AVMA News

AVMA House of Delegates approves eight resolutions

The AVMA House of Delegates approved eight resolutions on Jan. 7 during its regular winter session, held in conjunction with the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference in Chicago.

The resolutions were all changes to Association policies that the AVMA Board of Directors referred to the HOD with recommendations for approval.

Dr. Stuart Brown, delegate for the American Association of Equine Practitioners, introduces a resolution to establish a new AVMA policy condemning unregulated horse racing for a vote by the AVMA House of Delegates. The HOD approved the resolution, along with seven others. (Photo by R. Scott Nolen)

The HOD approved the following policy changes:

  • An updated policy on “Inherited Disorders in Responsible Breeding of Companion Animals” that supersedes the existing policy of the same name and continues to emphasize the importance of responsibly managing inherited disorders in companion animals.
  • A new policy on “Therapeutic Medications in Competition Equids” that supersedes the policy on “Therapeutic Medications in Non-racing Performance Horses,” mirroring revisions by the American Association of Equine Practitioners to the AAEP policy on this topic in 2020.
  • A new policy on “Unregulated Horse Racing” stating that the AVMA condemns unregulated racing of equids because of threats to animal health and welfare, such as infectious disease, administration of illegal substances, and abusive practices.
  • New policies on “Bovine Disbudding and Dehorning” and “Bovine Castration” that supersede the policy on “Castration and Dehorning of Cattle” to recognize that castration and dehorning require different animal care and to clarify the distinction between dehorning and disbudding.
  • A consolidated policy titled “Harmonized Approach to Voluntary and Regulated Aquatic Animal Health Programs” that supersedes four policies on state oversight and federal programs pertaining to the health of aquatic animals.
  • A consolidated policy on “Veterinary Compounding” that supersedes the three existing policies on this topic, provides additional clarity, and adds more resources.
  • A revised policy on “The Importance of Veterinarians in Food Safety” that adds a statement that management and leadership training would help improve the supervisory success, job satisfaction, and retention of supervisory public health veterinarians with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service.
  • A revised policy on “Dog Bite Prevention” that adds a statement that all dogs can bite and reaffirms that the AVMA considers it inappropriate to label specific breeds or classes of dogs as aggressive or dangerous, among other revisions.

The HOD did not approve a revised policy on “The Veterinarian’s Role in Supporting Appropriate Selection and Use of Service, Assistance, Emotional Support, and Therapy Animals.” The proposed revisions were largely editorial. The HOD referred the revised policy back to the Board of Directors for clarification of the wording by the AVMA Steering Committee on Human-Animal Interactions.

In other actions, the HOD elected Dr. James Kober, West Olive, Michigan, to fill a vacant position on the AVMA Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents representing private clinical practice, predominantly food animal.