Wednesday, August 31, 2022
To: AWBI/VCI
Via email and online petition
Dear Sirs:
Subject: Request for PCA laws to be formally disseminated, institutionalized and signed off by all veterinarians
Our respect for our beloved vets who care & cure our animals is unquestioning. Sadly, we see a few bad vets are giving a the overall wonderful profession a bad name. While the PCA laws have become increasingly more wide an effective in preventing cruelty to animals, the focus seems to be primarily on citizens and government, rather than the august cohort of the veterinarians themselves. Whether it is at the veterinary college level or the vet associations like the VCI (or in our case the Karnataka Veterinary Association) the drilling down of what constitutes cruelty to animals and defining what the vets role is in actively preventing cruelty seems to be handled with a very casual touch. When the final bastion of compassion which are the hands on vets themselves, are not informed, are indifferent or unempowered on their role in cruelty prevention, it is a huge loss to the whole system and completely counterproductive to the joint efforts of the many stakeholders that are working so hard for the animals. There has been no decisive, directional efforts in this direction at all. Therefore it is incumbent that this issue is addressed immediately
This becomes extremely obvious in cases where:
vets actively discourage spay and neuter
encourage pet parents to have one litter of pups with without checking medical history
support breeders who are not registered under the SAWB
actively engage in stud and sale of pup litters
engage in specifically prohibited mutilation like docking of tails and cropping of ears.
breeding issue is particularly distasteful as veterinarians have a strong role to ensure that breeders are legal and follow all rules to the letter.
Vets do not report cases of cruelty – either from patients or where clients buy underage pups etc.
Our requests are as under:
1. ensure PCA in all its ramifications specifically dog breeding in marketing rules, pet shop rules case animal law and transportation be covered in detail in all veterinary graduate and postgraduate schools.
2. Professors and teachers specifically ensure a course on this it's taken up by NGO and young vets are required to intern as part of the study at and India
3. Vets given are a refresher or practical training by the VCI or Vet council of India or state chapter on the above so they are completely aware and informed on what might be an illegal act under PCA. Specific focus to be given to government vets who often have a private practice to ensure that not only today implement the rules but in sure those around are positively impacted as well
4. informal associations like the pet practitioners groups also sign clear commitment to follow these rules to the letter and ensure no cruelty laws are broken by themselves or their clients
5. any departure from these rules for example suggesting home breeding or assisting an illegal breeder et cetera should be escalated to the Vet council and appropriate action which may include warning, suspension pr debarment.
6. Vets should have to take yearly refresher courses on PCA and current developments on animal welfare be made mandatory for renewal of veterinary license. All vets with private practices to have mandatory posters on cruelty laws, adopt own shop and the benefits of neuter.
7. Have a whistle-blower policy so citizens can report such illegal activities
8. The SAWB to be the point of contact for all these interventions, and this be made part of the annual report.
We trust with this simple initiatives the primary issues of cruelty -given the vet as enabler, influencer & authority figure- will be hugely impacted and we will see a dramatic drop in such cruelty cases of illegal breeding, home breeding mutilation, dog shows and the like. We would request that these reactions of various an appropriate action be taken with a copy to US citizens so that we know that the efforts made by so many of the stakeholders are further reinforced by the influence and authority of our beloved vets via their associations via AWBI/SAWB, via academic institutions and the government.
