Latest news with #veterinary
Zawya
44 minutes ago
- General
- Zawya
ADAFSA launches awareness campaign on safe slaughtering practices ahead of eid al-adha
Abu Dhabi: As Eid Al-Adha approaches, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) is intensifying its efforts to raise public awareness about the importance of slaughtering livestock in licensed abattoirs. The campaign aims to curb random slaughter practices and dealings with unlicensed butchers, reinforcing biosecurity measures and public health standards to prevent zoonotic diseases that can spread between humans and animals. ADAFSA emphasises that slaughtering in regulated abattoirs plays a vital role in ensuring public health. Abattoirs across Abu Dhabi offer controlled environments that minimise contamination risks, ensuring that carcasses are processed in clean and hygienic conditions and preventing the cross- contamination .Veterinary inspections before and after slaughter guarantee the safety of meat for human consumption. Qualified and legally licensed butchers oversee the process, while waste management protocols ensure the safe disposal of slaughtering by-products, aligning with biosecurity regulations. The authority highlights that veterinary inspections at abattoirs assess meat safety, identify diseases and parasitic infections, and determine cases requiring partial or full condemnation. These inspections help control zoonotic diseases,. ADAFSA also ensures that Islamic slaughtering guidelines—including proper positioning, recitation, precise cutting techniques for efficient bleeding, and full exsanguination—are adhered to, as poor bleeding due to fever or improper cutting can compromise meat quality. Each year, ADAFSA intensifies its pre-Eid Al-Adha awareness efforts, offering educational guidance to the public. The campaign encourages residents to utilise Abu Dhabi's modern abattoirs, which adhere to high safety and hygiene standards, ensuring that slaughtered meat is safe for consumption and preserving public health.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pet zebra in custody after running around Rutherford County, officials say
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Law enforcement issued a warning to the Rutherford County community Saturday afternoon about a 'pet zebra on the loose.' The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office posted shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 31 about the zebra wreaking havoc on Interstate 24 near Joe B. Jackson Parkway. Williamson County veterinary clinic warns cat owners of deadly Bobcat Fever Deputies said they had to close I-24 because the animal was running through traffic on both sides of the highway. The westbound lanes have already reopened, followed by the eastbound lanes after the zebra disappeared in the woods. Rutherford County District 6 Commissioner Jonathan Beverly had also posted about the creature just before 1:45 p.m., saying, 'I can't believe I'm writing this, but nothing surprises me much anymore. There is a Zebra loose near Epps Mill Road, yes…an actual Zebra. If seen, please do not approach. Authorities are assisting.' READ MORE | Latest headlines from Murfreesboro and Rutherford County About 30 minutes after the sheriff's office announced the zebra was on the loose, Beverly told News 2 the zebra had been taken into custody, but there's no word on the animal's condition. Multiple people shared photos and videos on social media after seeing the zebra in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. No additional details have been confirmed about this situation. 📲 Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go.📧 Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox.💻 for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee. This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Llamas, porcupines seized in neglect case now living at Woodland Park Zoo
Woodland Park Zoo has welcomed a trio of llamas and six porcupines that were seized as part of a suspected neglect case in Oregon state. The animals are under veterinary observation and quarantine. The llamas are available for public view, but the porcupines are in an off-view area. It's not yet known if they will be placed in public view. Two Woodland Park Zoo Animal Care team staff made two trips to Oregon to pick up the llamas and porcupines. They also assisted Oregon officials in safely catching and loading additional animals destined for other care facilities. The zoo is providing temporary housing to the llamas and porcupines while the case involving them moves forward.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pet health care prices are so high that most owners are skipping treatments
Whether their bestie is Fido or Fifi, owners are getting more finicky about the costs of their pets' healthcare. More than half of owners – including those in high earning households – have skipped necessary veterinary care in the previous year or declined recommended treatment at some point in the past, mostly because of the associated costs, a national study has found. Seven in 10 people who skipped or declined care cited cost as the main reason, saying they couldn't afford it or didn't think it worth the expenditure, according to the study conducted by PetSmart Charities and Gallup. The results were surprisingly similar across all income levels, PetSmart Charities president Aimee Gilbreath said, demonstrating the need for vets to better accommodate their clients' financial concerns. 'There's a narrative that says this only affects folks in the bottom part of the income spectrum,' Gilbreath said. 'But it's all across the spectrum. That surprised me – and it worries me. If folks in the top half are struggling to afford primary vet care, who can afford vet care now?' According to 'The State of Pet Care' report, vet care costs in the U.S. have soared more than 60% since 2014, forcing many owners to forgo recommended treatment for their pets, sometimes with life-threatening consequences. 'At least 60% of households have a pet, and people love them as family members,' Gilbreath said. 'We don't think they should be a luxury item. They're good for people's mental, physical and emotional health, and if it becomes unaffordable that's a really sad situation.' Pet owners were expected to spend an estimated $39 billion in 2024, according to the American Pet Products Association, and a survey of dog owners conducted that year by found more than 44% of respondents felt their costs of care had risen significantly; 84% blamed veterinary care. The survey of 2,498 U.S adults owning at least one dog or cat, conducted between November 2024 and January 2025, found that 52% of pet owners had skipped or declined care. Diagnostic procedures (22%), vaccinations (18%) and elective surgeries (16%) were the most commonly declined pet health care services, but 11% said they had turned down recommended medications and 7% said they had refused lifesaving surgeries. Of those who skipped or declined care, 71% of respondents said cost was the key factor. While that response was highest (80%) among those with a household income of between $36,000 and $60,000, nearly two-thirds (66%) of those earning $90,000 or more said the same. For those with higher incomes, it wasn't necessarily a matter of affordability: Only a third of those earning $90,000 or more said they couldn't afford the expense, compared to 72% of those with incomes between $36,000 and $60,000. However, 44% of those in the higher bracket said the cost wasn't worth it, compared to just 21% of those in the lower one. Gilbreath said pre-pandemic surveys had hinted at the growing issue as veterinary costs ballooned. 'If you look at vet pricing over the last five years, it has shot up faster than other indexes,' she said; inflation has compounded rising medical costs prompted in part by more expensive diagnostic testing and higher vet staff wages. 'For a lot of pet families, that dramatic cost increasing over a short period of time is making things very painful,' Gilbreath said. 'We're in a time when families are really stretched, and unexpected expenses like a big vet bill are hard to manage.' Animal shelters around the country said they're seeing the effects. 'We have seen an increase in owners surrendering their pets due to their inability to afford care or to find pet-friendly housing,' said Guinnevere Shuster of the Humane Society of Utah in Murray. Last year, the number of owners who turned in pets because they could not afford to care for them increased by more than 22%, she said. In Tennessee, the Nashville Humane Association partners with the Banfield Foundation to fund monthly low-cost clinics to help owners access more affordable veterinary care for their pets. 'With the cost of living increasing year after year across the United States and many private veterinary practices opening up, the cost of care has skyrocketed and appointments are filling up months out,' Whittemore said. 'We hope these clinics will alleviate some of the financial strain pet owners in our community are currently experiencing.' Additionally, Gilbreath said as owners have increasingly treated pets as part of the family, they've begun exploring medical options for animals not considered 20 years ago. 'There's options now that they didn't used to have, and that may be pulling costs up,' she said. 'There are treatments for dogs with cancer. You can get a CT scan and an MRI for your pet, or advanced orthopedic procedures. There's certain injuries where if a dog had them 20 years ago you would go with crate rest and pain management, and now you can have a surgery that costs $7,000.' PetSmart Charities estimates about 15% of pet households can afford gold-standard care. 'They want the best and most technologically advanced care,' Gilbreath said. 'But there's a lot of other households where that's not an option, and those folks should be able to get more affordable care.' Despite the financial constraints preventing access to vet care, 73% of owners who declined treatment weren't presented with more affordable alternatives, the study found, and fewer than one in four (23%) said they'd ever been offered a payment plan option. Providing payment-plan options would make a huge difference, the survey found. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents said $1,000 or less would be the most they could afford if their pet had a life-threatening condition; however, if given a one-year, no-interest option, most said that would double what they could pay. 'We would love to see options like 18-month, interest-free financing,' Gilbreath said. 'More vets are starting to offer options, but it's relatively new.' While some cases – for example, a blocked intestine requiring surgery – mandate a single course of action, 'we would have thought far more people would be offered a payment plan or more affordable treatment option,' Gilbreath said. PetSmart Charities plans to survey veterinarians later this year in hopes of learning more about why, she added. Forgoing necessary or recommended pet care is linked with poor outcomes, the study found. Among those declining care, one in seven (14%) reported that their pets either worsened or died. Three in 10 pet owners (30%) said they had a friend or family member whose pet died in the past five years because of unaffordable treatment, and one in 10 (11%) knew someone who'd had to relinquish a pet because of care costs. Gilbreath recommends pet owners discuss possible treatment alternatives or payment options with their vets to find a solution that meets their needs. In addition, veterinary care or other resources can sometimes be found through community non-profit organizations or animal shelters with public-facing medical clinics. She noted the experience of a 'relatively well-off' woman who adopted a cat as she settled into her just-purchased home. The cat developed a dental condition that would have required expensive treatment. 'This woman was heartbroken,' she said. 'She didn't want the cat to suffer, so she gave it up to a shelter in hopes it would get the care it needed.' Wracked with guilt, the woman returned to the shelter the following day to retrieve the cat and learned that a community organization could provide the necessary care at a more affordable cost. 'She was able to get the cat back and get care she could afford,' Gilbreath said. Providing payment-plan options would make a huge difference, the survey found. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents said $1,000 or less would be the most they could afford if their pet had a life-threatening condition; however, if given a one-year, no-interest option, most said that would double what they could pay. 'We would love to see options like 18-month, interest-free financing,' Gilbreath said. 'More vets are starting to offer options, but it's relatively new.' Additionally, Gilbreath said, veterinary schools could help by making students aware of low-tech treatment alternatives to high-tech ones so that they're comfortable offering a range of options. 'The data shows that many pet parents are not being presented with alternative care options that could make veterinary services more accessible, despite interest in such options," said Zach Hrynowski, a senior researcher at Gallup, in a press release accompanying the report. "Our analysis of the data points to a clear opportunity for the veterinary industry to expand affordable, flexible solutions that meet pet parents' needs.' Gilbreath said she hoped the report helps pet owners not feel alone or ashamed of their decisions, given how common such situations are. 'Pets are family,' Gilbreath said. 'For a lot of folks, they're the only family. That's why we do this work. We want pets and their people to be able to stay together.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why more than half of pet owners are declining veterinary care
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Unconscious cat saved by firefighters with oxygen mask after house fire
A cat that was found unconscious in a burning building has made a full recovery after being rescued then revived by firefighters using an oxygen un-named ginger feline was discovered in the fire at a terraced house in Broadway Place, Barrowford by Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service on 22 used water and a specially-fitted equipment to get the cat breathing again before it was taken to the vet."We're happy to report the cat made a full recovery," Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service said on Facebook. Firefighters used breathing equipment as they put out the fire at the property in the home in arrived at about 13:48 BST and were at the scene for about two hours. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
