Newsletter

Letter from the President – April 2024

Aloha everyone! I hope you are all content and well this Spring! The 2023 Honesty and Ethics Gallup Poll was recently published, and I was pleased to see that veterinarians hold the 2nd highest approval rating amongst professionals. This is in part due to the perception the public has that veterinarians are compassionate and dedicated to helping animals and their owners. The Pet Expo is a perfect example of this, so please volunteer a few hours of your time to support this free public event!

HVMA has been closely watching the Non-Veterinary Surgical Bills (SB 2562 and HB 1527). The current House and Senate versions are slightly different and will go back to committee for final revisions prior to approval. We are lucky to have Senator Tim Richards, DVM in the State Legislature, and he will advocate for the best language to close the current loophole allowing owners to perform surgery on their animals, whilst allowing livestock producers to continue to perform customary husbandry procedures.

Dairy cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Idaho, North Carolina, and South Dakota have been found to be infected with avian influenza virus Type A H5N1. This is the same virus that causes Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in birds; however, the disease in cattle is not characterized by high morbidity and mortality. It is important to note that pasteurization of milk kills pathogens in milk, including the influenza virus, so there is no threat to human health from milk and dairy products. This virus has not been detected in Hawaii, but farms containing multiple species such as poultry, swine, or cattle should continue to strengthen their biosecurity programs to prevent the introduction or spread of disease. The Center for Food Security and Public Health has excellent resources for developing a biosecurity program for various species.

See you at the Pet Expo!

Jenee Odani, DVM, DACVP
HVMA President

Season’s Greetings from Gen Kato, DVM

From our veterinary colleague in Japan:

Dear All,

I trust this message finds you well and enjoying the festive season. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones! I wanted to drop you a quick note and share some exciting updates from my recent trip to Colorado.

Covid-19 conditions have eased up, allowing me to revisit Colorado State University for the first time in five years. Despite the torturous long flight, the joy of reconnecting with old friends and professors was truly heartwarming. During my visit, I had the pleasure of witnessing the impressive new facilities at CSU, including TMI, a state-of-the-art center for continuing education, SPUR, a place dedicated to citizen learning about animals, soil, and water, and the recently established Dam Friends League, an animal shelter that was the highlight of my trip.

■TMI: https://vetmedbiosci.colostate.edu/tmi/

■Spur: https://csuspur.org/

It was incredibly fulfilling to see firsthand the construction and operation of these facilities, especially learning that their existence relies heavily on generous donations. This experience made me realize the importance of fostering a donation culture in Japan and aspiring to build facilities comparable to those at TMI.

In November, we had the honor of inviting President VandeWoude of CSU to Japan. Our courtesy visit to Hokkaido University provided an excellent opportunity for engaging discussions with various professors, fostering valuable exchanges that will contribute to the development of veterinary medicine and science in Japan. Our goal is to establish a Japanese version of TMI and continue our efforts for the betterment of our field.

On a personal note, I turned 91 years old just last year.

Despite the ongoing challenges of Covid-19, I hosted another grand birthday party, and I am sincerely grateful to the many people who attended.

As the year comes to a close, I am eagerly looking forward to the prospect of seeing you again.

Wishing you a bright and joyous New Year filled with prosperity and happiness!

Warm regards,

Gen Kato, DVM

FaceBook：www.facebook.com/gen.kato.566

Daktari Animal Hospital Tokyo Medical Center

Shirokanedai Apt 2F, 5-14-1 Shirokanedai, Minato, Tokyo 108-0071 JAPAN

2024 Hawaii Legislative Update

The 2024 legislative session is up and running! Several introduced bills may have direct impacts on veterinary practice in Hawaii. Here are the bills we are watching:

HB2086 / SB2749 RELATING TO HEALTH. Requires the administrator of the narcotics enforcement administration to make an emergency scheduling by placing xylazine into schedule III on an emergency basis. [HVMA working to include a veterinary use exemption]
HB1527 / SB2562 RELATING TO VETERINARY MEDICINE. Prohibits animal owners and their employees from performing any surgical procedures on the owner’s animal or animals. Prohibits the elastration, or castration via banding, of a pet animal. Provides that a violation of the prohibitions is a class C felony. Clarifies that the offense of cruelty to animals in the first degree does not apply to accepted veterinary practices and cropping or docking as customarily practiced when the procedures are performed by a licensed veterinarian.
HB1580 RELATING TO ANIMAL CRUELTY. Amends the criminal penalties for various animal cruelty offenses by increasing the category of offense
SB2114 RELATING TO FERAL ANIMALS. Prohibits the feeding of feral animals within a certain distance from Department of Education public school campuses; establishes fines
SB2564 RELATING TO PET ANIMALS. Prohibits insurers from refusing to issue, refusing to renew, canceling, or establishing higher rates for a homeowners insurance policy or dwelling fire insurance policy based on the breed of any dog that is kept on the premises. Requires any pet animal found on the premises during an eviction to be given to the owner or taken in by an animal control agency. Limits the monetary amount of pet deposits and pet rent. Clarifies that a provision allowing a lien on an animal to secure payment for caring for or feeding the animal does not apply to pet animals.
SB2692 RELATING TO DANGEROUS DOGS. Establishes requirements and penalties for owners of dangerous dogs. Allows for impounding of dangerous dogs under certain conditions.

Please keep an eye out for calls to submit testimony on these bills in the near future. We will send out an alert once any of the bills that may impact veterinary practice are scheduled for a hearing. At that time testimony may be submitted online at https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/.

AVMA Vitals

AVMA Expands Mentorship Program