RMB Newsletter Vol 3:2     Barbarous Veterinary Surgeons   May 2003

Dear Reader, The world’s pets pay a high price for the veterinary profession’s failings regarding the junk pet food scam. In Britain things are especially bad. Two national vet associations ignore or suppress the diet cruelty issue whilst maintaining their contacts with the junk food producers. Six university veterinary schools are tied to the companies by ‘sponsorships’ and ‘research’ money. A central regulatory body -- the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons -- monitors the whole septic mess, but does nothing to remedy it. This RMB Newsletter provides a brief snapshot of recent developments. Wishing you the best of health, Tom Lonsdale and the Raw Meaty Bones crew ========================================================================== Barbarous Veterinary Surgeons May 2003 ‘Promoting and sustaining confidence in veterinary medicine’ proclaims the slogan at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons website http://www.rcvs.org.uk Without a trace of irony they assert: ‘The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom and ensures that standards within the veterinary profession are maintained, safeguarding the health and welfare of animals and the interests of the public.’ Around 20,000 veterinary surgeons are registered with the RCVS -- it’s a requirement for vets wishing to practise in the UK and it’s called ‘being on the register’. The alternative is known as ‘being struck off the register’ and is the ultimate punishment the RCVS imposes on those it deems unfit to practise. Fear informs much veterinary thought and behaviour -- fear of being dragged before the RCVS and being ‘struck off’. At any time there are usually a few veterinarians being investigated by the RCVS. Oftentimes these are the hapless individuals with alcohol, health or other social problems that get caught up in the RCVS disciplinary machinery. Their alleged crime often being a single instance of purported error of judgment leading to an unwelcome outcome for a single animal. Sometimes it’s a dissatisfied client who lodges a complaint, sometimes a rival veterinary practitioner. When it comes to the mass poisoning of domestic pets by veterinary surgeons that promote and sell junk pet food, hitherto, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has done little or nothing -- despite their undertaking: ‘The RCVS is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the UK. Its role is: • To safeguard the health and welfare of animals committed to veterinary care through the regulation of the educational, ethical and clinical standards of the veterinary profession, thereby protecting the interests of those dependent on animals and assuring public health. • To act as an impartial source of informed opinion on animal health and welfare issues and their interaction with human health.’ For the past seven years I have stood as a candidate in RCVS elections -- in an attempt to draw attention to the junk-food hypocrisy and encourage the RCVS to reconsider its position and commission an independent committee of enquiry. Most years about 3,000 of the 20,000 veterinarians vote. And of those, about 10 per cent cast their vote in support of appropriate action by the RCVS. This year 298 registered veterinary surgeons supported the manifesto: ‘Pushers of poison or dispensers of medicine -- you choose.’ http://www.rawmeatybones.com/RCVS/RCVS2003.html Old-time barber-surgeons inflicted hurt and suffering on their patients -- suffering inflicted on patients, one at a time. Nowadays, I suggested: ‘Let's be honest, mainstream veterinary opinion and its supporting institutions pose considerable threat to the health and comfort of the world's pets. At all levels vets endorse, promote and sell artificial pet foods -- the source of so much disease and ill-health.’ When members of the public raise concerns about perceived, isolated instances of veterinary misconduct the RCVS investigates. When 298 qualified and registered veterinary surgeons perceive that serious misconduct is widespread, surely the Royal College has a duty to investigate? An open letter seeking an independent enquiry has been submitted to the journal of the British Veterinary Association: http://www.rawmeatybones.com/RCVS/vet_record.pdf The letter draws attention to the RCVS ratification of kidney transplantation in cats. http://www.rcvs.org.uk/vet_surgeons/pdf/advice/transplant_Mar03.pdf Some veterinarians expressed alarm at the apparent moral, ethical and legal implications of the RCVS ratification of kidney transplants from healthy donor cats for the questionable ‘benefit’ of sick, elderly animals. Prior to casting their votes some veterinarians sought to ascertain the candidates' views. I responded: ‘On the evidence available to me I am strongly opposed to kidney transplantation. Given that most cases of feline kidney disease appear to derive from an unsuitable diet (and the periodontal disease so arising) then subjecting cats to kidney transplantation amounts to one of the worst excesses of the pet food cult.’ For many years the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has downplayed or ignored the devastating effect processed pet foods exert on the oral and overall health of pets. But lest I be accused of bias, perhaps we should leave the last word to Waltham, the division of the Mars Corporation that makes the Pedigree line of junk food and claims to feed one third of the world’s pets. In a 2002 advertising piece, promoting their artificial bones, sent to 13,172 UK veterinary surgeons they suggest pets need to chew -- something their junk foods do not require -- in order to keep teeth clean and prevent the occurrence of gum disease. They recommend that animals should clean their teeth every day because: ‘Major health problems can start with gum disease. Dental problems are known to increase with age and are increasingly being linked to vital organ disease -- most notably kidneys and liver.’ ========================================================================== Raw Meaty Bones 2003 seminars Bookings are now being taken for UK talks. 14 June W Sussex (morning) 19 June Essex (evening) 22 June Rugeley, Staffordshire (all-day) 23 June Norwich (evening) Full details at www.rawmeatybones.com _____________________________________________________ USA July and August 2003 Evening at Emory Emory University Atlanta, Georgia USA Six week detailed course based on Raw Meaty Bones: Promote Health Course description • Using Raw Meaty Bones as a framework, the course will examine how clinical, scientific, social, political and economic factors have conspired to adversely affect pet health, the human economy and natural environment. • Existing and new information will be combined to show how a renaissance in medical scientific thinking is overdue. • Practical aspects of pet care and animal feeding and how to negotiate with veterinarians will be covered. Course booking details will be posted at www.rawmeatybones.com from second week of June – please book early. ___________________________________________________________ We welcome copies of correspondence/emails/faxes for possible inclusion in future RMB Newsletters. Please circulate, distribute or reproduce this newsletter as you wish. ___________________________________________________________ The Raw Meaty Bones Newsletter is published by: Tom Lonsdale Rivetco P/L PO Box 6096 Windsor Delivery Centre NSW 2756 Australia Phone: +61 2 4574 0537 Fax: +61 2 4574 0538 Email: rivetco@rawmeatybones.com Web: http://www.rawmeatybones.com To subscribe or unsubscribe go to: http://secureshop.rawmeatybones.com/newsletter