Animal Welfare: Companion Animals
Featured Topic: Service, Emotional Support and Therapy Animals
Animals play important roles assisting people with disabilities and in therapeutic activities, and AVMA policies provide professional guidance related to service and support animals. While most people are aware of the role of service animals such as guide dogs, other types of assistance animals may be less familiar, including emotional support animals.
It is important for veterinarians to actively support the appropriate use of assistance animals and promote the development of anti-fraud initiatives that do not place an undue burden on people using these animals in their intended roles. A newly released AVMA peer-reviewed report, Assistance Animals: Rights of Access and the Problem of Fraud, provides important background on this issue. Additionally, at its July 2017 meeting, the AVMA House of Delegates approved a new policy on the Veterinarian’s Role in Supporting Appropriate Selection and Use of Service, Assistance and Therapy Animals.
Preventing pet reproduction is part of responsible pet ownership, and gonadectomy remains a vital component of pet population control. Gonadectomy is the most common surgical procedure performed on pets and reduces undesirable mating behaviors. But research studies over the past few years have reported that while gonadectomy reduces the risk of some cancers and medical conditions, it may increase the risk of others.
As our thinking on gonadectomy evolves, honest and transparent conversations must take place within the profession as well as between veterinarians and pet owners. In order to facilitate that discussion, AVMA has developed spay/neuter resources to help veterinarians sort through the many factors involved in these decisions for canine and feline patients.
