It’s a big species world out there. Though we may love our goats and parrots and rabbits no less than our beloved cats and dogs, it’s a mission to find approved drugs for them when they’re ill. In fact, it’s mission impossible—truly—as there are almost none available.
Any vet wanting to obtain some measure of safety and efficacy-related security in selecting a drug for a minor species patient is plumb out of luck (to put it nicely). There’s almost no approved product for you if you’re not a human, cow, horse, pig, chicken, turkey, dog or cat.
That’s why we need a more streamlined, less expensive approval process for species who wouldn’t otherwise get any attention from the pharmaceutical industry. The Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act of 2004 makes way for just that. In recognition that some species represent too small a market for pharma to enter into the ridiculously expensive drug approval process, the MUMS Act gives economically small-time species a chance to get a leg up, healthwise.
Now, you might think the FDA requires so much reform in terms of safety and efficacy already that it makes sense they’d bypass the so-called “lesser” species in favor of fixing their outmoded, highly bureaucratic system for human drug approvals. I mean, why spend money when you don’t actually have to?
Well, thank goodness no one argued that line when it came time to offering approved drugs for our dogs and cats. Where would small animal vet medicine be today without it? God knows we wouldn’t have the plethora of well-researched products we vets currently stock our shelves with if the FDA didn’t invest resources on our pets’ drugs.
You could argue that our drugs are still not safe enough—and you’d be right. But then you’d be overlooking the fact that without an established approval process, pharmaceutical companies have almost no incentive to devise new drugs for specific species.
It means a lot to offer drug approval. Consider the sheep and goat ranchers who are increasingly tending to home-grown herds for their wool, mohair and cashmere. This could be a bigger industry in this country, but ranchers have few drugs tailored to fit their creatures. That means they lose many of them every year to treatable diseases (parasites and diarrhea, for example).
Or how about our dairy goats? Are they not viable participants in our economy? They could be even more important to many local economies across the US as the health benefits of goat milk and the gourmet-quality of their cheese become more widely known. But good luck finding a dewormer ideally suited to lungworms in caprines.
Without a doable approval process, these sheep and goats will continue to do without. How better to stifle an emerging industry than to fail to recognize and support its needs?
On the humanitarian front, alone, it only makes sense that animals not destined for the food chain also be given a chance to play. Drugs for psittacines (parrot-like birds), reptiles, ferrets and small rodents are necessary if we’re to keep our wide variety of pets in the good health they deserve while they’re under our care.
So you understand, we use lots of drugs on these animals already, but their use is termed “off-label.” This means there’s been no systematic testing of their safety and efficacy. All we typically have are small studies and empirical evidence to go on.
So if a well-recognized avian vet in California is using a new drug in parrots successfully, she presents a paper at a conference and the rest of us adopt her ways. But we don’t usually get to know how safe and effective it is in a controlled research setting. We’ll figure it out six years from now when the next paper comes out reporting that every African Grey that ever received it died as a result. That’s not an ideal process, now, is it?
The MUMS Act changes this by setting up less rigorous standards for minor species drug approval (not that parrots are high on the list for new drugs anytime soon, I’m afraid). While the system may not be perfect, it’s a big step in the right direction. Here’s the rub:
Though it passed in 2004, it has yet to be implemented. The funding isn’t there. Now we’ve just heard that the expected 2007 earmarks didn’t come through for this project and that no funding is expected for 2008, either. Considering the vast sums of money that go towards frivolous earmarks every year, it seems unconscionable that one economically justifiable Act can’t make the grade over some historical society’s collection in Smallville, Somewhere or than some Bridge over the river X, Elsewhere.
After all, government funding should be an investment. Not that funding the arts and history aren’t investment-worthy, but earmarks should be judged on their merits, not on the lobbying savvy of a given region’s congressional representative. If we have limited money to spend, then spending it intelligently in areas that will provide demonstrable value to a greater number of citizens becomes a moral imperative.
And though animal welfare may not be enough of a good reason for some of our citizens, it’s clear to most industry-watchers that our burgeoning animal health sector (the lucrative pet health industry and the nascent sheep and goat industry, in particular) deserves this modest investment on the basis of economic gain alone.
It boils my blood to read the lists of earmarks that made the cut over funding an Act passed almost four years ago. Furthermore, knowing we have the power to improve the health and welfare of animals through a simple bit of intelligent legislation—but not finding the money to actually implement it—makes this vet wonder how this democracy ever got to be so unrepresentative.
PS: If you seek to help with your personal voice, here’s something you can actually do: Contact your US Senator! This is what you can say…
“Hello. This is XXX calling from XX county. I am calling to ask Senator XX to support the Minor Use Drug Program (NRSP-7) as it is an essential program for maintaining the health and welfare of minor animal species. Would you please ask Senator XX to contact Senator Harkin and Senator Chambliss and ask them to support reinstating NRSP-7 in the resolution budget for 2008?”
Note: If you live in any of the states below, the following US Senators would be especially influential in helping NRSP-7. These senators are on the Agriculture Committee (except for Diane Feinstein). Contact information is for Washington, DC offices. All of these Senators also have regional offices. The telephone numbers for the regional offices can be found on their web pages.
Tom Harkin (IA): 202-224-3254 or http://harkin.senate.gov/
Patrick Leahy (VT): 202-224-4242 or http://leahy.senate.gov/
Kent Conrad (ND): 202-224-2043 or http://conrad.senate.gov/
Max Baucus (MO): 202-224-2651 or http://baucus.senate.gov/
Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas): 202-224-4843 or http://lincoln.senate.gov/
Debbie Stabenow (MI): 202-224-4822 or http://stabenow.senate.gov/
E. Benjamin Nelson (Nebraska): 202-224-6551 or http://bennelson.senate.gov/
Ken Salazar (CO): 202-224-5852 or http://salazar.senate.gov/
Sherrod Brown (OH): 202-224-2315 or http://www.sherrodbrown.com/
Robert Casey, Jr. (PA): 202-224-6324 or 866-802-2833 Toll Free or http://casey.senate.gov/
Amy Klobuchar (MN): 202-224-3244 or http://klobuchar.senate.gov/
Saxby Chambliss (GA): 202-224-3521or http://chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm
Richard Lugar (Indiana): 202-224-4814 or http://lugar.senate.gov/
Thad Cochran (Mississippi): 202-224-5054 or http://cochran.senate.gov/
Mitch McConnell (KY): 202-224-2541 or http://mcconnell.senate.gov/
Pat Roberts (KS): 202-224-4774 or http://roberts.senate.gov/public/
Lindsey Graham (South Carolina): 202-224-5972 or http://lgraham.senate.gov/
Norm Coleman, MN: 202-224-5641 or http://coleman.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=News.AudioVideo
Mike Crapo (Idaho): 202-224-6142 or http://crapo.senate.gov/
John Thune, South Dakota: 202-224-2321 or 1-866-850-3855 (toll Free) or http://thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.DCOffice
Charles Grassley (IA): 202-224-3744 or http://grassley.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Offices
Dianne Feinstein (CA): 202-224-3841 or http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/
Add Comment8 Comments
Thanks for the info. I've reposted it a couple places (including my <a href="http://zandperl.livejournal.com/440493.html">personal blog</a>) along with a model letter.
zandperl December 28th, 2007 12:20:00 PM
Hmmm, I find it interesting that Ted Kennedy didn't make it to the list. That isn't neccessarily a good thing, I just have to wonder where he stands on the issue.
As a person that owns lots of exotics, I do agree though. Avian medicine here isn't too bad, but trying to get a chinchilla treated for something is enough to make a person's head spin as most vets don't know anything about them which I think is a contributing factor of why these types of issues get put on a shelf and left to collect dust. Just mention the word "exotics" to some of these vets and they start to climb the walls like a feral cat.
Ferrets are the same way, even though things have improved greatly on that front. There is still plenty of arguements to be had over what vaccines they should or should not be given beyond a yearly rabies vaccine because nobody can say for fact what causes the liver disease that usually shows up when the animal reaches between 4-7 years of age. Many argue that it's purely a dietary issue, while others sayit's vaccines.
When a exotic pet owner is really stuck, they can always make the trip to Angel Memorial, but in my experience, while they have some excellent vets there, they're don't have a pleasant bed side manner. It's more like bringing a pet into a "factory" where they help animals.
I dumped almost $3,000 into having bladder stones from one of my chinchillas and didn't even get a sympathy card in the mail when he was put down a few weeks later as the stones returned and I couldn't put him through another surgery. The first sugery left him with heart problems and other issues and it just wasn't humane to have him go through it all over again. The vet that did the surgery knew what happened as my vet was in contact with her when I brought him home so we could handle his issues from closer to home instead of trotting off to Boston on a weekly basis.
Stacy December 28th, 2007 05:27:00 PM
Stacy: Sadly, many referral vets aren't know for their bedside manner. It's inevitable, though, when you select for the best and brightest with a process designed to find the star academician types that the bedside manner thing gets much less attention in their training. Referral hospitals also aren't known for their excess of compassion for this, among other reasons. Consider, however, that you are getting lots of excellent know-how from the tops in their field--especially at places like Angell.
Dr. Patty Khuly December 29th, 2007 07:51:00 AM
I've been taking my ferrets to Angell Memorial for years and have long term relationships with the exotics vets there--I've always been very happy with the care and treatment both me and my ferrets have received. We love the exotics techs, too. I don't know how extensive your experience is there, but everybody has a bad day once in a while, vets being no exception. I don't mean to stir up controversy here, just wanted to speak up for some vets of whom I think very highly.
I have only received one sympathy card after the loss of a ferret at Angell, but I don't really expect it. It's been clear to me at the time of the loss of each ferret that the vet sympathizes; I'd rather the vet spent her time on current, live patients.
Regina January 2nd, 2008 11:15:00 AM
I only went there once and won't do it again unless I have to. Much like VCA who I cannot stand.
I'm not a fan of the "factory" setting and their stand-offish attitude. I have a few hospitals around that handle exotics to pick from and know the vets that handle them, so it's rare that it's suggested that I bring somebody to Angel.
The one time I had to go was because nobody local knew how to go about removing bladder stones from a chinchilla. The only good thing that came from it was that I found out that diets made for pregnant chinchillas should not be fed to non-pregnant or male chins. These diets have way too much calcium in them which is what was believed to cause the bladder stones to begin with.
Shakespeare my black velvet chinchilla has been kept off of these "across the board" diets and I haven't any problems with bladder stones or otherwise and he'll be 5 or 6 this year.
Stacy January 4th, 2008 06:23:00 AM
In 1981, ed hardy and his wife formed Hardy Marks Publications. In 2004, Christian Bale licensed the rights to produce the high-end Ed Hardy UK line, which is based on Hardy's imagery. Prior to the ed hardy clothing line, Bale was the Head Designer at Von Dutch Originals, which marketed the imagery of Kenny Howard. Don ed hardy,commented, As demand for my artwork continues to skyrocket, I felt it was ed hardy clothing time to take on a partner that could help me manage the demand and opportunities for the ed hardy T-shirts name. Iconix is at the forefront of brand management and clearly has the capabilities to dramatically grow the Ed Hardy UK business. I'm thrilled to have them as a partner. Cheap Ed Hardy are located in everywhere. We also believe that by owning the brand alongside ed hardy clothing, the founder, there will be opportunities to further leverage his iconic name along with his new artwork. Largest selection of Ed Hardy T-Shirts and Ed Hardy here.
ed hardy sale October 26th, 2009 12:08:58 AM
links of london jewellery can buy them at an unbeatable price will enable you to show your best unaided from Linkslife at exceptional esteem. You will help more and preferred designs, for a longer time If you can effusive show beauty and charm of female, and be our buyer. We accord you action upfront. links of london charms will appreciate with us, and know their reserved, so jewelries are evermore the good contacts of female, and then lonely with the time goes by. Only the relations of London charms love bracelet will impress every woman, so We guess links of london bracelets Euro luxury Dome Charm Charms Euro luxury Small Sweetie Bracelet links of london sweetie bracelet – Euro luxury Famous and for all kinds of exqusite relatives links of london sale for your home. We resolute ourselves to own these funds at simple expend online. Buy links of london gem from Coolinks to collecting top-position aspect links of london ornaments for people who appreciate the following time. Now you are able to your special weakness. The best. London silvers offers all beautiful ladies. If the family of links of london bracelets thy wits may move, then the relations of london sugar armlet jewelries are definitely the best relations of female. So You will find it is a companion certainly who helps you posture out of the others and show you lone glamour.links london sale
Links of London October 27th, 2009 03:14:18 AM
Ugg boots are a style of [url=http://www.gouggs.com/ugg-bailey-button-c-10.html]sheepskin bootn [/url],with wool as the inner lining and a tanned outer surface worn by both men and women. [url=http://www.gouggs.com/ugg-cardy-boots-c-2.html]cardy ugg boots,UGG shoes boots [/url] often have a synthetic sole, although this is not universal. Uggs have been identified as a fashion trend for [url=http://www.gouggs.com/ugg-classic-mini-c-6.html]classic mini ugg,men UGG Short Boots [/url] and [url=http://www.gouggs.com/ugg-crochet-boots-c-8.html]Womens UGG Boots,crochet ugg boots [/url] since the early 2000s. In late 2008, [url=http://www.gouggs.com/ugg-lo-pro-button-c-11.html]Lo pro button boots[/url] grew again in popularity with men as male celebrities were seen in them.
GOUGGS November 4th, 2009 07:43:11 PM
Add Commment