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http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/01/13/3751995-docs-seek-to-stifle-patients-rants-on-web-sites
I SUPPOSE IT TAKES ALL KINDS---latest GB vet that has been "struck off", at least for now....
Vet is Struck Off Having Placed Dog’s Testicle in His Mouth
http://www.dogmagazine.net/archives/4958/vet-is-struck-off-having-placed-dogs-testicle-in-his-mouth/
The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons yesterday (2 February 2010) directed that the name of a veterinary surgeon who had been practising in Essex be removed from the RCVS Register, having found him guilty of attempting to obtain medicines dishonestly.
James Alexander Lockyear, a graduate from Pretoria University in South Africa, was charged with two offences. The case was heard in his absence, although the Committee did not draw any adverse inference from this. One charge concerned his attempted purchase of steroids from a pharmacy in Colchester by dishonestly representing that the medicine was for legitimate veterinary use.
The second charge related to several instances of what the Committee referred to as “inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour”, including showing an offensive image to another staff member on a mobile phone, placing the testicle of a castrated dog in his mouth and the misuse of an endotracheal tube.
All of the incidents had taken place between April and September 2008, while Mr Lockyear was practising as a locum veterinary surgeon at St Runwald’s Veterinary Surgery, Colchester, Essex.
The Disciplinary Committee heard evidence from a pharmacist, Mr Noble, to whom Mr Lockyear had presented an incomplete veterinary prescription for 12 ampoules of Sustanon, a prescription-only anabolic steroid for humans, and a further pharmacist, Mr Foskett MRPharmS, who outlined his suspicions that the steroids were in fact for Mr Lockyear’s personal use (Sustanon is a substance which can potentially be misused in relation to body-building). Mr Lockyear had originally claimed the drugs were for general stock at the practice; he later returned with a second prescription, for double the amount of Sustanon, claiming it was for his own dog; later again, he said the prescription was for a friend’s dog.
The Committee also heard evidence from the veterinary owner of the practice, a veterinary nurse and a student veterinary nurse working in the practice team, and from Dr Maddison MRCVS, an expert on small animal clinical pharmacology. Dr Maddison informed the Committee that there was a veterinary alternative to Sustanon, so it was not necessary for that drug to have been sought by Mr Lockyear. She was also of the view that Sustanon would not have been suitable to treat the ailments for which Mr Lockyear claimed it was to be used.
The Committee found Mr Lockyear guilty of the first charge – that is attempting to obtain medicines dishonestly. Chairing the Disciplinary Committee, Mrs Alison Bruce, said: “Whilst it was a one-off incident, it is conduct which falls far short of that which is expected of a member of the profession. It involves serious dishonesty; it represents an abuse of a veterinary surgeon’s authority to prescribe drugs; it is conduct which tends to undermine public trust in the profession, and the honesty of its members; it is conduct which compromised other professionals, the pharmacists involved, and undermined the trust which ought to exist between pharmacists and veterinary surgeons generally, in the important area of drug prescription.” The Committee therefore directed that Mr Lockyear’s name be removed from the Register.
Regarding the second charge, the Committee was most concerned about the incident relating to the dog’s testicles, which it felt offended against Mr Lockyear’s duty to treat with respect all animals which were his patients. Taking the three incidents as a whole, the Committee felt that Mr Lockyear should be seriously criticised for behaviour that was “unprofessional… juvenile, inappropriate, disgusting and offensive”. However, they felt that the conduct was not malicious, and did not occur in the presence of a member of the public, so concluded that this did not amount to disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.
| Work Environment Based on Trust and Integrity | |||
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| We have standards of ethical conduct for all postal employees. Our commitment to trust and integrity permeates our organization, from the Postmaster General to the letter carrier you trust to secure and deliver your mail. Our long history and tradition of trust and integrity with excellent customer service is tied directly to the efforts of Postal employees. We were recognized in a national study, the 2006 Privacy Trust Study of United States Government, as the most trusted federal agency by our customers. The independent study by the Ponemon Institute involved 57 federal agencies and focused on advancing responsible information and privacy management practices within business and government. It revealed agreement among respondents that in their daily lives, the Postal Service delivers a sense of security when handling and delivering their personal information and continues to earn and keep their trust and confidence. http://www.usps.com/employment/value.htm?from=employment&page=leftnav_employvalue
Sometimes it is the little things in life that mean so much, it may add a skip & hop into your step and a smile to your face! My home office has been in transition for nearly 2 decades. Us little Indians joke that we are the training ground for all the successful Chiefs. They come and go, and we just keep on operating as usual. We really don't need any chiefs, and I think that is why they are sent to us. The USPS feels the same economic hardship that is nationwide. Early buyouts, jobs lost through consolidation, non-replacements for retired positions and the like. Despite being the second largest employer in the country, our workforce has shrunk by 1/3 , yet the volume has increased through growth of deliveries. Well, we had another "changing of the guards" three days ago. A man named John C. , OIC (officer-in-charge), that obviously has been displaced from our neighboring state of Massachusetts. Since I have verbally requested information regarding my "lost wages" since 2006 due to my filed lawsuit in Rockingham Superior Court: Plaintiff, Barbara A. Albright vs. Edgefield Veterinary Hospital, Dover Veterinary Hospital, et al.... I thought, oh boy, well, time to try again....golly---my requested information was prepared & ready within my work day---today! So, thank you, John C., OIC. You demonstrate the USPS mantra stated above: employee respect & honor. (I think we just might like this guy!)
BTW, I know I have said this before, more than ONCE, on various publications. But have you any idea, how NICE it is to work (and yes it is HARD work) an honest job? To be able to look in the mirror and know that your job is labor and does not hurt or deceive anyone? To know your job NEVER involves thievery or lying? I can't tell you how proud I am of that above, and sorry for all those that do not feel likewise! SO KUDOS, United States Postal Service--- we may not always get it right, but we try & hope to!
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Guess I'm not the only one curious as to how this large organization works. I was a bit surprised to learn of the big funding contract to Auburn University for "oncology" since the college had lost its accreditation not long ago.
courtesy of Pat---
Quote:
AVMA seeks to deter news investigation http://news.vin.com/vinnews.aspx?articleId=14876
January 21, 2010
By: Edie Lau
For The VIN News Service
"Fiala said a confidential source brought to her concerns about whether external politics are unduly influencing COE decisions. She said she has since spoken to other sources who share the concerns but has obtained no restricted documents in the process.
“Whether or not I have documents isn’t really the issue at hand,” she said. “The issue is that this membership organization did not pick up the phone to talk to me about their concerns, but rather, sent me a legal letter that seems designed to scare me off this story.”
In the letter, dated Jan. 13, Jed Mandel, an attorney representing the AVMA, wrote: “We have been advised that you may be in possession of confidential and proprietary information of the AVMA Council on Education ('COE’). We understand that this information includes a significant number of pages of internal COE documents or other material.
“Retaining confidentiality of this information ensures the integrity and objectivity of the accreditation process, which is critical to COE’s ongoing success and continuing operations.”
Mandel went on to say that the unauthorized acquisition or disclosure of such documents may violate laws protecting trade secrets and/or copyrights.
“Accordingly, we demand that you cease and desist and otherwise refrain from any disclosure or use of this information and immediately return to me all copies of the COE and AVMA documents and information in your possession or control,” he wrote.
Contacted by VIN News Service for this story, Mandel could not be more specific about the nature of the documents because, he said, “I don’t know what those documents are.”
He objected to the news service publishing an article about the letter. “We will be very unhappy and will take any action we need to if you write a story about the letter,” Mandel said.".....
........
"Moore said in an interview that he sees the threat as an attempt to abridge a journalist’s First Amendment rights. To Mandel he wrote, “If you or your client attempt to stifle the free flow of information, to muzzle VIN reporters, or to strong-arm investigative journalism, VIN will spare no expense in defending the rights of the profession to an open process.”
Alan Mittelstaedt, a lecturer at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communications & Journalism, said courts long have upheld the rights of reporters to use documents, even classified government documents, in matters of public interest.
“If the documents have a bunch of private information that have no news value, then that’s a problem if you publish the private information,” said Mittelstaedt, an expert in investigative reporting. “But if it says (as a hypothetical example) that doctors at an institution take home animal tranquilizers for recreational use, that’s certainly of news value, and you wouldn’t have any problem with it.”............"
Good for you VIN, taking on the tight-knit AVMA, an association with rules & pretense that is accountable to NOBODY ! I empathize completely, seems that just being a Veterinarian entitles one to gag someone else's First Amendment Rights , especially in a SLAPP state.!
http://ugaanimallaw.wordpress.com/
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO YOUR ANIMAL LOVING FRIENDS AND ESPECIALLY THOSE IN NORTH CAROLINA!
Team:
Pass this on to every Jewish person you know or have even heard of.
The reason is that they are the most sensitive to this barbaric practice and have considerable clout in the media.
Lets drive this man out of business and more.
Any and all of you NC residents should file a complaint with the state Veterinary licensing authorities and if enough people file an abuse complaint, they will have to act. After all if gassing is cruel and unusual punishment for murderers it can be no less cruel to innocent animals
Also can anyone get his address and e-mail so we can all bombard him with our views and opinions by both mail and e-mail. If his staff receive hundreds or even thousands of letters they may start looking for other places to work.
Chris
Together we can clean up the transport of sick and dying animals and make the shelters and the rescue community act responsibly.
Chris C. Haslam
Commonwealth Cat Rescue, Inc. A 501(c)3 No Kill Rescue
Oakton, VA
703.568.3600 – Cell
“It’s All about the Cats”
Dr. Death Ralph W. Houser, DVM
Did you ever wonder why North Carolina has so many county-funded Animal GASSING and HEARTSTICK facilities?
Well, it’s thanks to this Hitler incarnate, Dr. Ralph Houser, DVM, North Carolina Animal Rabies Control Association board member and owner of Carolina Veterinary Consulting, he MANUFACTURES and SELLS these gas chambers all throughout county-funded animal shelters in North Carolina! Well, no wonder they haven’t made headway getting this atrocity abolished, this scum is lining his pocket with government money. How sick is this?
Guess what else he does? He offers seminars, classes to show how to use these devices and brings victims to each seminar and class. He GASSES and HEARTSTICKS 6 victims at a minimum for demonstration purposes. Dogs and cats are brought from local shelters of his choice tortured and killed in front of a live audience.
____________________________________________________________________
North Carolina’s Pet Population Methods
by Denise LeBeau
Peter MacQueen III is president of the Humane Society of Eastern North Carolina and has been compassionately advocating on the behalf of the companion animals of North Carolina for over 20 years. One of his greatest goals is to see the abolishment of the gas chamber, a device that is still so prevalently used in North Carolina on the dogs and cats that can’t find homes before their ‘time is up.’
It’s a tough topic, and Animal Control in most rural areas is just one notch above waste management as far as funding and resources go. Most of the general public don’t even realize that gassing unwanted pets still goes on, let alone at their local shelter!
“Why do seemingly decent people ignore, or worse, condone, this mistreatment of animals in an animal control facility?” asks Peter. “You can’t even dignify them by calling them shelters. Things are changing slowly, but not fast enough considering the lack of care and inhumane euthanasia that these animals face everyday. People have begun to take notice and object to this treatment, but the majority of people don’t seem concerned. When complaints are made the government stonewalls or ignores it until complaints subside then it’s back to business as usual. Also, there’s so many issues concerning Carolinians today, from the environment to child abuse, the general public generally only fight for what effects them, their ‘hot buttons.’ Even the animal rescue community insulate themselves against the horrors of gassing,” he laments.
To make matters worse, it is commonly believed that one person is responsible for the fact that shelters and animal control facilities are using anything but euthanasia by injection (EBI) in the state of North Carolina. That is Dr. Ralph Houser, DVM, North Carolina Animal Rabies Control Association board member and owner of Carolina Veterinary Consulting, who not only advocates for the use of gas chambers on companion animals but manufactures and sells them, too!
Dr. Houser has also ingratiated himself into the Animal Control community with his “down home” rural speech, and his “us against them” propaganda. Whoever doesn’t like to see animals suffer needlessly before they die, is seemingly a bleeding heart liberal sissy. His tactics could be looked at as manipulative…reminding us of another time in history that deftly played upon people’s fears. Like many who will urge people to resist change, he plays the game with stealth-like accuracy.
The guidelines he most often cites in recommending the use of gas chambers as an acceptable form of euthanasia are from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA,) which is viewed by many as somewhat outdated considering that the last report on this issue came out in 2001. The AVMA report gives clear cut protocol on the proper way to euthanize animals, and that’s where Houser and the guidelines part company. He likes to use the AVMA report to sling around as some kind of shield, but when it comes down to implementing their recommendations for a humane euthanasia, Houser consistently refutes and contradicts their suggestions.
“Further more,” as Peter points out, “no where in the AVMA report does it mention animal control facilities, shelters, or rescues for their use of gas chambers. It is specifically guidelines for use in a veterinarian’s office. And it’s estimated that about 98% of the animal control facilities in North Carolina do not have a veterinarian on staff.”
Even more disturbing is Houser’s seemingly nonchalant attitude toward the obvious suffering animals endure during their time in his gas chambers. He’s been allegedly overheard at North Carolina Animal Rabies Association meetings talking about the number of animals you can shove into his chambers, this is not in accordance with the AVMA’s report on the small number of animals that can safely be euthanized at once from gas. He also suggests putting puppies, kittens and sick animals in there too. Again a no-no from the AVMA, his words that have been conveyed to me were to the effect of “if the animal can take a breath he can be gassed.”
The recent number of animals that have survived a gassing and either found alive when being removed from the chamber, or found alive at the garbage dump by civilians is alarming! It is believed that the reason Dr. Houser recommends going against the AVMA report is because the gas chambers quickly lose their argument of “cost effectiveness” when used properly. In 2003, Sampson County Animal Control adopted out puppies to a lady looking for pets. She took the pups home and they started getting sick. After spending thousands of dollars on vet bills, she went back to the facility only to be told that the puppies had been gassed and survived! She had not been told this prior to having taken the animals, it’s hard to tell whether it was a mere oversight or callously intentional.
In subsequent inspections, it was determined that the gas chamber in Sampson County had been leaking “a citation was issued and that was it. It is apparent that not only is it inhumane towards the animals but it is dangerous to the shelter workers. The gas is odorless and it’s physical effects are cumulative! Plus they are never inspected regularly, actually they’re practically never inspected at all. There are ‘regulations’ that come with the gas chamber but they are not routinely inspected, and when the chambers are inspected “ the equipment is just looked at, it is not during a gassing procedure.
A number of states have eliminated or banned gas chambers but no state has banned EBI! Lee Hunter, Director of Animal Welfare, North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture, Veterinary Division was recently put in charge of enforcing the Animal Welfare Act. Hunter is allegedly quite friendly with Houser, and the animal control officers are all his colleagues. There are no experts on euthanasia in the department, and they are vying to get Houser as the certified euthanasia trainer for the animal control facilities of North Carolina. It is undetermined what Houser’s qualifications are regarding humane euthanasia, other than his financial vested interest, and the fact that he’s a self appointed expert; he is above rules and regulations and the Animal Control community trusts that he is telling them the truth.
But for Houser, it’s all business! If an Animal Control decides to switch to EBI, he’ll let them use his medical license to procure the drugs. It is purported that Moore County did this, and that there are allegedly other counties that did the same, Houser chooses the laws he abides by, by his pocket. He also teaches courses on cruelty to ACOs, and has also been publicly questioned regarding a demonstration in New Bern where he killed sixty animals during the class. New Bern is a small town and sixty animals is a lot for them to have at one time. The question is: what rules and protocols were broken to facilitate this demonstration? Perhaps either animals were not held the requisite three days, or animals were held longer in order to be put to death in this learning forum, but there is no concrete evidence to prove any misdoings.
Houser also allegedly advocates the use of another excruciatingly painful means of euthanasia: the intracardial (chest) injection, or as it’s commonly known as, the heart stick. When used correctly by caring, compassionate, trained professionals it can be less traumatizing than the gas chamber. Unfortunately this is often not the case! There are three drugs that need to be administered at just the right time for it to be relatively painless. However, reportedly according to Houser, you can forego the sedatives and just go to the paralyzing death drug where the animal remains fully conscience while it slowly dies. Again cost effectiveness seems to be his main concern, or rather selling point “money is at the crux of all his actions, the welfare of the animals he has taken an oath to entrust does not seem to factor into any of his actions.”
Taxpayers are the ones footing the bill for this cruel mistreatment, and if more of them knew that their tax dollars were funding all of this, more than likely they’d be outraged. It has been proven that there are cost effective, humane options available. The public needs to be better informed what is happening in their own communities. The sooner this happens the needless suffering will surely end.
_______________________________________________________________
Here is a brochure on his classes and seminars.
http://www.ncarca.com/PDF/2008-07-22Houser-Euthanasia.pdf
Dr. Death’s Bio:
Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Ralph W. Houser, DVM, received degrees in psychology and veterinary medicine from Michigan State University. After managing farms in Michigan and North Carolina, Dr. Houser founded and operated two veterinary practices in North Carolina. In 1987, he opened Carolina Veterinary Consulting to provide consultative and educational support to private individuals, animal control, law enforcement, health departments and other government agencies.
Dr. Death serves as the veterinary consultant to eight animal control agencies, four law enforcement agencies and five health departments. He has provided training for the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, the U.S.D.A. and the R.S.P.C.A. in Great Britain. Dr. Houser is a certified instructor in the use of Cap-Chur chemical immobilization equipment, is certified as a Wildlife Damage Control Agent (kill the animals). He is also an At Large Board Member of North Carolina Rabies Control Association.
Dr. Death Ralph Houser
10020 S.NC 87
Pittsboro, NC 27312
336-376-8134 office
336-376-0770 fax
and these are all of his cronies and disciples, North Carolina Animal Rabies Association- this organization has it’s hands in all of the animal welfare legislation in North Carolina. They control the laws through this joke of an organization.
I was taken aback, as outside on prominent signage was :vaccinations, spay & neuters
And then a large plastic banner "Dentals $295"--- as if advertising a sale.
It sure speaks volumes for our present economy , here in NH and nationwide
The latest DVM article has commented:
WE HAVE A NUMBERED CONSCIENTIOUS BELIEF
EXEMPTION BILL AND A HEARING DATE!
For years now, the UW-Madison has tried to portray a cadre of local folks who complain about its animal experiments as wackos.
Well it turns out that the local Alliance for Animals and other people who have been doing the complaining have been right about a lot of things.
Toward the end of 2009, inspectors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture pulled a surprise visit to UW’s research labs and discovered at least 20 oversight violations. The list included depressed and vomiting dogs, expired medications, a dirty operating room, and slippery and unclean floors where pigs would routinely fall down.
The feds told the UW to fix the problems immediately or risk losing more than $200 million in animal research funding that the Department of Agriculture sends the school.
An embarrassed Eric Sandgren, the UW’s head of animal research oversight who has frequently debated the animal rights advocates, said the university is working to fix the violations and make sure they don’t happen again.
One of Alliance for Animals’ main gripes is that the UW uses animals for experiments when it isn’t necessary.
And indeed, one of the USDA’s surprise inspection findings was that in at least five studies, the UW researchers did not show that they attempted to find an alternative to painful experiments on animals.
Depressed and vomiting dogs, a dirty operating room and expired medications were among 20 violations found at UW-Madison by federal animal welfare inspectors during a surprise visit last month.
UW-Madison must fix the problems noted in the report, which was released this week, or risk losing some $200 to $300 million in annual animal research funding, said Eric Sandgren, the university's head of animal research oversight.
Sandgren said that when he got the 10-page report, "my stomach just went clunk."
"I'm not at all happy with the things listed there," he said. "That's just not acceptable."
The report was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Inspectors from another federal agency, the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, also visited. The two agencies enforce animal welfare law.
Investigators told Sandgren that the university is not likely to be fined for any of the offenses. University officials are working to fix the violations and prevent new ones, Sandgren said.
One major finding is that in five studies, UW-Madison researchers did not show that they tried to find an alternative to painful experiments on animals.
"Even if you believe animal research is worthwhile, I think most people believe it should be done in the most humane way possible," said Rick Bogle, co-director of the Madison-based Alliance for Animals, an animal rights group. "And this says that it is not being done that way at all."
But Sandgren said the issue is how researchers fill out the application to conduct animal research. He said the university will ask scientists to more specifically document their attempts to conduct less painful procedures.
Three dogs were observed suffering following operations, according to the report. Two were vomiting, depressed and not producing urine. The dogs were part of a study to find ways to preserve kidneys longer before they are transplanted.
The inspectors said the university needs to do a better job of alerting the attending veterinarian to changes in the dogs' conditions.
Sandgren said lab animal veterinarians now will be called ahead of time to let them know when these surgeries will occur.
The report also found a slippery floor that caused a pig to repeatedly fall down, a gerbil that was struggling to breathe, thick layers of dust on air vents, open supplies of primate food, a rusty IV stand and shelves in an operating room, and a strong smell of urine in a dog room.
"When this happens, it's a little nerve-wracking," Sandgren said. "But it's also a good thing. It helps us do things better."
UW-Madison conducts hundreds of studies in 52 animal facilities and spends $25 million per year in animal care, Sandgren said.
USDA inspects UW-Madison annually, but a visit from the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, is rare.
"OLAW does not visit institutions routinely," said spokesman Don Ralbovsky. He said the agency "investigates all allegations involving animal welfare that are brought to its attention."
Ralbovsky would not say whether the December visit was sparked by an allegation.
Posted in Education on Thursday, December 31, 2009 6:25 pm Updated: 6:54 pm. U.s. Department Of Agriculture, Office Of Laboratory Animal Welfare, Alliance For Animals, Uw-madison
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/article_1f27b390-f66c-11de-b019-001cc4c002e0.html
Enraged? You should be too, many others are.
"The American Kennel Club was extremely disappointed in the recent news that Michael Vick would be receiving the Ed Block Courage Award. This Award is given to an NFL Player from each team - as voted by his teammates - who exemplifies commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. For more info visit: http://www.edblock.
AKC President Dennis Sprung sent a letter to the Ed Block Foundation and Jeffrey Lurie, owner of the Philadelphia Eagles expressing AKC's concern that a player who has been convicted in connection with his dog fighting activities which included abuse, torture and killing is being honored with an award named after someone who abhorred child abuse and fought to prevent it. This is especially troublesome since research has suggested there is a direct link between animal abuse and child abuse and domestic violence. "
Don't believe it? Well you should:
AND___
Above: Pit bull named Grace
My old mix-bred pit bull named "Porky" and his buddy and old Springer Spaniel rescue named "Teddy" (below)
The crime? Raising & forcing a dog to fight. Pit bulls can be the most human friendly and honorable dogs given the right chance and upbringing.
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