Pets are property in the eyes of the legal system
I was surprised at the story in the Herald-Tribune this morning on the woman who believes she should be able to sue a veterinarian for emotional distress due to the death of her dog. She claims a shot given by the vet caused her pet to have to be euthanized and made her other one very sick. You can read the story here.
The woman in the story was compensated by the drug company for costs, not emotional stress. I agree with that decision.
There are so many laws on the books now to try and protect animals with what can and cannot be done. Many are not enforced unless it is something blatant, witnessed by others and brought to the authority's attention. Even then it will depend on where in the country you live because the laws are so different.
Veterinarians are special doctors. They cannot talk to their patients and must depend on what they have learned and experienced during their career. There have been many drugs developed over the last few years which may be fine for most dogs, but could cause serious complications for others. The drug Rimadyl comes to mind. When it first came on the market, many dogs did not do well with it and now it is standard to use on dogs with few side effects.
Heartworm treatment for dogs is relatively new in the dog world. The old practice of giving dogs arsenic to kill the worms was the first treatment I remember and I actually had a dog named Bigfoot, who went through the treatment. It was hard on him and he got very sick. Of course, arsenic is a poison, so that was to be expected. Even now the standard Heartgard or Triheart or even Revolution carry the standard warnings. Of course, these are written on the instructions in each box. If some people were to read the warnings, they might choose not to give their dog heartworm treatment.
These are some things dogs can experience with treatment: depression/lethargy, vomiting, anorexia, diarrhea, mydirasis, ataxia, staggering, convulsions and hypersalivation. It also says some dogs, under study, are more sensitive to the ingredient ivermectin especially some collie breeds. Adverse reactions include those above and tremors, recumbancy, excitability, stupor, coma and death.
So, do you take the chance of giving your dog this highly poisonous drug and hope they fall within the range of not sensitive or do you take your chances on the dog getting heartworms in this mosquito-infested state? If your dog dies from the medicine do you have the right to sue the company. Yes, for the cost of the dog. Not for your emotional stress.
The woman in the story was compensated by the drug company for costs, not emotional stress. I agree with that decision.
There are so many laws on the books now to try and protect animals with what can and cannot be done. Many are not enforced unless it is something blatant, witnessed by others and brought to the authority's attention. Even then it will depend on where in the country you live because the laws are so different.
Veterinarians are special doctors. They cannot talk to their patients and must depend on what they have learned and experienced during their career. There have been many drugs developed over the last few years which may be fine for most dogs, but could cause serious complications for others. The drug Rimadyl comes to mind. When it first came on the market, many dogs did not do well with it and now it is standard to use on dogs with few side effects.
Heartworm treatment for dogs is relatively new in the dog world. The old practice of giving dogs arsenic to kill the worms was the first treatment I remember and I actually had a dog named Bigfoot, who went through the treatment. It was hard on him and he got very sick. Of course, arsenic is a poison, so that was to be expected. Even now the standard Heartgard or Triheart or even Revolution carry the standard warnings. Of course, these are written on the instructions in each box. If some people were to read the warnings, they might choose not to give their dog heartworm treatment.
These are some things dogs can experience with treatment: depression/lethargy, vomiting, anorexia, diarrhea, mydirasis, ataxia, staggering, convulsions and hypersalivation. It also says some dogs, under study, are more sensitive to the ingredient ivermectin especially some collie breeds. Adverse reactions include those above and tremors, recumbancy, excitability, stupor, coma and death.
So, do you take the chance of giving your dog this highly poisonous drug and hope they fall within the range of not sensitive or do you take your chances on the dog getting heartworms in this mosquito-infested state? If your dog dies from the medicine do you have the right to sue the company. Yes, for the cost of the dog. Not for your emotional stress.
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