It’s that time of year again; the Hawaii Pet Expo is coming up on May 4-5, 2024! We’re looking for volunteers to help make this event spectacular for the community!!! All volunteers get FREE t-shirts and a FREE lunch (if they volunteer in the morning of Saturday, May 4 or Sunday, May 5) for helping out! Check out all the volunteer descriptions and slot availability with the email attachment. If you’re interested in volunteering, please complete the volunteer sign-up link HERE no later than April 20, 2024 before 6:00 PM HST. If you have any questions, please email Jerrisa Ching.
Category: Newsletter
Letter from the President – April 2024
HVMA President
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
In Remembrance – Cordell Chang
Cordell W. J. Chang, 78, of Mililani, passed away in Honolulu, Hawaii on Friday, January 19, 2024. Celebration of Life Service will be held on Feb 28, 2024 at 9 am at the Diamond Head Memorial Park.
Dr. Chang served as the HVMA’s AVMA Delegate for many years after Allen Miyahara retired. He worked as a small animal practitioner with the Naito Animal Clinic group before and after its sale to VCA. He was also known for raising high quality canaries.
Dr. Chang was also instrumental alongside Allen Miyahara in relighting the fire for the Honolulu Veterinary Society, which at that time had fallen into inactivity after Darryl Allison passed. They recreated a vibrant active group led by their younger colleagues.
We remember Cordell as always having a smile on his face and time for friends. He kept in touch with many friends and family of veterinarians, including Sue Miyahara and Bob Young.
In Remembrance – Michael Woltmon
1952-2023
Michael Orean Woltmon was born on May 6, 1952 in Virginia to Jack and LaCona Gene Woltmon. He graduated from Leilehua High School in 1970. In 1974, he graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a with a B.S. in Tropical Agriculture. In 1978, he obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Washington State University – College of Veterinary Medicine.
In 1979 Dr. Woltmon opened Kauai Veterinary Clinic, Inc. in Puhi, Kauai, doing primarily large animal medicine out of a mobile unit, while his partner managed the small animal end of the practice. In 1984 he built, managed, and did husbandry for Production Improved Genetics, Inc (PIG, Inc) with a hui of investors. However, Hurricane Iniki totally damaged it in September 1992, but Dr. Woltmon managed to clean up and rebuild PIG, Inc. without the aid of their bankrupt insurance company. The swine production farm survived over 20+ years. Though, with encroachment of residential properties in the area, the farm was depopulated and became a commercial orchid farm. Dr. Woltmon bought out his business partner and managed KVC, Inc. until it was sold in 2021.
He passed away at home with his family present on October 9, 2023, he was 71 years old. Dr. Woltmon is survived by two daughters: LaCona Woltmon, married to Francisco Barron, with son, Francisco III; and Michelle Perry, married to Jarred Perry, with daughter, Ryenne Perry.
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.
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
Pono Pet Parents
Submitted by Michelle Barbieri, DVM
The HVMA is providing a landing page for resources for veterinarians, technicians, and pet owners called Pono Pet Parents. This information campaign currently focuses on cats, but the hope is that in the future, it can be expanded to dogs and more. Cat owners can learn about how to raise their beloved pets in a thoughtful way that strengthens their bond with their cats, keeps them happy and healthy, and benefits wild animals and our island home.
Resources are grouped by the following sections:
- Ensure my cat has a happy home for life
- Keep my cat safe indoors
- Create an enriching home environment
- Spay/neuter and microchip
- Dispose of litter in the garbage
- Learn about the unique Hawai’i environment I’m protecting
Pet owners can then take the Pono Cat Pledge, which includes a commitment to these activities. These pages are the result of a combined effort of humane society representatives on Oahu and Kauai, and local, state and federal conservation groups hoping to realize the shared goals of responsible pet ownership and wildlife and ecosystem health.
Please share this resource with your clients and colleagues. And if you have any feedback or want to help get involved with future steps in this information campaign, contact Michelle Barbieri.
USDA Pro Tips for Pet Health Certificates Bulletin
The USDA has provided a pet travel bulletin with key tips, an APHIS pet travel website for USDA accredited veterinarians, a Veterinary Export Health Certification System (VEHCS) help page, and more valuable information for veterinary professionals to use when preparing and issuing health certificates.
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/.
2024 Veterinary Leadership Conference Materials
The following resources have been made available by the AVMA in light of several critical issues that have the potential to make a significant impact on the delivery of care to patients, the structure of the veterinary profession, and veterinary medicine as a whole. These resources include:
- Veterinary Information Forum (VIF) presentations
- House Advisory Panel presentations
- Workforce, Mid-Level Position & Telemedicine and VCPR backgrounders
Links:
AVMA Update – January 2024
AVMA is seeking member feedback on proposed updates to the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics (PVME). Your voice matters! Submit your comments by March 4th, 2024 (you must be an AVMA member to access).
We encourage you to pay particular attention to Section A, Part 4, Emergency Care, starting on line 151. The final wording may impact your own work life because in Hawaii, a veterinarian’s license can be revoked for failing to uphold the recognized principles of veterinary medical ethics adopted by both the HVMA and AVMA (HRS 471-10 (12)). Staying informed and engaged in shaping these guiding principles is crucial for protecting your practice while ensuring the highest ethical standards for animal care in our unique island community. Take action today by reviewing the draft PVME and sharing your feedback.
The House of Delegates met on January 4-6, 2024. Several resolutions were passed, updating and revising current policies ranging from pet loss support to animal safety. You can find the details here.
AVMA has also published informative backgrounders on three hot topics in vet med: telemedicine and the VCPR, the veterinary workforce shortage, and the organization’s position on creating a mid-level practitioner position that would overlap duties of veterinarians and technicians. You can learn more on the AVMA blog.
If you would like more information or have feedback for AVMA, feel free to reach out to one of us directly.
Carolyn Naun (Hawaii Delegate)
Jenee Odani (Hawaii Alternate Delegate)
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