A definitive cause of illness has yet to be identified after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration completed testing of chicken jerky products after it received complaints of dog illnesses associated with consumption of the treats.   FDA released an update July 18, 2012 detailing results of sample testing of chicken jerky products. Testing showed adverse findings from Waggin Train and Dingo chicken jerky products, as well as from beef jerky treats manufactured by Del Monte Pet Products. However, the FDA says it has been unable to determine a definitive cause of the illnesses, or link the illnesses to a particular company, from the samples collected. The FDA sent inspectors to Chinese plants that make the jerky treats, but have not released inspection results.

New Jersey drivers can now face fines up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail for carrying an unrestrained pet in their vehicle.

Should working canines in the armed forces be classified as military "equipment"?

Legislation allowing veterinarians to work for non-veterinarians passed the Alabama State Senate with only three nay votes this week. The legislation will allow non-veterinarians to own and oversee nonprofit spay and neuter clinics in the state of Alabama. Under current Alabama law, each partner in a veterinary medicine partnership is required to be a licensed Alabama veterinarian. Under existing law, a licensed Alabama veterinarian is prohibited from practicing veterinary medicine as an employee of a person not licensed as a Alabama veterinarian. Alabama law also limits ownership of veterinary practices to licensed Alabama veterinarians. House Bill 156, however, will allow any veterinarian employed by a 501 (c) (3) to be exempt from employment and ownership restrictions. This means that veterinarians will be allowed to work for non-veterinarians in nonprofit spay and neuter clinics in Alabama. The bill was drafted as a response to efforts by the Alabama State Veterinary Medical Examiners Board (ASBVME) to shutter the state’s four spay and neuter clinics after closing one down last year. Members of the veterinary examiners board stated that the spay and neuter clinics, which they had inspected and approved on multiple occasions, provided substandard veterinary care.

California veterinarians are getting a mixed message from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regarding controlled drugs, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The AVMA says that veterinarians in the Sacramento area were recently contacted by the regional DEA office and asked to confirm that their DEA license was associated with a residence. At that time, veterinarians were also reminded that federal regulations prohibited them from carrying controlled drugs out of the location associated with their DEA registration. The AVMA says that according to the national DEA office, there has not been a change in the DEA’s interpretation or enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act. The review of registration applications in California appears to be the result of a regional office confirming that the applicant’s principal place of business was indeed a residential address, the AVMA said. Prohibiting veterinary practices from being allowed to transport controlled substances out of their DEA registration location would make it difficult for veterinarians to appropriately practice medicine.

Out-of-state veterinarians won’t be allowed to practice veterinary medicine free-of-charge in rural areas of Alaska after proposed legislation failed to pass committee in the Alaska State Legislature. The legislation represented the growing push in recent years to get medical care for animals and humans alike out in the rural Bush areas of Alaska. According to the bill sponsors, there were 350 veterinarians in Alaska as of Dec. 22, 2011. This number, sponsors say, is inadequate to handle the number of animals that Alaskans work with and keep in their homes. "As with many issues of health, there are numbers of Alaskans who rely on their animals and cannot always afford to send an animal for care or pay the overhead costs naturally included in services provided by veterinarians with established brick and mortar clinics," sponsors Rep. Alan Dick and Rep. Reggie Joule wrote. "Veterinarians provide a wide swath of services to animals and their owners and companions. From cancer to diabetes, eating disorders to wounds and infections, veterinarians see all manner of health care issues."

Nestle Purina Petcare Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are facing a class action lawsuit from a pet owner who says his 9-year-old Pomeranian died from eating chicken jerky treats. Illinois resident Dennis Adkins sued over Nestle Purina’s Waggin’ Train Yam Good dog treats after his canine companion Cleopatra became ill and died of kidney failure after consuming a Nestle Purina treat from Wal-Mart each day for three days. Adkins said he did not change anything about Cleopatra’s diet other than the addition of the treat. His other 9-year-old Pomeranian, Pharaoh, was not fed the treat and did not become ill. In the lawsuit, Adkins said he incurred more than $2,300 in damages, including the value of his dog and veterinary expenses. The lawsuit claims that Cleopatra died from eating chicken jerky treats that Nestle Purina and Wal-Mart both knew posed a substantial risk of illness or death.

California legislation that would have amended state code relating to the practice of teeth cleaning within veterinary medicine failed Tuesday without receiving a single affirmative vote. The legislation, which would have allowed non-veterinarians to use a scaler on pets’ teeth, died in the Assembly Business, Professions and Consumer Committee April 17, 2012. The legislation marks another chapter in the ongoing debate over veterinary dental care. Veterinarians currently hold the exclusive legal right to use a scaler on pet teeth and perform other dental procedures on animals. The bill proposed that non-veterinarians would be allowed to use nonmotorized instruments to remove calculus, soft deposits, plaque, or stains from an exposed area of a household pets tooth above the gum line, provided that the service is performed exclusively for cosmetic purposes and the person performing the service first obtains written permission from the person requesting the service. The bill would have exempted cosmetic teeth cleaning from classification as a "dental operation".

The Missouri state legislature is a step closer to approving a bill requiring pet owners to have their dogs and cats vaccinated against rabies.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials are on the ground in China, actively investigating complaints of canine illness associated with chicken jerky products imported from China. Anamaria Castiglia, DVM, veterinary medical officer with the FDA, told veterinarians at the AAHA Yearly Conference in Denver that the FDA is working to investigate the source of the illnesses. "We have some boots in China going to the firms to evaluate," Castiglia said. "It’s not a clear situation. It’s not clear at all." In 2011, the FDA saw an increase in the number of complaints it received of canine illnesses associated with consumption of chicken jerky products imported from China. Chicken jerky products have been on the FDA’s radar since 2007, when it issued a cautionary warning to consumers about the products. In 2008, the FDA issued a Preliminary Animal Health Notification, but complaints about the product began to drop off during the latter part of 2009 and most of 2010. Those complaints started to rise again in 2011, prompting the FDA to release another cautionary update about chicken jerky products imported from China. "This chicken jerky episode has really opened up our eyes and we’re being a lot more careful than in 2007," Castiglia said.