Veterinary Medicine - February 2008 - (Page 74) The Veterinary Medicine Interview Advances come from people who do not accept the norm. What part of your work do you enjoy most? The work I do on animal cruelty cases. It is challenging to figure out these puzzles; each case is different. And working with the investigators and prosecutors is always interesting. The casework is satisfying because I am giving the animal a voice. York area. In addition, it will have a research center, forensics lab, and education facility. This will bring together the world’s biggest and brightest minds to advance veterinary forensics, animal cruelty investigations, and prosecutions. What do you consider the greatest threat to the profession? Complacency. Advances in animal medicine and welfare come from people who do not accept the norm and push to discover new solutions. If everyone did this, we could see awesome changes for the betterment of our profession. How did you help with the Michael Vick case and how has this case changed the arena of animal cruelty? I assisted with the excavation of the remains from the graves on the property and performed the examination of the remains. I think the high-profile nature of this case has had a positive impact on animal welfare and cruelty investigations. It has raised the public’s awareness of not only dog fighting but all types of cruelty. It also has had an impact on law enforcement in demonstrating the link between animal cruelty and other types of crimes. What changes in veterinary medicine do you hope will occur in the next 100 years? Mandatory reporting of suspected animal cruelty cases by all states, which is what is required of our human medicine counterparts. We should see this in the next few years, not 100. In 100 years, we will see more specialized fields of veterinary medicine, including forensics. What should veterinarians do if they suspect animal abuse? If a veterinarian suspects animal abuse, he or she should report it to the proper authorities. It is imperative that the veterinarian know ahead of time who to report to and have a protocol within the practice of how to handle these cases. The worst thing we could do is fail to report and allow possible abuse to continue. What are the greatest achievements of your career so far? Starting a feline practice that tried to serve the needs of all owned and unwanted cats, and pioneering the field of veterinary forensics to enable others to help victims of abuse. What makes a good veterinarian? I think all veterinarians should strive to be great veterinarians. A great veterinarian is thorough, avoids tunnel vision, and strives for perfection. Because we hold animals’ lives in our hands, it is imperative that we strive to practice perfect medicine; mistakes can be fatal. What can you tell us about the ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Institute? The Anti-Cruelty Institute is scheduled to open in New York City in 2010. The institute will be dedicated exclusively to victims of animal cruelty in the New 74 February 2008 VETERINARY MEDICINE http://www.comfortis4dogs.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.