[ SHOWGSD-L ] ILLINOIS! Excellent letter from Vet Assoc.LONG! but worth it.
- From: stormy435 <stormy435@xxxxxxx>
- To: "showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:20:55 -0700
Vet. Med. Assn. Press release re: Chi MSN
***************Permission to forward************
Margo Milde
Page 1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For More Information,
Contact: Dr. Yuval Nir or
Dr. Shannon Greeley
Office: 630.325.1231
MANDATING SPAY/NEUTER IS BAD MEDICINE Â?
INCREASING COSTS, DECREASING CARE
(Chicago, IL Â? March 9, 2009). The Chicago Veterinary Medical Association
reaches out to Chicago
Aldermen to halt the rush toward Mandatory Spay Neuter. On March 12, 2009, the
City of Chicago may
progress toward a new era of unprecedented oversight of pet health care in
Chicago. What lies at the heart
of the issue is whether or not the City of Chicago will take the determination
of medical need for spaying
and neutering pets out of the hands of pet owners and their veterinarians and
place that decision in their
own hands. The Mandatory Spay Neuter Proposal or as proponents call it the "Pet
Overpopulation and
Safety Act" would require all dogs and cats over the age of 6 months in Chicago
to be spayed or neutered.
The proposal then offers several specific exemptions. The bottom line is that
spaying or neutering a pet is a
medical procedure and decisions about medical procedures belong to pet owners
in consultation with
medical professionals.
The Chicago Veterinary Medical Association stands in firm opposition to the
current Mandatory Spay
Neuter proposal and the concept of compulsory sterilization in general. We
believe that the decision of
whether to spay or neuter a pet is a decision that is best determined between a
pet owner and their
veterinarian. Proponents claim that the measure still allows veterinarians to
decide, but all the measure
really allows is the veterinarian to opt patients out of the procedure by
granting them authority to submit
letters of exemption to the City.
The proposal lists a number of unproven statistics to support the case for
mandatory spay neuter. These
random statistics create the illusion that there is a great need for
governmental intervention. The proposal
lists everything from bite prevention through behavioral modification to
decreased euthanasia and animal
control costs. However, a review of outcomes in other communities where
mandatory spay neuter has been
passed most often reveals the opposite outcomes with increasing costs and
rising euthanasia rates.
Proponents also rely upon the success of a spay neuter program in New
Hampshire, but fail to reveal that
the New Hampshire spay neuter program is voluntary not mandatory.
As with most things in life, there are risks and benefits associated with
spaying or neutering a pet. The
health benefits of spaying and neutering pets have been long touted by
veterinarians. Reduced incidences of
certain cancers and undesirable behaviors, along with an elimination of
unexpected litters, are the top
reasons to neuter our pets.
CHICAGO VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
100 Tower Drive, Suite 234, Burr Ridge, IL Phone: 630-325-1231 Fax:
630-325-4043 www.chicagovma.org
Page 2
However, some studies also show potential health risks associated with spaying
and neutering. Though the
risk of prostatic disease may be reduced by neutering a dog, the risk of
prostatic cancer actually increases
with neutering. An increased risk of bone cancer in large-breed dogs can be
associated with neutering done
before maturity. Other risks associated with spaying and neutering may include:
obesity, diabetes, urinary
tract infections, urinary incontinence, hypothyroidism and hip dysplasia..
Because there are significant health risks and benefits to consider, the choice
of spaying and neutering pets
should remain firmly in the hands of the pet owner and under the advisement of
their veterinarian.
To address the issue of unwanted pets, many municipalities have had success in
reducing euthanasia and
animal control costs with programs of: (1) public education, (2) leash laws,
(3) free or low cost spay/neuter
opportunities for low income families, (4) moderate price differentials for
licensing of intact and altered
male and female dogs and cats, (5) vigorous marketing of shelter dogs and cats
for adoption by the public,
(6) foster care, (7) off site adoptions and (8) working with rescue groups.
Chicago is already one of the
success stories in reducing the population of unwanted pets. Mandatory spay
neuter stands to jeopardize the
progress that has been made by taking medical decisions out of the hands of pet
owners and medical
professionals, dividing the local animal welfare community and overburdening
animal control.
A key governmental function is safeguarding the public health, and
veterinarians play a vital role through
oversight of diseases that can be spread from animals to people. Rabies, for
instance, is a fatal disease in
people and animals, and is a real and imminent threat in our area. Rabies is
carried by wildlife and can
easily pass from infected wildlife to dogs, cats and other mammals. The
Illinois Department of Public
Health reports a dramatic rise in reported rabies cases in wildlife in Cook
County between 2004 and
present. http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/infect/reportdis/rabies..htm. Mandating
spay neuter laws can
increase the risk of this deadly disease by creating a situation where fewer
domestic pets are presented for
veterinary care because people will try to avoid detection of their unaltered
pets. The best example of this is
Fort Worth, Texas, where that city ended its mandatory spay-or-pay program
after a reduction in rabies
vaccinations led to an increase in reported rabies cases in that city. Another
threat to humans comes from
animal parasites. And, children are most susceptible to the spread of parasites
from the family pet. Regular
visits to your family veterinarian can help prevent such exposure. Once again,
this ordinance threatens to
reduce visits to the veterinarian, resulting in fewer pets that are protected
and an increased threat to public
health.
The Chicago veterinary community's concerns are backed by a review of outcomes
in other communities
that have enacted and in many cases repealed their mandatory spay neuter laws.
The potential for negative
Page 3
outcomes associated with mandatory spay neuter laws is far too great, and the
focus of City policy makers
should be on initiatives that eliminate rather than exacerbate public health
concerns.
Mandatory spay neuter is not only bad medicine, it is bad policy. At a time
when the City is struggling to
fund basic services, it is not fiscally prudent to pass a controversial
ordinance that will require increased
funding for enforcement. Rather than instituting "blanket" mandatory
spay/neuter laws; we, the Chicago
Veterinary Medical Association, believe that the residents of the City of
Chicago would be best served by
an aggressive public education campaign to promote responsible pet ownership,
and the enactment and
enforcement of strict penalties for irresponsible animal owners.
The veterinary community in Chicago applauds the Aldermen for keeping animal
welfare and public safety
in the forefront of their concerns, but we respectfully request that the
Aldermen heed the advice of their
veterinary professionals before moving headlong into mandating the spaying and
neutering of all dogs and
cats. The City of Chicago has a Task Force on Animal Welfare and Public Safety
on which the Chicago
Veterinary Medical Association has an advisory position. Unfortunately, the
task force has not been
involved in the consideration of this proposed ordinance. We recommend that the
City Council refer this
proposal to the Animal Welfare Task Force for further discussion and to develop
animal welfare
recommendations that unite the animal welfare advocates in the City rather than
divide them.
The Chicago Veterinary Medical Association is one of the largest regional
veterinary medical
associations in the nation, and has been serving the needs of animals in the
Chicagoland community
since 1896. For further information, contact 630-325-1231, attn: Drs. Yuval Nir
or Shannon Greeley.
###
--
Stormy Hope
www,carpoc.org
AKC Legislative Liaison, GSDCA
GSDs, and more, clubs
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