on any given profession. So doing appears to the CIVA to be unethical and unfair,” according to the background.

View Full Size

(Courtesy of Banfield)

Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 236, 10; 10.2460/javma.236.10.1030

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

The recommendation's background also notes “that regardless of where a veterinary school is located, the COE applies the same 11 standards of accreditation and assesses each school's compliance with those standards in the same manner. Moreover, all accreditation decisions are made by the COE alone, with no influence from other AVMA entities, including the Executive Board and House of Delegates, or outside entity.”

Dr. Cardinet said in his time on the council, there were external influences relevant to issues the council made decisions on; however, as a council member, he felt quite shielded from that.

“It may have been going on at other levels, but I felt the group of people whom I was working with were independent, free-thinking, and motivated to apply the accreditation standards as they understood them, and acted accordingly,” Dr. Cardinet added. “I wasn't aware of folks operating under the influence of external forces. I didn't feel anyone was telling me what to do or encouraging me to do something.”

Back then, the council generally felt it was worthwhile to consider accrediting foreign veterinary schools, Dr. Cardinet said, in that it could open an equal opportunity to U.S. graduates as well as foreign graduates to practice where they'd like.

“It would seem to me that the yardstick for Mexico shouldn't be any different from Lyon or Melbourne or on our other border with Canada … we have accreditation standards that need to be applied equally and equitably. Not everyone will agree,” he said.

On several fronts, there have been various attempts to create common international standards for veterinary education, and the AVMA is a key player in those efforts. One such effort is being led by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), which is hoping to create minimum global standards for veterinary education (see JAVMA, April 1, 2010, page 712).

AVMA CEO W. Ron DeHaven said, “Ultimately, we can either let these efforts evolve on their own and potentially be subject to international standards created by others, or we can work to establish AVMA-COE accreditation as the gold standard for others to strive to attain.”

—Malinda Larkin

Why are you running for president-elect?

I chose to run for AVMA president-elect because I have broad and extensive volunteer experience with AVMA that would contribute to leadership at a time when we have several challenges facing veterinary medicine. In addition, we have a general membership of almost 50 percent women and a veterinary medical student population of nearly 80 percent women, with relatively few women in high leadership positions. If I can inspire more women and more underrepresented minorities to become actively involved at these levels, it will be rewarding for them personally in their veterinary medical careers and benefit AVMA and our profession as well.

What skills do you bring to the job?

I am a positive person with what has been called an infectious enthusiasm for AVMA and our profession. I am a person who thinks about the future, who likes planning for the years ahead so we can continue to position this profession favorably for service to animals and society rather than let the dice fall where they may. I am a team player, willing to advocate for the overall cause unless it is in direct conflict with my personal beliefs. My previous experiences as Wisconsin VMA president, AVMA delegate, American Veterinary Medical Foundation board member, AVMA vice president, and AVMA Executive Board member; on a variety of task forces; and currently as a member of the Council on Education give me a lengthy résumé to bring to this position.

What would you hope to accomplish during your term?

I don't have a specific agenda that will become my legacy in one to two years' time, but rather, I look forward to having input at Executive Board strategic planning sessions. Our current critical issues are economic viability, veterinary education, veterinary workforce, animal welfare, and veterinary services. They are being reviewed with input from our membership. I am particularly interested in helping shape the future of veterinary medical education so that it meets the needs of a local and global society at a cost that rewards our profession and does not burden it. I intend to support efforts to keep the AVMA-COE-accredited college degree the envy of the world. I look forward to the recommendations from the (North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium) with hopes for a collaborative effort to effect educational change for our future.

For a long time, veterinary medicine was a male-dominated profession. Today, more women than men are veterinarians, and data suggest the profession will continue attracting more women than men. What are your thoughts on this?

There are more women in the workplace in general than 30 years ago, so this has contributed to the influx of women into veterinary medicine. However, I believe a more equal balance between men and women would be healthier for our profession, our service to society, and the AVMA. It is well-documented that women still earn less compensation than men do for equal work. I believe we must improve the financial profile of our members to sustain a healthy, diverse, and balanced applicant pool and workforce. That means cutting educational costs, improving loan forgiveness programs and remuneration, re-evaluating the models by which we educate, and continuing to increase compensation with increased services, compliance, and fee structures to match the value of our services.

Earlier this year, the House of Delegates approved a membership dues increase for 2011. The Executive Board is considering asking delegates to approve an annual dues increase of up to $5. Would you support this latest measure?

The dues of an organization should be determined based on the operating costs of the organization, the cost of delivery of programs beneficial to the members for their success, and future plans and programs in alignment with the strategic goals of the organization. I would support an annual incremental increase of dues for the same reason I implement increases in fees regularly to match rising costs in my practice—although, if a regular dues increase were discussed, I would suggest a clause stating that if reserves reach a certain level of the operating budget, say 150 percent, then the annual dues increase would be reviewed and, possibly, waived for the coming year.

The AVMA is in the process of evaluating its veterinary student programs. As a former vice president, do you feel the Association's student outreach efforts benefit students and the AVMA?

Yes. The AVMA gives tremendous support to the student population through the Student AVMA, student participation on councils and committees, the AVMA convention, and legislative advocacy programs. Support of the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Experience has inspired hundreds of veterinary students and faculty representatives in planning a more collegial orientation and environment at their individual veterinary colleges. However, AVMA currently has appointed a Task Force on AVMA Programs for Students and Recent Graduates to reassess ways to more fully engage our veterinary students and recent graduates so they become and stay AVMA members, participate as leaders for our profession, and help them develop their veterinary careers.

You attended the first meeting of the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium this past February. What do you think about that initiative?

I support the concept of NAVMEC. Veterinary medical colleges and students have major challenges with the high cost of maintaining clinical resources (animals) for teaching veterinary medical students, keeping highly qualified faculty in academic positions, and the ever-increasing tuition to support those costs with decreasing state appropriations to the colleges. It is time we look at some sharing of resources among colleges and look at new models for instruction that might be more cost-effective. We need to reassess veterinary medical education so that we remain cutting edge, relevant to a global society, and economically sound in the training of veterinarians for decades to come.

There is controversy over whether the AVMA Council on Education should be accrediting foreign veterinary colleges. How do you see this issue?

I understand the concerns some members have expressed with the AVMA Council on Education consulting with and evaluating foreign school veterinary medical programs for accreditation. Let me say it is always a challenge to balance the needs and concerns of our members with the importance of continuing our involvement and influence in global veterinary medicine. The purpose of evaluating foreign schools is to encourage and support high standards of veterinary medical education and practice. The AVMA Council on Education is considered the gold standard in the world for veterinary medical school accreditation, and with that mantle comes a responsibility to help other programs achieve great heights. As the world becomes smaller, with rapid and extensive travel and the potential for more infectious and zoonotic disease outbreaks, it is to our benefit to raise the bar of veterinary medicine everywhere. However, the COE may reconsider its role of consultation to foreign veterinary schools regarding AVMA accreditation, as it can be difficult to manage the roles of consultation and accreditation simultaneously. The AVMA COE's primary responsibility is accreditation.

Animal welfare, political advocacy, and food safety are areas in which the AVMA has stepped up its efforts in recent years. Are there other areas in which you'd like to see the Association increase its focus?

I see the rising cost of a veterinary medical education in comparison to the compensation as a major threat to our profession's future. We need to continue to look at a comprehensive strategy to help bring these numbers in better balance.

The AVMA needs to take a stronger lead in consistent messages to our state VMAs on issues to help the grassroots membership become more visible and vocal on all veterinary-related topics. We need more veterinarians to be confident and active with local advocacy, public speaking, and media relations. Unless a person is directly involved in leadership, many DVMs don't get those training opportunities.

We must continue our efforts to strengthen our profession's ethnic diversity.

Finally, as we become more specialized in advanced care, there seems to be a developing difference of opinion between the level of care given by generalists and by specialists. We need to remember we are all veterinarians, all proud of our profession and our work, all dedicated to helping animals and the people who care for them, and all part of this veterinary medical family. Generalists play a vital role in caring for the whole animal in cooperation with specialists.

What challenges and opportunities is the veterinary profession facing?

The challenges continue to be a higher than desired educational debt-to-compensation ratio, legislative bills that affect veterinary medicine and practice, inadequate funds to support new research and discovery, the unbalanced gender demographics, lack of ethnic diversity, and not having enough veterinarians choose careers in food production areas. We continue to work on strategies to improve those situations.

Our opportunities continue to be high credibility with and respect from the public. We have more tools available to us from veterinary partners to provide high-quality patient care and management. The human-animal bond continues to strengthen. We have both the medical knowledge and the emotional dedication to reduce animal suffering and improve animal and human health. We just have to get that message out there sooner rather than later. It is up to all of us to become more visible and vocal as the animal health experts.

—Interview by R. Scott Nolen

Why are you running for vice president?

I am running as a candidate for AVMA vice president because this position encompasses communication and outreach opportunities to students and veterinary schools that I am passionate about.

I believe there has never been a more exciting time to become a part of the veterinary profession. The possibilities and opportunities for students to strategically plan their career paths are now very diverse. The future for our students today is based not only on societal needs for veterinary medicine in clinical practice and academia but also on public health and environmental needs.

AVMA currently has numerous successful student programs in place and has maintained a sound strategy to engage student member involvement with our Association, leading to a high conversion rate of graduating students to AVMA membership. The recently approved and appointed Task Force on AVMA Programs for Students and Recent Graduates is a continuing step in the AVMA commitment to develop a strategic plan and bridge for the Association's involvement with veterinary students.

AVMA has long recognized that membership of our students and recent graduates is the essential key in the development of the future leaders of our profession.

What skills do you bring to the job?

Most of my career has been devoted to clinical practice and volunteer leadership. My volunteer leadership includes community, state, and national VMA experiences. Serving as president of the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association taught me organizational skills, patience, the ability to really listen to others' ideas and concerns, to problem solve, and, most important, to bring value and satisfaction to volunteer experiences.

I was honored to be elected to the (former) AVMA Council on Public Relations and served for six years. I have been privileged to serve in the AVMA House of Delegates as alternate delegate from Alabama since 2002. These experiences have provided me with a wealth of valuable reasons to continue my volunteer opportunities with AVMA. Combined with business skills gleaned from owning and running a multidoctor companion animal/avian/exotic practice, I truly hope that I can serve as a valuable resource to those students who will step into future AVMA leadership roles.

What would you hope to accomplish during your two-year term?

I hope I can continue to promote the relevancy and necessity of organized veterinary medicine to our veterinary student population. I look forward to the findings of the new Task Force on AVMA Programs for Students and Recent Graduates and to the implementation of that strategic plan.

I want to continue to promote the opportunities for student participation in AVMA activities, including many of the new social media conversations provided by AVMA. Social media is about interaction and information gathering, which are two areas that students are very interested in. Communicating information through AVMA blogs, Facebook activity, Flickr and Twitter networking, YouTube, AVMAtv, and NOAH encourages interaction and instant connection to the veterinary community. Social networking is an integral part of many student communications and will make AVMA more personal, more approachable, and more relevant to this audience. It will also provide ever-increasing value to our Association by promoting advocacy, grassroots support, insight generation, and informal market research.

The AVMA is in the process of evaluating its veterinary student programs through the task force you cited. Do you feel the Association's student outreach efforts benefit students and the AVMA?

The many students that I have spoken with do feel that AVMA student outreach is extremely important.

Current AVMA programs include student chapters at all U.S. veterinary schools, a national student organization—SAVMA, annual school visits by the AVMA vice president and staff, sponsorship of the annual student symposium, student externships, scholarships, and the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Experience. Student members currently have access to most AVMA member benefits as well as free advance registration to the AVMA Annual Convention. Students are represented in the AVMA House of Delegates and are invited to sit at the table at Executive Board meetings as nonvoting members. The AVMA student membership rate is currently 94.2 percent. The conversion rate of graduating students to AVMA membership for 2009 is 96.3 percent. Clearly, the AVMA leadership recognizes the value of student mentorship and involvement with our future members and leaders.

It's been said veterinary student debt load has reached a crisis level. Do you see it that way? What can be done?

It has been said that veterinary student debt is increasing about four times as fast as veterinary salaries are. Although the cost of education is only one part of the student debt crisis, it cannot and should not be ignored. This problem of debt versus salaries will eventually become unsustainable and will likely shrink the pool of college applicants.

Many stakeholders are looking at this complex situation, including the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium. This group of more than 100 representatives from many venues of veterinary medicine is hoping to reshape veterinary education into a more responsive and flexible system that will graduate veterinarians who will satisfy the dynamic, changing needs of society, including areas of the food supply, public health, and biomedical research. The ideas generated by NAVMEC and others will hopefully lead to implementation of a more efficient veterinary education process and broader opportunities for veterinary services.

Besides a massive debt load, what other challenges do recent grads face?

Veterinary students and graduates face a number of complex challenges. Developing strategic road maps for their evolving careers is often at the top of the list. Learning and developing business and communication skills are essential in every aspect of veterinary medicine. Budgeting time for careers as well as family life can be a daunting balancing act. The pressures of a full-time veterinary career, family responsibilities, church, and community obligations can create real stress for graduates and their families. The need for wellness training and learning how to deal with everyday stresses are also common challenges for many recent grads.

Why do veterinary students and recent grads need to be part of the AVMA?

Becoming a part of the AVMA is one of the most important and career-enhancing decisions that a student or recent graduate can make. Currently, our Association represents over 80,000 veterinarians working in private and corporate practice, government, industry, academia, research, and the uniformed services. AVMA is member-driven and structured to work for its membership. AVMA today serves as a collective voice for its membership and for the veterinary profession.

You're a Tuskegee graduate. Why did you attend this historic black college, and what did it teach you about diversity?

I am a 1986 graduate of Tuskegee School of Veterinary Medicine. It was an honor and privilege to be a part of the Tuskegee family. This college is rich in history, tradition, and a legacy of diversity. The small class size in school encouraged friendship, curiosity, and exchange of ideas. Having an opportunity to explore each other's differences also allowed students to discover how much we had in common. Encouraging real diversity in the veterinary profession is a moral and ethical responsibility. I believe that the AVMA is committed to this premise. Today's veterinary students and recent graduates will play a major role in making this happen.

Today, more women than men are veterinarians, and it would appear the profession will continue attracting more women than men. What do you think about this trend?

The role of an ever-increasing number of women in veterinary medicine is an evolving story. Male enrollment in U.S. veterinary schools made up approximately 22 percent of students for 2008–2009. National trends in many health professions also show female students in the majority. There are various economic, social, and cultural reasons why women have taken the lead in previously male-dominated professions. The conversations about this trend continue to produce various opinions and ideas about how the future of our profession may be influenced by this gender shift.

The House of Delegates recently approved a membership dues increase for 2011. The Executive Board is considering asking the HOD to approve an annual dues increase of up to $5. As an HOD member, how would you vote for this latest measure?

The House of Delegates recently approved a dues increase of $50 for regular AVMA members beginning in 2011. The AVMA last increased dues in 2004. Many of us within the veterinary population have increased our own professional service fees substantially since 2004. The last several years have been tough economically on many members and on the AVMA as well. This much-needed dues increase will ensure that our Association can continue to provide services, address professional issues, and remain financially sound. The proposal from the Executive Board for HOD approval of a $5 annual increase sounds like a reasonable request and great value for the money, considering the quality and quantity of services provided by the AVMA.

—Interview by R. Scott Nolen

AAHA initiatives

Dr. John D. Tait, outgoing president, began the “AAHA Takes Action” session by describing progress on the AAHA Accreditation Awareness Campaign. The association unveiled the $1 million campaign last year. Most of the funds came from the sale of the AAHA MarketLink supply outlet to MWI Veterinary Supply.

The association's advertisements on Animal Planet—addressing pain management, parasite control, wellness, and nutrition—will run more than 3,000 times and make more than 130 million impressions.

“Part of our goal in getting this awareness out to clients and potential clients is to drive them to our HealthyPet.com Web site,” Dr. Tait said.

The site, which AAHA redesigned in January, offers information for pet owners on subjects such as animal care and AAHA-accredited hospitals.

Dr. Michael R. Moyer, AAHA president-elect, said the association has committed to spend any increase in revenues from the AAHA Preferred Business Provider Program on campaign funding.

Dr. Takashima, the new AAHA president, announced the availability of standardized diagnostic codes for electronic health records in small animal practices. Volunteers spent years developing the diagnostic codes and mapping them to the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine.

“[SNOMED] is arguably the most comprehensive clinical vocabulary in the world, in any language,” he said. “We wanted to create the most robust standard terms.”

The AAHA board voted to release the standardized diagnostic codes for free to vendors that supply software for small animal practices.

Dr. Takashima also highlighted the new AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool at www.petmicrochiplookup.org. The tool helps match a pet's microchip number with the registry containing the owner's information.

Dr. G. Timothy Lee, AAHA secretary-treasurer, spoke about several new guidelines for veterinary care that are now available or under development.

Earlier this year, the American Association of Feline Practitioners and AAHA published the AAFP-AAHA Feline Life Stage Guidelines in their journals. Also this year, AAHA is releasing the AAHA Diabetes Mellitus Guidelines for Dogs and Cats and the AAHA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines for Dogs and Cats.

In addition, AAHA is updating its guidelines on canine vaccines.

9/11 with a guide dog

Michael Hingson, keynote speaker for the AAHA meeting, held up his relationship with guide dogs and his experience surviving 9/11 as lessons in teamwork.

Blind since birth, Hingson has had seven guide dogs. On Sept. 11, 2001, accompanied by his guide dog Roselle, he was working on the 78th floor of Tower 1 of the World Trade Center as a sales manager for a company that made data backup systems for disaster recovery.

View Full Size

Michael Hingson, keynote speaker at the AAHA meeting, describes how guide dog Roselle, now retired, helped lead him out of the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 236, 10; 10.2460/javma.236.10.1030

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

Hingson and a colleague were preparing for a presentation when they heard a distant explosion and felt the building shudder. The building tipped about 20 feet in one direction, before coming back upright, but then dropped about 6 feet.

Hingson's colleague, looking outside, saw fire and smoke. Hingson could hear pieces of paper falling past the windows. Roselle, who had come out of Hingson's office, remained calm, so Hingson believed they could evacuate safely. His colleague escorted guests to the stairway, and Hingson called his wife to tell her what little he knew.

Hingson, his colleague, and Roselle headed down the stairs with another group of people. They moved aside for other people helping burn victims to evacuate.

“Soon after the second person passed us, we realized how bad it had to truly be above us. A woman near us on the stairs stopped, and she said, ‘I can't go on. I can't breathe. We're not going to make it,'” Hingson said. “We all stopped—there were about seven of us—and we just all turned and faced her and had a group hug. We just touched her, surrounded her, and said, ‘Look, we're in this together. Come on, you can do it.' She was able to continue down the stairs.”

Then Hingson's colleague despaired. Hingson snapped that if he and Roselle could go down the stairs, so could the colleague. The colleague rallied, and he went ahead to call out that the way remained clear. Hingson focused on reassuring Roselle so she wouldn't respond to the fear around her.

The group eventually escaped from the building. Only after both towers collapsed did Hingson manage to reach his wife again by phone, and she explained that terrorists had crashed planes into the towers.

Educational programming

After the general session, the AAHA conference offered several days of educational programming on multiple tracks.

Electronic health records were the focus of one of the management tracks. Dr. Tina S. Neel, chief of staff at Neel Veterinary Hospital in Oklahoma City, and Scott Buchanan, her son and practice coordinator, delivered three presentations regarding electronic records and electronic communications.

View Full Size

Attendees at the recent conference of the American Animal Hospital Association, March 18–21 in Long Beach, Calif., enjoy a break between sessions outside in the sunshine.

Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 236, 10; 10.2460/javma.236.10.1030

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

In a session on Web sites, Dr. Neel emphasized the importance of practices developing a user-friendly Web site for new and existing clients.

“In veterinary practices across the country, I've seen a couple of really good Web sites,” Buchanan said. “But by and large, there's a lot that either don't exist or they're impossible to find or they don't provide a lot of good information for the customer.”

Dr. Neel said her hospital's Web site offers information about services and procedures. Buchanan added that the site includes options to contact the hospital and make payments.

Nutrition and dentistry were among the topics of the numerous tracks for veterinary technicians during the AAHA meeting.

Dr. Joseph W. Bartges, a professor of medicine and nutrition at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, gave several presentations for the veterinary technicians' nutrition track. He concluded by discussing obesity management for dogs and cats.

“It is and should be a team effort,” Dr. Bartges said. “It involves getting the owners convinced and convincing yourself to treat this as a disease.”

Veterinary technicians can help explain the benefits of weight reduction to clients, he said.

Dr. Bartges recommended that obesity management for dogs and cats include conducting regular weigh-ins, feeding special diets rather than simply less food, feeding meals instead of allowing free access to food, minimizing but not eliminating treats, and increasing exercise.

Vickie Byard, president of the Academy of Veterinary Dental Technicians, gave presentations on various aspects of dentistry and concluded with a talk about how to develop a thriving dental program.

Byard said cost is not the primary reason that clients don't schedule dental appointments for their pets. Often, no one makes the recommendation for a dental appointment, the client doesn't see the importance of dental care, the practice doesn't send a reminder, or the client fears the effects of anesthesia on the pet.

To educate clients about dental care as well as anesthesia, Byard now offers seminars at her practice.

“We have a wonderful time. It's an hour and a half with my clients—guess what?, now they know me,” Byard said. “And it bonds them to the practice.”

Recordings of many of the sessions from the AAHA conference, including Byard's presentations and the “AAHA Takes Action” session, are available for purchase at www.prolibraries.com/aaha.

—Katie Burns

State of the industry

“The companion animal veterinary practice community is not recession-proof but for the most part has not been as severely impacted by the economic downturn as have other sectors of the economy,” according to the AAHA report.

The report, appearing March 23 in the online version of the association's Trends magazine, draws on a study of practices across the continental United States. The authors are Dr. John W. Albers, who recently retired as AAHA executive director and started a consulting company, and Dr. Cavanaugh.

Of the practices in the study, 68 percent had an increase in revenues from 2008 to 2009, but 32 percent had a decrease. The average transaction charge for all practices increased 0.8 percent, to $109.20. As for patient visits, 51 percent of practices had an increase and 49 percent had a decrease.

The study found, furthermore, that many dog and cat owners have not been purchasing a full year's supply of heartworm preventives or flea and tick products.

“There are clearly two opportunities to provide increased levels of care and to grow revenue: patient visits and compliance,” Drs. Albers and Cavanaugh write. “As the economy improves, practices need to be positioned to urge clients to return for the care that may have been missed during the past year or two.”

The authors add that the pet patients in the study included more than twice as many dogs as cats.

“Even modest increases in the number of feline patient visits would add substantially to the companion animal practice economy,” Drs. Albers and Cavanaugh write.

The authors note that AAHA anticipates producing the State of the Industry Report on an annual basis.

Too many practices?

During the AAHA meeting, a four-member panel made a case in favor of consolidation of neighboring small animal practices.

Dr. Thomas R. Kendall, director of Arden Animal Hospital in Sacramento, Calif., described how he merged two practices with his own and built a new clinic to house the conglomeration. Dr. Hal H. Taylor Jr. of Healthy Pets of Ohio, a Columbus-area group of four hospitals, recounted how he expanded his father's practice by building new clinics that share computer systems and business staff.

Dr. Richard A. Goebel of Simmons Veterinary Practice Sales and Appraisals said the United States has about 20,000 small animal practices, and about 40 percent are solo practices. Solo practices can be efficient and profitable, he said, but many of them do not make enough profit to be valuable on the market when the owner wants to sell.

“When I think about consolidation, I think about efficiencies that come in two ways. One is really the efficiency of systems, and that's things like Hal has done,” Dr. Goebel said. “And then the other is the concept that Tom was talking about, and that is merging two practices under one roof. The efficiencies that you realize there, they can be dramatic.”

Philip R. Homsey II, JD, who represents veterinarians in practice sales, believes that the veterinary industry has 40 percent too much capacity in the number of practices. He also thinks that fewer new veterinary graduates want to become practice owners.

Similarly, Dr. Kendall has found that many veterinary students are seeking a position at a practice with multiple veterinarians—partly to have the option of working part time.

View Full Size

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

Practice management

“Workforce Strategies for Challenging Times” was the topic of another session at the AAHA meeting. The speaker was Marla Bradley, chief executive officer of Bradley/Lambert, a provider of corporate training.

Bradley said veterinary medicine has not escaped from layoffs and hiring freezes during the current economic downturn. She said communication is key to downsizing strategies as well as plans for growth.

“It's almost impossible to over-communicate during times of change,” she said. “Yet, what do we do? We often communicate less because we're busy, because maybe we're uncomfortable with some of those discussions that we need to have, maybe we don't like some of the messages we have to put out.”

During layoffs, Bradley advised being clear about why the practice has to downsize and how remaining employees will fit into the new organization.

Profitability was the focus of a presentation by Dr. Karen E. Felsted, CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

Dr. Felsted noted that the NCVEI and VetPartners, an association of practice consultants, recently have developed a profitability estimator for practices, available on the NCVEI Web site at www.ncvei.org.

“Increased profit margin is going to give you increased cash flow to invest in your practice to practice better medicine, to do the things that you want to do personally, and ultimately it's going to drive practice value,” she said. “Most owners don't have any idea what their profit margin is, and many of them are unhappily surprised when they find out. But this is a very correctible condition.”

Dr. Felsted emphasized the importance of increased productivity and thriftiness as ways to address revenue and expense problems, instead of simply increasing fees.

Along with the profitability estimator, the NCVEI Web site offers a variety of benchmarking tools and communications aids for practices—plus an economy tracker to help measure the impact of the recession on veterinary medicine.

—Katie Burns

President's profile

Dr. Takashima always knew he liked working with animals, large and small, but he started out in oceanography rather than veterinary medicine.

After earning a bachelor's degree in biology from Oregon State University, he entered a graduate program in marine ecology at San Diego State University. He conducted research at SeaWorld and Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Soon, though, he found that he missed working with people.

For a while, he worked for a veterinarian for free, cleaning kennels. He became a veterinary technician and then a supervisor. Eventually he attended the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 1983.

Dr. Takashima spent time as an associate veterinarian in Brainard, Minn., and as a relief veterinarian in the Portland area before opening his practice near Portland in 1986. The solo practice grew into an eight-veterinarian operation.

Since joining AAHA, Dr. Takashima has served on committees relevant to the practice team as well as hospital accreditation. He has served on the board since 2005, becoming an officer in 2008.

Dr. Takashima also has been active in other organizations. He has been president of the Portland VMA, board president of the Dove Lewis Memorial Emergency and Critical Care Animal Hospital, chair of the Portland Community College Advisory Board, and board chair of the Delta Society for the improvement of human health through service and therapy animals. He currently serves as a board member for the American Association of Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians.

“This is a profession that I've grown to think is one of the best professions there is, and I want to take care of it,” he said. “To do that, you need to take part and have a voice—and a constructive voice.”

Dr. Takashima is the current U.S. delegate to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association. Just as AAHA seeks to improve small animal medicine in North America, he said, WSAVA seeks to improve small animal medicine around the globe. The two associations have partnered on projects such as adapting AAHA guidelines for other regions, Dr. Takashima said.

“Through collaboration, we can effect positive change more than we could by ourselves,” he said.

As AAHA president, Dr. Takashima plans to promote the importance of the practice team and the value of veterinary professionals as caretakers of the human-animal bond. Within the association, he will be seeking more input and participation by members.

Dr. Takashima also hopes to increase the involvement of veterinary students and recent graduates in AAHA. The association has created a special Web site for students at http://student.aahanet.org with sections for career planning, financial planning, life balance, and other resources. This year, the annual meeting featured a daylong session for recent graduates, “Career Launch Pad: Empowering Performance & Satisfaction.”

Regarding animal welfare, Dr. Takashima said, AAHA recently recommissioned its Animal Ethics and Welfare Committee to revisit all of its existing position statements. The next step is to scan current issues in animal welfare to determine which are relevant to small animal veterinarians in North America.

For the future, Dr. Takashima said, the profession should re-examine the model of small animal practice. He said the practices that will survive—especially in this economy—are those that can respond to changes in demographics, technology, lifestyles, and how society views animals.

Other officers

View Full Size

Dr. Michael R. Moyer

Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 236, 10; 10.2460/javma.236.10.1030

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

View Full Size

Dr. Mark Russak

Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 236, 10; 10.2460/javma.236.10.1030

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

View Full Size

Dr. G. Timothy Lee

Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 236, 10; 10.2460/javma.236.10.1030

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

View Full Size

Dr. John D. Tait

Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 236, 10; 10.2460/javma.236.10.1030

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

Joining Dr. Takashima as AAHA officers are Drs. Michael R. Moyer, Bensalem, Pa., president-elect; Mark Russak, Starkville, Miss., vice president; G. Timothy Lee, Anderson, Ind., secretary-treasurer; and John D. Tait, Guelph, Ontario, immediate past president.

Dr. Larry R. Corry, AVMA president and AAHA member, offered comments at the recent AAHA meeting. He began by remarking on the economic challenges facing small animal practice.

“I would suggest that you consider this a golden opportunity to reassess your practice situation,” he said. “This is going to take a team approach. Just as every member of your hospital is part of a team, I want you to look at the AVMA as being part of your team.”

Dr. Corry said the AVMA advocates for legislation benefiting veterinarians and small businesses, conducts research on subjects such as pet demographics and consumer attitudes, and participates in the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues to provide financial benchmarking tools for practices.

—Katie Burns

The musher

Dr. Tamara L. Rose moved from California to Alaska about five years ago, and a friend soon introduced her to mushing.

“It was just an instant attraction—I love dogs, I love the outdoors,” said Dr. Rose, a mobile solo practitioner out of Fairbanks.

She said racing sled dogs is an adventure for her rather than a serious competition. She keeps 19 dogs in her kennel, including some that have retired, and she also has borrowed a few young dogs that a friend wanted her to train.

Dr. Rose is in her third year of racing. She started with shorter races to work up to the Iditarod this year, completing about three times as many qualifying races as she needed.

The ups and downs of racing the Iditarod still weren't what she anticipated, however. The trail was easier than she expected, but dog management was more difficult.

The trail groomers had paid particular attention to the route through a treacherous river gorge, she said, and enough snow had fallen to provide extra traction so sleds did not fall into the river. The route was rougher in an area full of tussocks where less snow had fallen.

For the most part, the weather was clear and cold—down to 40°F below zero. The problem came when the temperature rose. Then Dr. Rose had to stop often to prevent the sled dogs from overheating, allowing them to roll around in the snow. Mostly, Dr. Rose and her team alternated between six-hour runs and six- to eight-hour rest stops at checkpoints or along the trail.

Dr. Rose began the race with 16 dogs, seven of which were forward leaders. Trail veterinarians examined the dogs whenever the team stopped at one of the checkpoints, and Dr. Rose dropped dogs that had pulled muscles or sustained other minor injuries from competition.

“It's up to the individual how much we dote on them,” Dr. Rose said. “I'm probably a little more cautious than some mushers.”

Dr. Rose dropped seven dogs along the way, including two leaders. By the end, four more leaders did not want to lead, although they continued to run enthusiastically.

Twelve days after starting the Iditarod, Dr. Rose crossed the finish line with nine dogs. Her team was 43rd out of the 55 teams that completed the race. Only one of her leaders was left, Hailey.

“You couldn't do this with regular dogs,” she said. “They're bred to go, and to want to go, and they're bred to have this athleticism that's just amazing.”

The researcher

Dr. Michael S. Davis has been studying sled dogs for years at the Iditarod and elsewhere. His recent research has focused on trying to understand sled dogs' endurance and helping prevent the gastric ulcers that exercise induces in them.

View Full Size

Dogs that mushers dropped from the Iditarod await a ride back to Anchorage by bush plane. Mushers will drop dogs from the race for reasons such as orthopedic injuries, diarrhea, and pneumonia.

Courtesy of Dr. Caroline H. Griffitts

Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 236, 10; 10.2460/javma.236.10.1030

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

“It was identified pretty early on that gastric ulcers were about the most serious health concern that these dogs had,” said Dr. Davis, director of the Comparative Exercise Physiology Laboratory at the Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences.

Dr. Davis and other researchers recently developed a practical medication scheme that appears to be effective at preventing the ulcers. They published a report in the March/April 2010 issue of the Journal of Internal Veterinary Medicine, but the editors allowed them to release the information to the mushing community before the 2009–2010 racing season.

Neither the Yukon Quest nor the Iditarod, the 1,000-mile-plus sled dog races, had any dog deaths due to gastric ulcers this year. One dog died during the Yukon Quest of silent cardiac disease, but no dogs died during the Iditarod for the first time in memory.

The researchers might never determine the causes of the gastric ulcers, Dr. Davis said, because they decided preventing the problem was more important.

“The other work that we've been doing is trying to break down and unlock the metabolism secrets of sled dogs, basically how they manage to run as hard and as long and as far as they do without getting totally fatigued,” Dr. Davis said.

Most recently, the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation has provided funding for a study of the insulin sensitivity of sled dogs under various training conditions. Dr. Davis believes that sled dogs can run the way they do because they have an effective way of oxidizing fat for energy.

At the Iditarod this year, Dr. Davis also measured electrolyte concentrations and body water content of sled dogs before and after the race.

Trail veterinarian

Dr. Caroline H. Griffitts began volunteering as an Iditarod trail veterinarian in 1993, and she was among the first members when the International Sled Dog VMA formed in 1994. Now she is ISDVMA president and three-time winner of the Golden Stethoscope award for most helpful Iditarod veterinarian.

Dr. Griffitts keeps volunteering at races mostly because she really enjoys working with sled dogs.

“The sled dogs are definitely different,” said Dr. Griffitts, a mobile solo practitioner in Loveland, Colo. “They're very easy dogs to work with. They're generally extremely nice-tempered.”

View Full Size

Dr. Caroline H. Griffitts, a longtime volunteer veterinarian for the Iditarod, examines a dog during the race. Dr. Griffitts won the Golden Stethoscope award for most helpful Iditarod veterinarian for the third time this year.

Courtesy of Dr. Caroline H. Griffitts

Citation: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 236, 10; 10.2460/javma.236.10.1030

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

Dr. Griffitts enjoys the Iditarod in particular because the race allows her to see the beautiful backcountry of Alaska and to visit friends she has made at the villages along the trail.

During the Iditarod, groups of three to four veterinarians cover the checkpoints, some of which are simply a cabin or ghost town. Once the last musher passes through a checkpoint, the veterinarians there fly to a checkpoint ahead of the first musher.

At each checkpoint, the veterinarians set up shifts. Because the dogs run day and night, the teams can arrive at any time.

“Ideally, when a team comes into the checkpoint, we watch as the dogs run in—look for anybody who is obviously limping, holding back, not pulling, any issues,” Dr. Griffitts said. “Obviously, if we see the musher is carrying a dog in the sled bag, we might have an injured dog.”

The mushers don't stop at every checkpoint, but the veterinarians examine each dog whenever teams do stop. The veterinarians also care for the dogs that the mushers drop from the race for reasons such as orthopedic injuries, diarrhea, and pneumonia.

Aside from the Iditarod, Dr. Griffitts has been a trail veterinarian for a number of other races. She is chief veterinarian for a race in Wyoming. She also has visited Russia for the past two years to help with a new race there that is organized by an orphanage that keeps sled dogs.

Dr. Griffitts said she's seen many changes in the veterinary care of sled dogs since she began volunteering at races.

The ISDVMA has worked to promote research and share findings regarding the health of sled dogs. Research has found, for example, that sled dogs need about 10,000 or more calories per day while racing. Also according to research, vitamin E supplementation helps prevent myopathy in sled dogs.

Since the late ′90s, the ISDVMA has organized a mandatory training seminar for rookie trail veterinarians during the week before the Iditarod. The seminar includes a day of hands-on training that includes pre-race physical examinations.

Dr. Griffitts said veterinarians who would like to volunteer for the Iditarod must have clinical experience and need to have graduated from veterinary college at least five years earlier. Information is available at www.iditarod.com/learn/vetcenter.html. Information about the ISDVMA's 2010 symposium, Sept. 30–Oct. 4 in Duluth, Minn., is at www.isdvma.org/events.html.

—Katie Burns

California

California Joint Resolution 22 would petition Congress to support federal legislation to protect American horses from slaughter for human consumption. This resolution was adopted in the California Senate and is pending in the House.

Florida

Florida H.B. 765 and S.B. 1708 would make it a felony to knowingly transport, distribute, sell, purchase, or possess horse meat for human consumption that is not clearly stamped, marked, and described as horse meat for human consumption, or horse meat that is not acquired from a licensed slaughterhouse. These bills are pending in the Florida Senate.

Idaho

Idaho S.B. 1316 amends existing animal cruelty laws to provide that specified laws should not be construed as interfering with the humane slaughter of equids. This bill has been signed by the governor.

Idaho Joint Resolution 104 would urge Congress to oppose federal legislation that interferes with a state's ability to direct the transport and processing of horses. It would also encourage Congress to discontinue language in the yearly appropriations bill that has effectively ended the processing of horses in the United States. This resolution was adopted in the Idaho Senate and is pending in the House.

Illinois

Illinois H.B. 4812 would remove the prohibition on horse slaughter and require that horses entering the state for immediate slaughter be accompanied by a consignment direct to slaughter at an approved equine slaughter establishment. This bill is pending in the Illinois House.

Illinois House Resolution 1022 would urge Congress to oppose bills that would criminalize the possession, shipment, transport, purchase, sale, delivery, or receipt of any horse with the intent that it be processed for human consumption. This resolution is pending in the Illinois House.

Illinois House Resolution 1058 would urge all members of Congress to oppose the continuation of horse slaughter in the United States. This resolution is pending in the Illinois House.

Kentucky

Kentucky Concurrent Resolution 47 would urge members of Congress to oppose legislation that interferes with a state's ability to direct the transport or processing of horses and to support horse processing facilities. This resolution is pending in the Kentucky House.

Missouri

Missouri H.B. 1747 would require the Missouri Department of Agriculture to register and pay for USDA inspections of all establishments that process or sell horse meat for human consumption. This bill has passed the Missouri House and is pending in the Senate.

View Full Size

• Download Figure
• Download figure as PowerPoint slide

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Concurrent Resolution 1045 would urge Congress to oppose federal legislation that interferes with the ability of a state to direct the transport or processing of horses. This resolution passed the Oklahoma House and is pending in the Senate.

South Dakota

South Dakota Concurrent Resolution 1003 urges Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reinstate and fully fund the USDA's horse slaughter and processing facilities inspection program and to enact legislation facilitating the resumption of horse processing and slaughter in the United States. This resolution has been adopted by the South Dakota House and Senate.

South Dakota S.B. 151 would provide for a study of the feasibility of establishing an equine processing facility in the state. This bill is pending in the state Senate.

South Dakota Concurrent Resolution 4 opposes the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act and urges Congress to defeat the measure. This resolution has been adopted by the state House and Senate.

Wyoming

Wyoming H.B. 122 provides that livestock and feral livestock, including horses, may be sent to slaughter as an alternative to taking animals to auction. It also provides for the state's livestock board to set up agreements with licensed meat processing plants to process the meat from slaughtered livestock. The meat is to be sold to a state institution or to nonprofit organizations for no more than the board's cost for disposal, processing, and delivery, and to for-profit entities at the market rate of processed meat. This bill has been signed by the governor.

—Malinda Larkin

Funding the network

During a meeting March 18–19 in Kansas City, APHIS officials and state and tribal leaders discussed plans for animal disease traceability and cooperative agreements for the fiscal year starting April 1, 2010.

A USDA document states that funding priorities during the fiscal year include maintenance of existing animal disease tracing infrastructure; outreach to producers, accredited veterinarians, livestock market owners, and harvest facility owners; and advancement of tracing ability through data collected from various sources, including disease-related programs and certificates of veterinary inspection. The USDA will provide funding for expenses such as data entry, computer hardware, travel costs connected with improving animal disease tracing, and animal tags formerly intended for use with the NAIS.

The meeting was called to allow for discussion of standards and performance measurements for the new program.

A document from the meeting indicates the USDA will likely publish in the Code of Federal Regulations a proposal that would require that livestock animals moved interstate be officially identified and originate from a state or tribe that meets animal disease tracing performance standards for that species. A 90-day public comment period will follow publication of any proposed regulations, and APHIS will analyze comments and draft a final rule to be published in the Federal Register. The USDA will likely set a delayed compliance date, such as six or 12 months after publication of the final rule.

—Greg Cima