Animal welfare and the dog and cat meat trade: WSAVA release position statement

Image: Dr Shane Ryan and Dr Melinda Merck, co-chairs of the WSAVA’s Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee, courtesy of WSAVA.

In Australia we don’t generally think of dogs and cats as sources of food, but in other parts of the world there is a long history of consumption of these animals.

But first, I want to reassure readers that this post will not go into any detail about the slaughter of these animals.

Those critical of the practice are often criticised for being discriminatory – after all, many critics eat equally sentient animals (I’ve personally opted out of this). Why are dogs and cats any different? This leads some to throw their hands in the air and ignore the problem.

However, the World Small AnimalVeterinary Association released a statement last month strongly opposing the dog and cat meat trade on welfare and other grounds.

The position statement was prepared by members of the WSAVA Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee. Importantly, it recognises cultural variation in attitudes to this issue, but raises very strong concerns about the welfare of dogs and cats throughout all stages of this trade.

The statement also highlights mounting qualitative and quantitative evidence regarding human health risks associated with this trade, including the transmission of rabies and other diseases.

Today I’d like to share the statement in full.

WSAVA POSITION STATEMENT ON THE DOG AND CAT MEAT TRADE

The farming and trade of dogs and cats for human consumption are arguably amongst the most significant and contentious of contemporary companion animal welfare issues, particularly in areas of Asia and Africa.

An estimated 25-30 million dogs and an unknown number of cats enter this meat trade annually.^[i],[ii]  Dogs and cats may be stolen (or purchased) from their owners, taken from the streets, or sourced from farms. These animals are frequently transported long distances and then inhumanely slaughtered.  Investigations have documented the severe cruelty inherent in all stages of the dog meat trade including sourcing, transport, sale, and slaughter.^1-[iii]

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) believes that dogs and cats are sentient beings and have the capacity to suffer. Whenever animals are under human care, their welfare must be ensured and their suffering prevented in every possible manner. We should always strive to ensure that the Five Freedoms ^[iv] are met:

1.     Freedom from hunger or thirst by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.

2.     Freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.

3.     Freedom from pain, injury or disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.

4.     Freedom to express normal behaviour by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind.

5.     Freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.

The dog and cat meat trade encourages the mass and unregulated movement of unvaccinated companion animals both domestically and internationally. There is mounting qualitative and quantitative evidence documenting the public health risk the trade poses, in addition to compromising regional rabies control efforts.^[v]  The trade, slaughter and consumption of dogs poses a risk to human health in the form of disease transmission, notably from rabies, ^[vi] but also from cholera and trichinellosis.^[vii],[viii] Studies have revealed substantial incidences of rabies-infected canine tissue in restaurants, slaughterhouses, and markets in areas where dog meat is prepared and sold.^[ix],[x]

Additionally, antimicrobial and other pharmaceutical / chemical residues are significant issues in dog meat. ^[xi] Dog meat rarely falls under food-hygiene or meat-sanitation laws and is not subject to controls at source nor testing before human consumption. This is therefore a veterinary public health concern, as well as a potential antimicrobial resistance issue. 

The WSAVA is sensitive to cultural variances and recognises that, while in western societies the consumption of dog or cat meat may be considered unacceptable, for other societies the consumption of dog or cat meat has not only economic but cultural and traditional significance.^[xii]  However, due to the many animal welfare and public health concerns, the WSAVA strongly discourages the consumption of and trade in dog and cat meat. Instead, it encourages rigorous enforcement of existing laws and supports new controls and regulations where current legislation does not exist aimed at banning what is typically an inhumane and dangerous practice.

WSAVA represents over 200,000 veterinarians around the globe. In 2018, WSAVA will introduce the first Global Welfare Guidelines for Companion Animal Practitioners in Singapore.

WSAVA AWWC co-chair Dr Shane Ryan added that while there are cultural sensitivities around the issue of eating dog and cat meat, “it is important for us to make a very clear statement of our position on the dog and cat meat trade. We have serious concerns, not only about the welfare of the animals involved but also about the potential health risks to the people who consume the meat. We are committed to working with our members, with veterinary professionals and with all other stakeholders to achieve positive change through education and consensus building.”

REFERENCES

^[i] Czajkowski, C.. Dog meat trade in South Korea: A report on the current state of the trade and efforts to eliminate it. Animal Law, 2014 21:29–63

^[ii] Humane Society International. Dog Meat Trade. http://www.hsi.org/issues/dog_meat/  Accessed Sept 3 2017

^[iii] The Guardian. Illegal wildlife trade: Dog-meat mafia fuels Thailand's canine trade – video. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2013/may/20/dog-meat-mafia-thailand-video. 
Accessed April 3 2016.

^[iv] Farm Animal Welfare Council / Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Committee. Five Freedoms.  http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121010012427/http://www.fawc.org.uk/freedoms.htm  Accessed Sept 3 2017.

^[v] Ekanem, E.E., Eyong, K.I., Philip-Ephraim, E.E., Eyong, M.E., Adams, E.B. and Asindi, A.A. Stray dog trade fuelled by dog meat consumption as a risk factor for rabies infection in Calabar, southern Nigeria. African Health Sci. 2013 Dec;13(4):1170-3. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v13i4.44.

^[vi] Wertheim, H.F., Nguyen, T.Q., Nguyen, K.A.T., de Jong, M.D., Taylor, W.R., Le, T.V., Nguyen, H.H., Nguyen, H.T., Farrar, J., Horby, P. and Nguyen, H.D.Furious rabies after an atypical exposure. PLoS Med. 2009 Mar 17;6(3):e44. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000044

^[vii] Anh, D.D., Lopez, A.L., Thiem, V.D., Grahek, S.L., Duong, T.N., Park, J.K., Kwon, H.J., Favorov, M., Hien, N.T. and Clemens, J.D. Use of oral cholera vaccines in an outbreak in Vietnam: a case control study. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2011 Jan 25;5(1):e1006. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001006.

^[viii] Cui, J. and Wang, Z.Q. Outbreaks of human trichinellosis caused by consumption of dog meat in China. Parasite. 2001 Jun;8(2 Suppl):S74-7.

^[ix] Mshelbwala, P.P., Ogunkoya, A.B. and Maikai, B.V. Detection of rabies antigen in the saliva and brains of apparently healthy dogs slaughtered for human consumption and its public health implications in Abia State, Nigeria. ISRN Vet Sci. 2013 Dec 12;2013:468043. doi: 10.1155/2013/468043. eCollection 2013

^[x] Song, M., Tang, Q., Wang, D.M., Mo, Z.J., Guo, S.H., Li, H., Tao, X.Y., Rupprecht, C.E., Feng, Z.J. and Liang, G.D. Epidemiological investigations of human rabies in China. BMC Infect Dis. 2009 Dec 21;9:210. doi: 10.1186/1471-2334-9-210.

^[xi] Lee, H.W. Dog Meat Production in Asia. Global Seminar on Animal Welfare. Proceedings: 33rd World Veterinary Congress. 2017:639-640

^[xii] Cawthorn, D-M., Hoffman, L.C.. Controversial cuisine: A global account of the demand, supply and acceptance of “unconventional” and “exotic” meats Meat Sci. 2016 Oct;120:19-36. doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2016.04.017. Epub 2016 Apr 21.

Dogs in hospitals, brain surgery and biosecurity

Have you ever had to have a prolonged stay in hospital?

I recently spent some time with a human family member in a hospital. The staff were wonderful, but hospitals aren’t fun places to be. For a start, the patient is usually feeling anxious about their condition. And that condition is usually making them feel sick, and/or painful. For another thing, the patient has had to leave all their responsibilities at home – including companion animals who they may be missing terribly. And hospital can be a lonely place.

Should dogs be allowed in hospitals? The Royal College of Nursing in the UK has argued that there is scope to allow trained dogs on certain wards, and author Michele Hanson agrees. Read more here.

We’ve been reading neurosurgeon Henry Marsh’s books, Do No Harm and Admissions, a fascinating and scary-but-can’t-look-away insight into the challenges and grave responsibilities of brain surgery. If you don’t have time to read the books, you can listen to his interview with RichardFiedler here.

Are you a veterinarian who treats backyard livestock (this includes chickens)? The NSW Department of Primary Industries, Animal Health Australia and the AVA have teamed up to create an online course, which includes information on protecting staff and clients from zoonoses and other risks, and information about working with Government vets in disease surveillance. The course is free of charge and is open to veterinarians. For instructions on how to enrol, visit this site.

Should veterinarians advise human patients about zoonoses?

Humans and animals can share diseases. Should they share doctors?

Should veterinarians play a formal role in advising human patients about zoonotic diseases? It’s an interesting question, addressed in a fascinating paper by Emeritus Professor Rick Speare and colleagues. Professor Speare is a veterinarian and medical doctor, and has worked with humans and non-human patients, so he has a fairly unique perspective. He’s also committed to ensuring that “OneHealth” isn’t just a buzzword.

Zoonotic diseases are those acquired by humans from non-human animals (for example, rabies may be transmitted from animals to humans in some circumstances, and dog bites remain a major source of rabies transmission in endemic countries). Humanoses are those diseases acquired by animals from human sources (for example, H1N1 influenza was spread from humans to pigs and poultry; Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been transmitted from humans to cattle). Some diseases travel both ways, so they’re both.

The argument the authors make in this paper is interesting. Previous surveys have established that, in general, doctors feel that vets know more about zoonoses – perhaps more in terms of how to reduce the risk of being exposed to the bugs that cause them and less about their treatment in human patients.

However, in the main – aside from a few exceptions (and they are around, for example a number of prominent veterinarians are involved with the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases) – doctors don’t talk to vets and vets don’t talk to doctors.

“The outcome is that the profession thought to be the most expert on zoonoses is not involved in the management of individual patients.”

The paper does not suggest that vets open our doors to non-human patients and start treating them (not that we don’t get the odd request, which is always politely redirected). But it does suggest that veterinary expertise could help in a number of ways:

• Vets could provide accurate, comprehensive information about the epidemiology of the disease a patient has, which may be useful in differentiating between human, animal or environmental sources of a disease (for example, ringworm in a patient);
• Vets could help evaluate specific risk factors for zoonotic disease exposure – for example advising animal caretakers how to decrease risks of infection of their animal with zoonotic diseases (for example, there has been a spike in cases of Brucella suis in pig hunters and their dogs in Northern New South Wales this year);
• Vets could advice on the management of affected animals, including vaccination strategies (for example, for leptospirosis in a dairy herd);
• Vets could provide advice to patients at increased risk of zoonotic disease or at increased risk of catastrophic effects from zoonoses – for example, people undergoing immunosuppressive treatment, those with an immunodeficiency disorder, or pregnant women.
• If vets and doctors worked together, it would be much easier to determine in the source of the infection or reinfection is the animal, the environment or human. The way I read the article was that the doctor would still be in charge of treating the human in the equation, but the veterinarian involved would treat (if required) affected animals and ensure that risks of further exposure or reinfection are minimised.

Professor Speare and colleagues analysed survey data and found that, in Queensland at least, the majority (79.8 per cent) of respondents would be willing to seek advice from a vet about zoonotic disease if their doctor recommended it. That proportion climbed to 90.7 per cent if the bill was funded by Medicare.

Is this a case of vets trying to encroach on medical turf? Not at all. Doctors in Australia refer to a range of allied health professionals and Medicare provides rebates if patients are referred to eligible providers (for example, dieticians, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, osteopaths and so forth).

The authors argue that, just as these allied health professions have expertise in their areas, “Veterinarians have multi-species training and experience and are more familiar than physicians in considering management strategies involving more than one species.”

Not all of my colleagues agree that this argument is compelling. Some feel that many veterinarians do not have the level of expertise and training around human patients that would be required. One colleague argued vehemently that a good infectious disease physician knows more than any vet OR doctor about zoonoses.

Certainly if such a model were adopted, and one could be referred to a veterinarian as PART of the management of a zoonotic disease, additional training of a select group of veterinarians would be required. Perhaps these veterinarians should undertake postgraduate training in public health (as many already do) or maybe they should be specialists.

Personally I think this is an idea worth exploring. As a veterinarian I am often asked for advice by clients about zoonoses in general, often because they have been misinformed. For example, I have counselled pet owners who have been advised to euthanase their cat if they are pregnant due to what their doctor believes is an unacceptably increased risk of catastrophic consequences from infection with Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy. Often the doctor involved does not realise that people are more likely to acquire the infection from other sources (unwashed fruit and vegetables, undercooked meat) and that the risks of feline transmission can be minimised by simple hand and litter tray hygiene.

I do give general advice about reducing risk of exposure when animals have an infection (for example, a kitten or puppy with ringworm). I always, always recommend that humans consult a doctor about medical issues that may affect them. But it would be helpful to establish a more formal path of communication between veterinarians and doctors.

Reference

Speare R, Mendez D, Judd J, Reid S, Tzipori S &Massey PD (2015) Willingness to consult a veterinarian on physician’s advicefor zoonotic diseases: a formal role for veterinarians in medicine? PLOS One DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0131406 August 3, 2015 1-8.

A brush with rabies

Rabies vaccines may not be accessible to all those who need them.

Rabies is a disease that is invariably fatal. It is also preventable. But an email from a colleague last week provides some insight into the challenges of rabies prevention in rabies endemic countries. She has given me permission to share it.

This colleague is volunteering in the South of Nepal with the Himalayan AnimalRescue Trust, an organisation that does important work by providing desexing and vaccination of dogs. This is important not just in terms of controlling dog overpopulation, but of reducing the spread of rabies. Unfortunately, dog bites are a very common route of transmission in rabies endemic countries.

She was bitten by a dog, as can occasionally happen even when the utmost care is taken. As with all of the volunteers, she has been vaccinated against rabies. Nonetheless, given the consequences of rabies infection are catastrophic, post-exposure vaccination is required. (In fact it is recommended that the wound be washed with soap under running water for at least 15 minutes – difficult in areas with limited water supply; then alcohol or povidone iodine applied to the wound before consulting the nearest doctor).

It was getting the vaccination that proved challenging, as she wrote:

One of the vet technicians was sent with me on the trek to find a rabies vaccine. This was really scary as we went to so many hospitals that didn't have any. The large government hospital closes at 2pm so we went to the emergency clinic. I really can't see the logic as the out of hours emergency had no access to vaccines. We were told if I came back the next day and went to the emergency ward tomorrow when the hospital was open then I probably could get a vaccination. What upset me was how difficult it was to find a vaccine. Nowhere we went did anyone offer to ring around and find where we might find one.  This is a 100% fatal disease if untreated.

Eventually she got the vaccination. In developed countries we are used to life-saving drugs being readily available – or at least rapidly sourced. But in countries where rabies is endemic, there may be barriers to access which ultimately mean that some people succumb to what is a preventable disease. 

At least in this case the dog bite victim was aware of how serious potential rabies exposure is, and how pressing the need to find a vaccine, and she persisted until she found the required treatment. Many dog bite victims are children and they don't appreciate how important it is to tell someone they've been bitten. Education is critical in this regard.

If you have not done so already, it’s worth completing the Rabies Educator Certificate via the Global Alliance forRabies Control website. It is free of charge, reasonably straightforward to complete, and it just might save a life. Click here to sign up.

Become a certified rabies educator and save lives

Rabies is a terrible disease, but it is preventable. Everyone can play a role in control of this terrible pathogen.

Do you know enough to save a life when it comes to rabies prevention? If not, you can change that in a matter of hours and it won't cost a cent.

According to the Global Alliance for Rabies Control, one person dies somewhere in the world due to rabies every ten minutes. There is no measure of the countless number of animal lives lost – either directly, due to infection with the virus, or indirectly due to rabies control measures (around 20 million dogs per year are killed to try to control rabies).

While we do not have rabies in Australia yet, a rabiesincursion would be devastating.

The virus is terrifying – once a person or animal develops clinical signs, they will almost invariably die. Effective post-exposure treatment is available, but people need to know it is out there. Many simply turn to traditional remedies or faith healers, or don’t seek help because they don’t appreciate the risks of exposure.

In the majority of countries where rabies occurs, the main vectors are dogs, but rabies can affect any mammal including livestock.

The Global Alliance for Rabies Control is offering a free online “Rabies Educator Certificate” for anyone (you don’t have to be a vet), in order to encourage more people to be able to spread the word about rabies. (Thanks to Bonny from Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities for the tip off).

The notes are very accessible – even to those without a veterinary or scientific background – and the five modules can be completed at your own pace.

The modules cover:

1. What is rabies and how is it transmitted to humans and animals?
2. How people can avoid dog bites and prevent rabies
3. Caring for companion animals
4. Understanding the role of a community educator in preventing dog bites and rabies
5. Communicating with people

If you happen to be interested in public health, infectious diseases and/or animal health, or if you plan to travel to a country where rabies occurs, this is an interesting and straightforward course. Once you pass the final assessment will receive a certificate. If you have done some study in veterinary science, animal health or public health you can potentially complete the entire course in around an hour.

To enrol in the course, visit here. 

You need to set up login and create a profile but this doesn’t take long. Then you can either complete the reading and quizzes online or download and print the reading, and complete the quizzes after that. Easy peasy.

How to manage epidemics and a better deal for greyhounds

Hero teases me from a height. Who says three legged cats can't somersault in the air and land in places you can't reach them?!

We’ve made it to the weekend folks, although it promises to be a busy one.

If you’ve not yet enrolled in the Coursera epidemics course, this might tempt you: the organisers have updated the course to include information about current infectious disease outbreaks including Ebola and MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome). You don’t have to be a vet or doctor to enrol – just willing to learn. (Why am I spruiking it? I think the more people are informed, the less they will react out of fear and the less the threat of infectious diseases = better world).

To enrol in the course (which is free), click here.

A better deal for greyhounds

Jeroen van Kernebeek, Australian Director of Grey2K USA Worldwide, this week delivered a petition to end greyhound racing to MP John Kaye. The petition, with 6,340 signatures, will be presented to NSW Premier Mike Baird.

Mr Baird is due to respond to the recommendations of a parliamentary inquiry this coming week.

Accompanying Jeroen was Nora from Greyhound Rescue and rescued Greyhound Millie (you can see photos of their visit here). Millie has a prosthesis

You can read the news story about Millie’s prosthesis here.

And for the ladies...

On another less serious note, for those of you into themed clothing (and in my view there is not enough of it), Black Milk Clothing is on the verge of releasing these outbreakleggings (perfect to wear whilst doing the epidemics MOOC).

I confess that I succumbed to temptation and purchased their puppy dress last month.

Collecting mozzies in the Alps

They may spread zoonotic diseases, but Italian mozzies hang out in classy places.

When I mentioned that I was popping overseas to catch mozzies in Italy, a few people rolled their eyes. “What kind of holiday is that?” “Why go all that way to catch mozzies?” Well, peeps, let me tell you. Italian mosquitoes hang in some pretty fine places (some of them also carry West Nile virus - a disease one really wants to avoid. More on that here).

Luca and Fabrizio with a car full of mosquito traps (mozzies are attracted by dry ice as it releases CO2).

Fabri places a mosquito trap at a pre-selected location.

And the best way to catch them, as it happens, is to sit quietly eating a margherita pizza and sipping Prosecco (alcohol is a vasodilator) in the Dolomites whilst a friendly entomologist stands by with a special miniature vacuum cleaner ready to suck the offending mosquito from one’s limbs the moment it lands. This is done for thirty minutes a sitting, three times in three hours. Along with my Italian colleague Dr Patrizia Danesi, I had the honour of being the bait, or the “human landing” as she calls it.

Fabrizio demonstrates the mosquito vacuum. We have great faith that this sucks faster than mozzies can bite.

Trying to explain this arrangement to locals when one does not speak Italian is something of a challenge. Our mosquito catching site was outside of an isolated cabin belonging to the Alpini Brigade – a branch of the Italian army specialising in mountain combat.

It happened that we were attempting to lure mozzies outside of an Alpini HQ on their meeting night. My Italian colleagues explained what we were up to, and there was much laughter. We were invited in for a coffee with home brewed grappa. Of course, when one’s vocabulary is so limited, one can only respond in the affirmative. One grappa coffee and several shots of home-brewed limoncello later, we still had not caught any mozzies. But we slept well!

Mozzies hang out here. Also a nice place for a quiet drink.

Today’s mission is to present a seminar on desexing dogs in remote communities in Australia. This is quite topical as the moment I landed in Italy it became very apparent that desexing is not routine. Let’s just say my eyes are trained to assess certain features of canine anatomy which are particularly prevalent here. I asked my hosts if there is a problem with overpopulation (especially in the light of this overabundance of gonads) and they replied in the affirmative.

The rules for the Dolomites are also a great way to brush up on useful Italian phrases
that you can drop into conversation.

So I am keen to learn more about population control over here. (If you’re interested in another perspective on birth control check out this post).