GUEST COLUMNIST | Orlando Sentinel ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEB 04, 2021 AT 6:00 AM More than 32 million doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the United States, according to Feb. 3 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many more are on the way. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are churning out hundreds of millions of doses. And just last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,…

As recently reported by Aurelien Breeden in the New York Times ,a law was passed in France that would protect rooster crowing and certain other sounds of the French countryside, as defined by each area consistent with the law. A report by Mr.  Pierre-Antoine LEVI , made on behalf of the Committee on Culture, Education and Communication, filed on January 13, 2021, describes the intent and background of the law. This bill seeks to integrate…

Assembly bill No. 5236 was recently introduced in the state assembly that would establish “criminal offenses and civil penalties concerning [allegedly] inhumane confinement of breeding pigs and calves raised for veal.” This bill was introduced by a legislator in Hudson County, New Jersey, part of the New York City metropolitan area, where Jersey City is the county seat-a city I know well from my childhood since my grandparents and mother lived there for decades.  I…

Feral swine, an invasive species, have been a problem for years if not decades, and populations have been reported in at least 35 states with a total population “estimated at over 6 million,” as noted by USDA. At least one swine herd was reported in New Jersey while I was serving as the State Veterinarian, at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, where we teamed up with the state Department of Environmental Protection and…

The California Veterinary Medical Board (Board) will meet by teleconference at 9:00 a.m., on Thursday, January 28, 2021 to discuss, amongst other agenda items, a “Presentation and Discussion on Access to Veterinary Care in California” presented by representatives from San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SF SPCA) and Humane Society of the United States, Pets for Life (HSUS PFL). The presentation, available online, includes the results of a study conducted…

This case, based on an investigation by the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (“TBVME”) into Dr. Hines’ digital provision of veterinary medicine, without the required initiation of a veterinarian-client-patient relationship (“VCPR”) established by an in person examination, dates back to 2012.  The Board found that Dr. Hines had violated the Texas Veterinary Practice Act by providing “advice to dog, cat and exotic animal pet owners” for a fee, via Dr. Hines’ website or…

A317, a bill that would require annual inspection of animal or veterinary facilities as defined in Section 1 pf P.L. 1983, c. 98, has been re-introduced in the State Assembly. Animal or veterinary facility, defined as incorporated, means “any fixed or mobile establishment, veterinary hospital, animal hospital or premises wherein or whereon the practice of veterinary medicine or any part thereof is conducted.” Such annual inspections would include traditional small animal clinics and hospitals; specialty…