RMB Newsletter 9:4  UK Veterinary Scene

Dear Reader, A majority of vets, when speaking about pet carnivore diets, say industrial food from the factory is GOOD: nature’s version, based on raw meaty bones, is BAD. Any sane person knows that’s upside down, back to front nonsense, made the more so since it’s the collective view of so-called trained healthcare professionals. Why do the world’s vets promote the bad and resist the good? Could it be that vets and their institutions are tied up with the junk pet-food factory owners, indeed the whole junk pet-food industry? Does the first rule of medicine ‘first do no harm’ count for anything in the modern veterinary ‘profession’? No, not much, judging by the performance of the UK veterinary profession. In this newsletter we take a look at a few elements of the UK veterinary scene. I’ve included names and contact details in case you wish to address any concerns directly to the people involved. Long term, I suggest we need to be more militant in our dealings with the aberrant vet profession. This year in the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Council Elections, I stood on a platform encouraging legal action against prominent vets and their junk pet-food backers. 389 vets voted in favour. Do your best, truth must finally out. Cheers, Tom __________________________________________________________________________ Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association dirty work __________________________________________________________________________ Do you know any unscrupulous, ignorant or desperate vets willing to do the dirty work? There’s a job on offer (see ad below) at the UK Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association, the trade association for the junk pet-food industry. They currently represent 56 companies including the vet John Burns and barf suppliers Anglia Meat Products. http://www.pfma.org.uk/ Actually it might be good fun if a few thousand pet owners, genuinely knowledgeable about pet feeding, applied for the job. Please let us know if you get a response, interview appointment or are shortlisted. Good luck. ...................... (quote) 'Nutrition & Information Executive - Permanent London Posted Wednesday, 15 Jul 2009 Pet Food Manufacturers Association An exciting opportunity has come up to use your nutritional expertise working for the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association, joining our young, energetic team based in Central London. One of your main responsibilities will be running our Veterinary and Nutrition Committee. You will also be responsible for taking forward the PFMA pet obesity campaign, which was successfully launched this year. Other responsibilities include our IT strategy, publications, as well as co-ordinating the running of the PFMA offices. We are looking for someone with: • Excellent knowledge of pet nutrition • Experience dealing with pet obesity, possibly through running an obesity clinic • Well developed writing skills • Good communicator and team player • Excellent administrative and organisational skills • Experience of Word, PowerPoint and Excel Salary around £26,000 plus generous pension and health benefits How To Apply Please forward your application with CV and current remuneration to Michael Bellingham at michael@pfma.org.uk by Friday 7 August.' (end quote) __________________________________________________________________________ British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) Dog Food Study __________________________________________________________________________ As the name suggests the British Small Animal Veterinary Association is the small animal division of the British Veterinary Association. They have a long history of conspiring with the junk pet-food industry. Under the banner of Petsavers http://www.petsavers.org.uk/ the BSAVA produces publications and fronts ‘research’. See what they say about feeding your kitten: http://www.bsava.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=W%2fAzHxPm2Rk%3d&tabid=153 (quote) 'Growing kittens have specific nutritional requirements, and the simplest way to fulfil them is to buy a good quality complete diet from a reputable manufacturer. For the first few days after your kitten comes home, continue to feed the food she’s used to, to help prevent tummy upsets. Then you can gradually introduce a new food. Moist or dry? It’s up to you. However dried foods are more convenient to feed and help to keep your cat’s teeth free from a build up of tartar which can quickly lead to dental decay.' (end quote) Of course anyone with a modicum of knowledge knows that dental tartar is associated with rotten gums, not dental decay. But then the BSAVA has not been too concerned about either accuracy or empathy for their victims. See their ‘pull’em out and chuck’em away’ indifference to cats’ teeth when they say in their junk pet-food promotional booklet Scamps Diary: (quote) ‘Don’t worry if your vet says one or more of your cat’s teeth need to be removed. Cats’ gums are hard and tough, and even a toothless cat can eat crunchy dry food’. (end quote) Lest there be any doubt, similar misleading and false information is promulgated by these BSAVA ‘experts’ for puppies too: http://www.bsava.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ZxlLsfjh%2bhc%3d&tabid=153 (quote) ‘Dog foods are broadly divided into two kinds – dry and moist. Provided that you get the correct food for his age, the choice of the food for your puppy is down to you and your pet.’ (end quote) BVA, BSAVA, PFMA — it’s as if they are interlocked and interchangeable. Have a look at their policy brief condemning raw meaty bones: http://www.rawmeatybones.com/pol-brief.html Seeing their open hostility to raw meaty bones, it should come as no surprise that the BSAVA Pesavers are funding a researcher at Glasgow Veterinary School, Emily Courcier MRCVS, Resident in Small Animal Evidence Based Medicine , to investigate the bacteria found in excrement from dogs fed a raw meaty bones diet. If you’ve got a spare moment you might like to ask Ms Courcier what she knows about ‘evidence based medicine’ and why this interest in the excrement of raw meaty bones fed dogs? Do they wish to raise a stink about bacteria in dog poo in an attempt to distract from the disgusting stench of veterinary corruption. __________________________________________________________________________ Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Elections 2009 __________________________________________________________________________ In the March 2009 RMB Newsletter we talked about the discussion forums for vets, vet students and vet suppliers at www.vetsurgeon.org The full discussion (or lack of it) with the RCVS President and other establishment candidates can be found here: http://www.vetsurgeon.org/groups/rcvs-elections/forum/default.aspx (You need to be a vet, vet student or supplier to join this list.) During the several weeks of the campaign I posed six questions for the candidates to answer. Perfunctory answers were provided by three candidates to two of the questions. None of the sitting members of the RCVS Council replied to any question –- however they can never claim they did not know! You can find the six questions together with the manifesto calling for legal action against the junk pet-food collaborators here: http://www.rawmeatybones.com/RCVS/RCVS2009.php __________________________________________________________________________ RCVS Election Feedback __________________________________________________________________________ The RCVS asked for feedback on the discussions held on www.vetsurgeon.org forum. I replied as per the letter following. If you would like to add your voice then please contact the RCVS at: registrar@rcvs.org.uk or profcon@rcvs.org.uk. (quote) Hi Lizzie, Thanks for the opportunity to comment. In my view, the RCVS Council forum was most definitely an improvement on previous years. Hustings ought to be a fundamental part of any democratic election process -- free from interference by the establishment and the moderators. Whether a 'democratic process' is the best way to provide regulators for the profession is a question upon which I've written previously. http://secureshop.rawmeatybones.com/newsletter/view.epl?id=29 http://secureshop.rawmeatybones.com/newsletter/view.epl?id=30 http://secureshop.rawmeatybones.com/newsletter/view.epl?id=31 http://secureshop.rawmeatybones.com/newsletter/view.epl?id=34 http://secureshop.rawmeatybones.com/newsletter/view.epl?id=35 http://secureshop.rawmeatybones.com/newsletter/view.epl?id=51 As can be seen from the debate or absence of debate on vetsurgeon.org and the RMB Newsletter links (above) that the profession at large and the candidates are woefully ignorant of the issues. (Some are arguably incompetent and corrupt.) As part of my 18 year long brief, I attempted to place information on the record -- that being the least I could do in a hostile, uncomprehending environment. As you know I stood on a platform recommending legal action against veterinary and pet food authorities. I believe that taking elements of my manifesto together with the discussions on vetsurgeon.org we can safely assume that the veterinary authorities have been put on notice. It may take time before these issues are finally actioned through the courts, however it will not be possible to deny the historical record. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/RCVS/RCVS2009.php Whether the courts use this information to arrive at their verdicts and whether this information assists the courts in arriving at penalties remains to be seen. For my part, although the election forum was time consuming and taxing, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the profession and the wider community. Next year, I hope that you will continue this forum. Improvements could be made whereby all 40 existing councillors as well as the candidates could be encouraged to attend. In the meantime, I trust that the RCVS Council will take note that 389 veterinary surgeons effectively lodged a complaint about massive corruption within our profession; that the RCVS is itself heavily implicated and that the RCVS should take urgent steps to resolve the issues. Best wishes, Tom (end quote) __________________________________________________________________________ Translations __________________________________________________________________________ Have you noticed the array of brightly coloured flags at the bottom of the Raw Meaty Bones home page? www.rawmeatybones.com Behind the flags is a story of countless hours of hard work by selfless volunteers who’ve translated Work Wonders and other documents. It goes without saying that the translators are busy people, but they still found time for this project and I am most grateful. Thousands of pet owners now can access RMB information. Besides, if you want to learn another language, then here’s an opportunity to read the English in tandem with German, French, Chinese etc. There’s scope for more translations. Japanese is missing as is Italian. If you can translate into either of those languages or any other language and wish to give it a try please let me know. Perhaps the main two translations needed are the secret languages of ‘Vetspeak’ and ‘Bureaucratese’. Try as we might vets and bureaucrats fail to understand plain English or for that matter any other language spoken by ordinary people. Any help, any suggestions, gratefully received. (BTW, exceptional vets Dr André Wassen translated the French, Dr Hanni Wienkoop translated the Finnish and vet student Sylvia Angélico translated the Portuguese.) __________________________________________________________________________ Raw Meaty Bones Seminars www.rawmeatybones.com/latestnews.php _________________________________________________________________________ Q & A 14-16 September 2009 In 2006 my wife and I enjoyed superb hospitality in Holland and Belgium. As part of that tour the organisers of Forum Natuurlijke Voeding conducted a Q & A. In September there’s to be another Q & A. Marieke who is running the show comments: ‘The discussion list has the option to choose English as a language, the only thing is that they will not be able to read all the other topics and postings. But they can always ask questions in English, it might be fun to compare what kind of meat we feed and what kind of meat people from different parts of the world feed!’ Registration: http://natuurlijkevoeding.yourbb.nl/ucp.php?mode=register ‘Tom Lonsdale’s Corner’: http://natuurlijkevoeding.yourbb.nl/viewforum.php?f=23 ........................ Ferret Health Symposium, Sydney 26-27 September Last year International Ferret Congress, Australia held the inaugural Ferret Health Symposium in Melbourne, Australia. I was fortunate to spend a weekend with a group of dedicated, educated ferret owners ably led by Shirley Hewett and Shona Whaite. This year the Symposium moves to Sydney on the weekend 26-27 September and I’m doubly fortunate to be speaking again. For anyone interested in ferret health -- indeed domestic carnivore health – I reckon that you will have a good time and gain new inspiration. .......................... RMB Seminar, 31 October 2009 How about an Australian holiday, and for Aussies how about a trip to NSW for the Raw Meaty Bones seminar to be held on Saturday 31 October 2009? Time 11.00 am to 4.00 pm Venue: Kemblawarra Portuguese Sports and Social Club Shellharbour Road, Kemblawarra N.S.W 2505 Contact Beryl Ackroyd for details. (Illawarra and Districts Sport Dog Association) Email: Tel: (02) 4236 0500 Watch this space for details: www.rawmeatybones.com/latestnews.php __________________________________________________________________________ STOP PRESS: Tidal wave of vomit http://www.live-pr.com/en/print1048307253.htm __________________________________________________________________________ There’s a tidal wave of vomit/puke/barf coming your way according to a new report on the spread of junk raw pet food throughout North America. They say: (quote) ‘Consumer demand for fresh pet food is on the rise, helped along by innovative new products based on technological advances and convenience features, frequent overlap into the high-growth natural/organic segment, heightened food safety concerns stemming from the sweeping pet food recalls of spring 2007, and the mobilization of the raw/frozen pet food market via the formation of two industry groups: The North American Raw Petfood Association and the Canadian Association of Raw Pet Food Manufacturers.’ (end quote) Ominously they describe: ‘Competitive trends and forecasted market entry of mainstream major pet food players.’ OK, so it may be a good thing that cooked junk food is facing a challenge. Although it’s basically an opportunity for Mars, Nestle, Colgate and Proctor and Gamble to enter the puke production business at a time of their choosing. And you can bet the lapdog vet schools and vets will do as they’re told and promote their handlers’ ‘new best ever puke diet’. But to me, it’s all a travesty that need not be. In the early 1990s the Raw Meaty Bones campaign set the standard, promoting the essential three components of a coherent strategy for health. http://secureshop.rawmeatybones.com/newsletter/view.epl?id=44 Barfer Billinghurst, as long-time readers know, misappropriated key elements of the RMB strategy to launch his Altered Reality Fantasy Diet. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/petowners/whynotBARF.php After some years, some Barfers seeing the absurdity of their position plagiarised even more Raw Meaty Bones information and set themselves up as self-proclaimed experts. They renamed themselves Prey Modellers and whilst they do espouse much Raw Meaty Bones theory they retain their Barfer obsession with ingredients. The Prey Model cult being especially keen on some mad formula of 80% meat, 10% offal and 10% bone in the dog’s bowl. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/pdf/RawVet%20Prey%20Model%2006.pdf What have the world’s pets done to deserve this combined assault by cooked junk food makers, Barfers and Prey Modellers? Is there any high ground that pets and concerned owners can occupy until the tidal wave recedes? Possibly there is and I suggest a good start would be to seek sanctuary at www.rawmeatybones.com Until next time try to stay afloat and keep cheerful. Tom _________________________________________________________________________ We welcome copies of correspondence/emails/faxes for possible inclusion in future RMB Newsletters. Please circulate, distribute or reproduce this newsletter as you wish. ....................................................... 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