Veterinary Technology
Selected resources available through UMass and 5 Colleges for Students in the Mount Ida Vet Tech Program or other Animal and Biological Sciences programs at UMass Amherst. Resources include topical selections, general information, and career materials.
Websites
- AVMA Animal Welfare Discover practical AVMA tools and programs that support veterinarians in caring for animals. Learn about the role of veterinarians in protecting animal health and welfare.
- CQ Researcher Animal Rights 2010 Report The intensifying clash between animal-welfare advocates and animal-using industries heated up last year when President Obama tapped Harvard law professor Cass R. Sunstein to oversee federal regulations for American citizens and businesses.
- CQ Researcher Factory Farms 2007 Report Most U.S. meat, poultry, eggs and milk come from so-called factory farms or CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations), where thousands of animals are confined indoors. While they efficiently produce abundant supplies of affordable food, CAFOs also raise questions about animal welfare, public health and environmental degradation.
- USDA Animal Care Animal Care works to ensure the humane treatment of more than 1 million vulnerable animals, nationwide. Through inspections and outreach, we oversee thousands of groups, from breeders to managers of horse shows, to make sure their animals receive care and treatment that meets Federal standards. We also provide national leadership on the safety and well-being of pets and other animals during disasters.
- Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) The Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) was established in 1986 as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Agricultural Library (NAL) in Beltsville, Maryland. As a library service, AWIC provides information, products and services related to the improved care and use of animals in research, testing, and teaching as described in the Animal Welfare Act.
eBooks
Animal Ethics for Veterinarians by
Veterinarians serve on the front lines working to prevent animal suffering and abuse. For centuries, their compassion and expertise have improved the quality of life and death for animals in their care. However, modern interest in animal rights has led more and more people to ask questions about the ethical considerations that lie behind common veterinary practices. This Common Threads volume, drawn from articles originally published in the Journal of Animal Ethics (JAE), offers veterinarians and other interested readers a primer on key issues in the field.
ISBN: 0252050207Publication Date: 2017
Animal Welfare: select issues and management considerations by
This book addresses select issues and management considerations relating to animal welfare. Topics discussed in this compilation include the background and legislation of the Animal Welfare Act; the International Whaling Convention (IWC) and legal issues concerning aboriginal rights; issues addressing the humane treatment of farm animals; table egg production and hen welfare; horse slaughter prevention bills and issues; and management of wild horses and burros.
ISBN: 9781626183759Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Animal Welfare: competing conceptions and their ethical implications by
Members of the "animal welfare science community", which includes both scientists and philosophers, have illegitimately appropriated the concept of animal welfare by claiming to have given a scientific account of it that is more objectively valid than the more "sentimental" account given by animal liberationists. This strategy has been used to argue for merely limited reform in the use of animals. This strategy was initially employed as a way of "sympathetically" responding to the abolitionist claims of anti-vivisectionists, who objected to the use of animals in research. It was subsequently used by farm animal scientists.The primarily reformist (as opposed to abolitionist) goals of this community make the false assumption that there are conditions under which animals may be raised and slaughtered for food or used as models in scientific research that are ethically acceptable. The tendency of the animal welfare science community is to accept this assumption as their framework of inquiry, and thus to discount certain practices as harmful to the interests of the animals that they affect. For example, animal welfare is conceptualized is such a way that death does not count as harmful to the interests of animal, nor prolonged life a benefit.
ISBN: 9781402086199Publication Date: 2008-07-27
Exploring the Gray Zone by
Veterinary technicians face difficult situations on a daily basis. They dedicate their lives to aiding in the treatment of animals and relieving suffering, serving as each patient's main advocate and caretaker. The veterinary technician holds a unique role in patient care. Acting as the intermediary between the veterinarian prescribing treatment and the patient, they play a large part in the communication and education of clients. Veterinary technicians have greatly expanded their roles and find themselves not only an integral part of veterinary practice, but in research institutions, animal shelters, and universities as well.This text explores difficult situations veterinary technicians face on a daily basis through the use of case examples and dialogue. Each case scenario describes a real-life situation for a veterinary technician, poses thought-provoking questions, and provides commentary that focuses on the legal aspect of the scenario, the social or personal ethics of the parties involved, and/or the welfare of the animal (s). The case scenarios encompass clinical situations in a practice setting as well as situations involving business ethics and interpersonal relationships between colleagues.The case format of the book lends itself to discussion and can be utilized in veterinary technology courses that focus on ethics, communications, management, and leadership. The real-life case examples make the book an enjoyable read for practicing veterinary technicians as well. There currently are over two hundred veterinary technology programs and thousands of practicing veterinary technicians within the United States and Canada.
ISBN: 9781612494623Publication Date: 2016-08-15
Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals by
Arranging the transportation of animals at research facilities is often an ordeal. There is a confusing patchwork of local, national, and international regulations; a perceived lack of high-quality shipping services; a dearth of science-based good practices; and a lack of biosafety standards. It’s a challenge —and an impediment to biomedical research. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals identifies the current problems encountered in the transportation of research animals and offers recommendations aimed at local and federal officials to rectify these problems. This book also includes a set of good practices based on the extensive body of literature on transportation of agricultural animals, universal concepts of physiology, and a scientific understanding of species-specific needs and differences.
Call Number: SF406.7 .G85 2006ISBN: 0309101107Publication Date: 2006
Not So Different: finding human nature in animals by
The biologist Nathan H. Lents shows that humans and animals are not as different as once believed: the same evolutionary forces of cooperation and competition have shaped both human and animal behavior. He describes the strides scientists have made in decoding animal behavior to explain that we are distinguished only in degree, not in kind.
ISBN: 0231541759Publication Date: 2016-05-17
Sustaining Innovation in Compassionate Free-Roaming Cat Management Across the Globe: A Decadal Reappraisal of the Practice and Promise of TNVR by
A decade ago, Sheilah Robertson, in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, recognized that there was a clear, evolutionary trend in global thinking and advocacy about free-roaming cat management, moving away from lethal culling to relocation and to TNVR (trap-neuter-vaccinate-return). Robertson argued, however, that while in some local circumstances the available data “support the success of TNR in reducing cat populations….to have a large impact it will have to be adopted on a far greater scale than it is currently practiced.” In the period intervening, advocacy of TNVR has remained strong particularly, but not exclusively, among local, national and international animal welfare NGOs, and in developed countries. However, there is some evidence, that in countries where free-roaming cats pose a substantial threat to native species, a reversion to lethal culling and perhaps even to the complete extermination of free-roaming cats is being seriously contemplated as a matter of national policy. Promoting such a policy appears to ignore the potential for effective TNVR activities and it fails to account for public sentiment in favor of a more compassionate approach. Further, experience in the developing world still appears to be essentially tabula rasa.
The time is ripe to (re)assess what we have learned about TNVR in the decade since Robertson published her review. What does the latest and most reliable research and intelligence tell us about the viability and success of TNVR, and its variants, in various parts of the world, as we look toward a brighter and more humane future for free-roaming cats? How do we promote compassionate free-roaming cat management not just in the developed world but in developing countries, too? What has been done and what can be done at both the community and national levels to strengthen the origination and long-term sustainability of TNVR? And what changes have occurred in the way veterinarians, and veterinary educators, and veterinary associations perceive, teach, and practice TNVR?
ISBN: 9782889632718Publication Date: 2019
Understanding Animal Welfare by
"This is a delightful book, full of interesting aspects of animal welfare. An excellent guide to the academic study of animal welfare science." --Marian Stamp Dawkins, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford Understanding Animal Welfare: The Science in its Cultural Context takes a completely fresh and thought-provoking approach. It is essential reading for anyone interested, studying or currently working in the fascinating field of animal welfare science. David Fraser places modern-day welfare issues within their historical framework by tracing the evolving ideas that led to current thinking. He also highlights some intriguing issues relating to the contradiction inherent in the term 'animal welfare science' and the practical problem of how to assess emotional states in animals. Special features: Encompasses ideas from a variety of disciplines to give a broad perspective of the topic. Discusses methods of measuring animal welfare and their strengths and limitations. Examines contemporary debates and applications of the science to policy issues. "... an impressive historical narrative of the genesis and growth of animal welfare as a scientific discipline.... The book will be invaluable for anyone involved with animal welfare issues on an academic level or those involved with the integration of these principles into current care and handling issues facing agriculture, companion, laboratory, wild, or zoo animals." --Carolyn L. Stull, PhD, Veterinary Medicine Extension, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis "Fraser offers insights only possible from someone with his considerable experience and understanding." --Dr. Chris Sherwin, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol This book is part of the UFAW/Wiley-Blackwell Animal Welfare Book Series. This major series of books produced in collaboration between UFAW (The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare), and Wiley-Blackwell provides an authoritative source of information on worldwide developments, current thinking and best practice in the field of animal welfare science and technology. For details of all of the titles in the series see www.wiley.com/go/ufaw.
ISBN: 9781444309485Publication Date: 2009-03-16
Welfare of the Laying Hen by
The welfare of egg-producing poultry is a topic of great concern to the poultry industry and to researchers in applied animal behaviour. It is also subject to increased legislation. Issues such as battery cages, space requirements, access to daylight and ''free-range'' eggs have attracted public interest.
ISBN: 9780851990361Publication Date: 2004-01-01
Print resources available through UMass Amherst
Animal Welfare by
Awareness of the use of animals in human society in fields such as farming, biotechnology and sport is dogged by the lack of a clear and objective exposition of the issues involved and a sense of possible conflict between human and animal welfare. This text addresses these dilemmas - what is the actual scale of the animal welfare problem; where does responsibility begin; what positive steps are actually being taken to alleviate animal suffering; and can a rational and compelling argument be given for the importance of animal welfare. It therefore aims to offer a comprehensive guide to the uninformed as well as those who have knowledge of the issues but lack conviction.
Call Number: HV4708 .S626 2000ISBN: 9781853836725Publication Date: 2000-04-01
An Introduction to Veterinary Medical Ethics by
One of the most difficult issues that confronts veterinarians andstaff today concerns the profession?s obligation to theanimal and the sometimes conflicting demands from clients, peersand society. The veterinarian?s role has become more complexwith new ethical challenges posed by issues such as growing publicawareness regarding animal welfare, increasing economic value ofcompanion animals, growth of veterinary specialization,experimentation with alternative and complementary medicine, andconcern for pain management and mental well-being of animals. Written by an acknowledged pioneer in veterinary ethics, AnIntroduction to Veterinary Medical Ethics addresses the ethicalchallenges that veterinarians face daily as they seek to balanceobligations to animal, client, peers, society and self. The bookoffers a highly readable and approachable introduction to thenature of ethical theory, reasoning and decision-making, and itspractical application to veterinary medicine. Now with over 100real-life veterinary case histories and analysis, this edition alsoincludes new discussions of animal pain, distress and happiness,ethics of critical care, alternative medicine, legal status andvalue of animals, and Aesculapian authority. An Introduction to Veterinary Medical Ethics: Theory andCases, Second Edition is recommended as essential reading forall veterinary students and practitioners, as well as thoseinterested in general animal welfare. New edition from an acknowledged pioneer in veterinaryethics Addresses ethical challenges that veterinary medicine, withover 100 real-life cases Includes new discussion of legal status and value of animals,alternative medicine, Aesculapian authority, ethics and criticalcare, and animal pain, distress and happiness Ideal for veterinary students and practitioners
Call Number: SF756.39 .R65 2006ISBN: 9780813803999Publication Date: 2006-07-10
Veterinary Ethics by
In the past few years the long-held concern with animal welfare in Britain has combined with an increased insterest in professional ethics. The book is the product of this concern, filling a gap in publications in both the UK and the US. There is evidence of the highest ethical obligations being placed on veterinarians; for example, The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' declaration for joining members and their Guide to Professional Conduct. This book will give veterinarians a starting point to frame clear opinions on how to deal with the ethical dilemmas they face each day.
Call Number: SF756.39 .V47 2000ISBN: 9780826447845Publication Date: 2000-06-27
