Monica Plumb, 12, raises money at a PETCO in Midlothian, Va., to get oxygen masks for pets onto fire trucks.

Pets in dozens of towns across the nation are more likely to survive a fire because of the efforts of a young girl.
Propelled two years ago by a news account of a dog that survived a fire because of a specially designed oxygen mask for pets, Monica Plumb of Powhatan, Va., conducted research and then did some fundraising so the five firetrucks in her county could carry similar equipment.

Once she had achieved that goal, she continued soliciting donations — using her website (petmask.com) and collection cans, giving speeches, whatever it took. As of this week, she has supplied nearly 300 fire stations from Maine to Alaska with the pet-saving equipment.

“I hope at some point, every fire department has these kits,” says Monica, 12. She’ll continue her efforts until that’s a reality, then turn her energy “to some other project to help animals.”

Monica is among thousands of people, groups and pet-loving businesses working to get pet oxygen mask kits — which contain various-sized, cone-shaped masks to fit on all manner of animal noses — into the hands of first responders.

These efforts have equipped thousands of firetrucks and emergency units in recent years; thousands more still need the kits, which cost from $60 to more than $100, depending on the supplier.

Masks for humans often fail

The U.S. Fire Administration doesn’t track fire-related pet deaths, but experts estimate from 40,000 to more than 100,000 animal die each year, most of them from inhaling poisonous gases. Firefighters regularly wage intense efforts to save animals, even to the point of doing mouth-to-nose breathing, using human oxygen masks, or creating makeshift masks from cups and oxygen hoses, to try to resuscitate them. But none efficiently delivers oxygen, and the efforts often fail.

The pets’ best chance of survival is receiving oxygen through a specially designed mask, but most fire departments cannot spend money for gear other than that which is used to save human lives. Moreover, buying pet-mask kits is a costly venture when a city has several vehicles in its fleet.

As awareness increases, animal lovers, specialty-breed aficionados and various animal-welfare groups are rallying. Massachusetts veterinarians have donated kits to about 50 fire departments throughout the state through a program established by the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association’s charitable arm; early this month the Munford, Tenn., fire department received three kits donated by a pet-loving local couple; and this year, Casper, Wyo., first responders received 12 kits after the Central Wyoming Kennel Club asked the Invisible Fence Co. to donate them.

Companies do their share

Invisible Fence, in fact, has donated more than 5,100 kits to stations across the USA. Chicago firefighters, within days of receiving 235 kits in May, used their new units to revive two dogs and two cats hauled from a house fire. The company has documented at least 25 animals saved by kits it has donated.

Another big corporate contributor to the cause: Best Friends Pet Care, a network of boarding, grooming and training facilities in 18 states. Through a five-year campaign begun in 2004, the company offered matching funds for money-gathering efforts to supply kits to fire departments within 15 miles of its 40 locations.

“That was early in the awareness curve,” says Best Friends Pet Care’s Deb Bennetts. “We had to educate and convince many fire chiefs about the value of the masks.” By the end of that first year, “we had donated about 250 masks and began to get reports” of pets saved, including several dogs and cats rescued from a Rocky Hill, Conn., apartment fire one week after firefighters got the masks.

In all, the business has donated 3,500 sets of masks to dozens of fire departments from Houston to Sacramento, from Charlotte to Oklahoma City. Half of the $200,000 worth of masks was covered by little community fundraisers, including Scout troop collections, penny drives in schools and lemonade stands.

Young Monica Plumb, who plans to become a veterinarian and is already visiting vet schools, had “no idea (her campaign) would go this far.”

She figures donors, who contribute $1, $5 or $20 to her efforts, do so because they understand “that we’re helping pets, we’re helping their families and we’re helping the firefighters.”

By Genevra Pittman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – When animals attack, some kids might develop post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

That’s the message of a new study that followed kids in China after they came to the emergency room (ER) for animal bites – the cause of millions of injuries every year.

Some people suffer from PTSD after experiencing an event that puts them or another person in danger, such as a car accident or assault. People with PTSD often have disturbing memories and dreams of that event that may interfere with their everyday lives.

PTSD may be especially worrisome in kids, said Dr. Nancy Kassam-Adams, co-director of The Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, because it can interfere with their normal development. For example, if a child suffers from a traumatic event at the age when most kids learn to read, it’s a “bigger deal” for that child to need time to recover than it would be for an adult, she said.

In the study, Dr. Li Ji, a pediatrician at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing and his colleagues studied 358 kids age 5-17 that came into the ER at Peking University People’s Hospital, also in Beijing, after being attacked by an animal. Most kids had dog bites, but some had been bitten by cats, rabbits, rats, or guinea pigs.

The kids got normal treatment for their bites, depending on how severe they were, including rabies vaccines, cleaning and closing the wounds, and antibiotics. The kids were also checked for symptoms of PTSD and similar conditions when they came to the ER, as well as one week later and three months later.

At their three-month check-up, 19 of the 358 kids were diagnosed with PTSD. Kids who had been hospitalized for severe bites were most at risk for the disorder – 10 out of 38 of them had developed PTSD. There was no significant difference in how often younger or older kids got PTSD, and boys and girls were diagnosed at similar rates.

The results are published today in the journal Pediatrics.

The authors didn’t compare the group of bite victims to a wider population of kids, but the finding that about 5 percent of kids who were bitten got PTSD is similar to what other studies that have found for injured kids, Kassam-Adams said.

But that number might not really reflect what all kids are going through, she said. Lots of kids will have trouble going back to normal after a traumatic event but won’t be disturbed enough to get diagnosed with PTSD.

The authors say that doctors should be aware that kids are at risk for PTSD after animal attacks, especially after severe bites.

Kassam-Adams, who was not involved with the study, said that the injury itself might not be the only thing that influences whether a kid gets PTSD – the care the kid gets afterward can play a role too.

“It’s every important what happens in that ER, and how doctors and nurses respond,” she told Reuters Health. This study, she said, “certainly speaks to the need to attend to the psychological impact of these kids of injuries.”

Ji said that the study’s findings got that message across to doctors in his hospital. “At the very beginning, some of the doctors did not understand and did not realize the importance of these (psychological) check-ups,” he told Reuters Health.

But after his team shared their results, “nearly all of the pediatric patients coming into the ER in the hospital received this check-up,” he said.

SOURCE: link.reuters.com/myq76m Pediatrics, online July 12, 2010.

Published: 12:18PM BST 26 Jul 2010

A priest at St Peter’s Anglican Church in Toronto, gave Holy Communion to an Alsatian cross dog called Trapper Photo: ALAMY
The priest gave the Host – considered by Christians to represent the body of Jesus Christ – to an Alsatian cross called Trapper.

St Peter’s Anglican Church in Toronto has since been deluged complaints from Christians all over Canada.

Bishop of Lewes: Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans formed to counter ‘heartache’Donald Keith, the dog’s owner, said he had taken his pet to the church because he had been told animals were welcome.

He said that because he was newcomer the vicar invited him up in person to receive communion.

“The minister welcomed me and said come up and take communion, and Trapper came up with me and the minister gave him communion as well,” said Mr Keith.

“Then he bent his head and said a little prayer,” Mr Keith said.

“I thought it was a nice way to welcome me into the church,” he said. “I thought it was acceptable.” He added: “There was an old lady in the front just beaming when she saw this.

“Ninety nine-point-nine per cent of the people in the church love Trapper and the kids play with him.” He said one member of the congregation was unhappy about the vicar giving the dog communion and complained to the archbishop, Colin Johnson.

The dog has since been banned from receiving the sacrament.

“It was just one person who got his nose out of joint and went to the head of the Anglican Church,” said Mr Keith.

“Holy smokes. This is small stuff. I thought it was innocent and it made me think of the blessing of the animals.

“This has blown me away. The church is even getting emails from Catholics,” he said.

Peggy Needham, the deputy people’s warden at the church, said that no further action would be taken.

“The backlash is from just one person,” she said.

“Something happened that won’t happen again. Something our interim priest did spontaneously.

“This person went to the top and emailed our bishop to make a fuss and change things. But he misjudged our congregation.”

Pets cannot fend for themselves, a street-smart feral cat or dog hardened by living in contact with nature may have a better chance of taking care of itself in a situation but pets that are used to having food and shelter at their disposal are totally helpless and just cannot fend for themselves.

It is our duty under every conceivable law of man and God to be there for our pets at all times and more so when a natural calamity strikes. In fact, not just our own pets, as animal lovers we should try and make things easy for all animals that may get affected in case a natural calamity strikes.

Here are certain things to keep in mind so that you are prepared to take care of your pet during the period of a disaster and the days that follow.

First and foremost, always factor in your pets when you are preparing a disaster management plan. If you are forced to evacuate, see than you know about hotels, evacuation shelters, pet shelters that will accept your pet. This is information that has to be available with you beforehand. It is a very good idea to display a prominent notice visible to rescue squads telling them that there are pets in your house. Hygiene and sanitation are issues when floods or fires occur. Keep your pets inoculated and vaccinated against preventable conditions that their breed is susceptible to. Rescue shelters will also ask for proof of vaccination before accepting your pet. Get yourself and your family photographed with your pet, it will help to establish ownership should the need arise or if the animal gets lost.

Stock adequate supplies of pet food and also a proper first aid kit for pets. You should have a couple of strong leashes handy. You will need a pet carrier to transport the animal to a shelter, if required. Keep wire and bolt cutters handy. You should also know how to lift and carry jittery animals. It is a good idea to cover them with a blanket first.

During the disaster you have to be there for your pet. Comfort it. See that the unavoidable commotions that will come with rain or flood do not disorient the animal. Very importantly, don’t let the animal wander out on its own. Keep it at home but not confined and chained. Give it space and make sure that you can reach it quickly should you have to evacuate on short notice. Be gentle and patient with the animal. Dogs and cats can get confused and this may lead to overly defensive or aggressive behavior. They don’t really know how to react. We have to be there for them. Once the event is over, try to get them back to their normal routine in as gentle a manner as possible.

If you stay in a place prone to fires, then keep your residential are clear of dead brush and dried grass. Keep a fire extinguisher at home. You should also know how to perform CPR. If you stay where flood waters can rise fast during a storm surge, do not make the mistake of leaving your pet tied to a post. The safe thing to do is to evacuate at the first alarm. There is absolutely no sense in trying out your luck against nature’s fury. The stakes are simply too high.

This is the way the world will end: not with a bang, but with a woof. Or perhaps a meow. Or, more likely, both.

the world as in the physical planet; no cataclysmic explosion is imminent. I mean the world as in the ecosystem that features humans as the dominant creatures. Without realizing it, we have been ceding ground for some years now to cats and dogs. They were fine when they were merely our pets, but lately they have been slowly hypnotizing us by taking over the things we humans love most of all: our screens. And, as history has taught us repeatedly, those who control the screens control the masses.

This summer may represent some kind of tipping point in this unrelenting march to the end of human dominance. On Saturday night, Animal Planet will broadcast a special, “Dogs vs. Cats,” that will no doubt draw millions of viewers because it seems likely to have dogs and cats in it. On Friday Warner Brothers releases a movie, “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” that will no doubt draw millions of moviegoers for the same reason. (After all, the first movie in this sure-to-be series, “Cats and Dogs,” made more than $200 million globally nine years ago, and the sequel is in 3-D.)

The National Geographic Channel, which already knows the power of pooch TV from its popular “Dog Whisperer” series, adds a two-hour special, “And Man Created Dog,” to its repertory on Aug. 8. And, of course, what with “Puppy Bowl,” “Cats 101,” the animal segments of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and so on, you were already in danger of running into a kitty or mutt any time you turned on the tube.

Yes, TV- and movie-land seem to be — you knew it was coming — going to the dogs, and cats, to an extent that Lassie never could have envisioned. Blame the third type of screen: the computer screen. Because whatever audiences “Dogs vs. Cats” and “Cats & Dogs” draw, it will be nothing compared with the vacant-eyed armies of people who are watching idiotic cat and dog videos on the Internet.

That’s what I’ve been doing for several days now, and two things are abundantly clear:

¶One: this is no accident or fad. Cats and dogs are doing this on purpose: behaving cutely whenever they sense that a camera is running. Anyone who has owned either type of animal knows that these beasts are not stupid; they are evil masters of manipulation — cats with their haughty indifference, dogs with their unrestrained enthusiasm. The premise of that new Animal Planet special is to decide, through a series of spurious competitions and what look like amateur videos, which is the superior pet, but the supposed cat-dog rivalry underlying the show is a fabrication. These species aren’t rivals; they’re co-conspirators.

¶Two: these dog and cat videos are sapping the United States, and civilization in general, of its greatness. Notice how we can’t seem to get anything done anymore? The Second Avenue subway is unbuilt; the World Trade Center site is a wasteland; the century-old water and sewer systems under our cities are unreplaced. Look back through history and you realize that the great eras of human accomplishment — the Roman Empire; the Renaissance; the Industrial Revolution — had one thing in common: no videos of cats playing pianos or dogs going down sliding boards. People got things done because they weren’t being distracted.

Our current era of nonachievement, of course, isn’t limited to our inability to build and repair physical things. We also can’t seem to make any progress on important domestic and global issues. Do I know for a fact that when, say, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton goes behind closed doors for yet another round of unproductive talks with some Middle Eastern leader, they’re actually watching videos of Maru the Cat push a cardboard box around? No. But it seems probable.

To calculate the damage this is doing, all we need to do is look at “Surprised Kitty,” a YouTube video that went up only last October but has already been viewed more than 28,500,000 times. The video features an unseen woman tickling a kitten’s stomach. When the woman pulls her hand back, the kitten spreads its paws as if in surprise. That’s it.

“Surprised Kitty” is 17 seconds long. That means humans have wasted roughly 484,500,000 seconds watching this thing. That’s more than 15 years. It took just over a year to build the Empire State Building; about four years to construct the Golden Gate Bridge; eight to land a man on the moon. In the time that we collectively were watching “Surprised Kitty,” we collectively could instead have done all those things and still had a year to sit back and admire our work. And that’s not to mention the more than 31,000 comments people have taken the time to type under the video (“SoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo CUTE!!!!!!!!!!”), or the video response someone has posted, “Surprised Dog,” in which a dog gets the same sort of tickling and shows no reaction at all (another 17 seconds; about 1.3 million views so far).

There are, of course, hundreds of similar videos on YouTube and other outlets, and they add up to a lost generation. “Golden Retriever Puppy Falling Asleep”? Seventy-five seconds, more than 4,343,000 views, 10 years of human time; a Manhattan Project plus one-and-a-half George Washington Bridges. “Iggy” — a cat — “Investigates an iPad”? One hundred thirty-nine seconds, 6,130,000 views (in three months!), 26-plus years; a Mount Rushmore and two Chunnels. It really does sound as if “Husky Dog Talking” is saying “I love you,” but I’m guessing that if you played that clip backward, the dog would be saying, “Another 29 human years neutralized in our quest for world domination.”

There’s almost certainly flaws in my math or methodology, but it can’t be helped; after watching animal videos for a week the opiate-of-the-people effect is taking hold. Fellow humans are going to start succumbing as well. I expect I’ll soon see a cocker spaniel sitting where my banker or broker used to be. “Hi,” he’ll say. “Mr. Reynolds has been placed on indefinite leave so he can spend his days watching a video of a large cat smacking a small cat that’s wearing a top hat. So I’ll be handling your accounts from now on. Also, I have to go to the bathroom. Would you mind walking me around the block and cleaning up after me?” Sure, sure; just as long as we’re back in time for me to make the matinee of “Cats & Dogs.”

The guidelines were developed on the basis that good nutrition enhances pets’ quality and quantity of life and is integral to optimal animal care.

“Incorporating nutritional assessment into the routine examination protocol for every patient is important for maintaining optimal health, as well as their response to disease and injury,” said Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, executive director of AAHA. “The goal of the new guidelines is to provide a framework for the veterinary practice team to help make nutritional assessments and recommendations for their patients.”

The guidelines were, in part, prompted by results that AAHA found through its compliance study, which was published last year. The study found that 7 percent of pets that could benefit from a therapeutic food were actually on such a regimen.

“The compliance discrepancy along with the many factors considered in assessing the nutritional needs of a healthy dog or cat, as well as the pet with one or more medical conditions, led to the development of the AAHA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines for Dogs and Cats,” the organization said.

The guidelines break down nutritional assessment into “screening” and “extended” evaluations. As AAHA described it, screening evaluations are performed on every animal. If a pet is determined to be healthy and without risk factors, it is cleared from additional nutritional assessment. When one or more nutrition-related risk factors are found or suspected based on the screening evaluation, the pet should undergo an extended evaluation.

The factors to be evaluated, as outlined in the guidelines, include the animal, diet, feeding management and environmental factors. AAHA noted that certain life factors, by themselves, may not call for an extended evaluation if the animal is otherwise healthy.

The guidelines outline what to look for in healthy animals, animals with disease conditions or recommended nutritional changes, and hospitalized animals.

In addition, the guidelines provide recommendations on client communication and educational tools for veterinary staff.

The guidelines, which were made available through an educational grant from Hill’s Pet Nutrition, are available at AAHAnet.org/PublicDocuments/NutritionalAssessmentGuidelines.pdf

A warning for owners of short-snouted dogs: They accounted for about half of the purebred dog deaths on planes in the past five years, according to new government data.

Breeds at risk include bulldogs and pugs. More than 122 dog deaths were reported since May 2005, when US carriers began disclosing the numbers, according to The Associated Press, citing a Transportation Department report.

The dogs that died were shipped as cargo.

English bulldogs accounted for the highest number of deaths (25) followed by pugs (11) and golden retrievers and Labradors (seven deaths each). Also among the reported deaths of pure breads were six French bulldogs and four American Staffordshire terriers, AP reports.

There were two deaths each of boxers, cockapoos, Pekingese and Pomeranians, while mixed breeds accounted for four airline deaths – there were also a dozen dogs that perished whose breeds were not known.

The department is recommending owners consult veterinarians before putting their dogs on flights. AP says the DOT also believes the deaths represent only a tiny percentage of the number of pets shipped on planes. There were also 55 injuries and 33 lost pets.

A short-nosed breed expert, Dan Bandy, chairman of the Bulldog Club of America’s health committee, tells AP an issue for these dogs is they don’t have as efficient an internal cooling system as longer-nosed dogs, and tend to be heat-intolerant.

Sonny Seiler of Savannah, Ga., who owns the University of Georgia’s mascot, Uga the bulldog, tells AP that when he flies with the dog he takes precautions including having Uga undergo a quick procedure at the University of Georgia veterinary school to enlarge the dog’s airways, so it’s easier for her to breathe during the flight.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, some carriers including Delta prevent short-nosed breeds from flying in cargo holds in hot months (a rule that also applies to cats).

Blog the Change takes place on the 15th of January, April, July and October annually. Have a blog? Write about a cause near and dear to your heart. Inspire your audience to get involved! http://btc4animals.com

The beauty of Blog the Change is the sense of community and good will it inspires. Beyond spinning off toward our own passions, this space allows for us to reconvene as a community, to share links, ideas and camaraderie.

How It Works
1. Grab the badge. See our banner in the sidebar? Paste the code below it into your blog’s sidebar or post.

2. Post to your blog. Support your favorite shelter, a foster or a friend. Whatever you decide:

Make a fresh commitment to act on behalf of animals
Inspire others to do the same
Spread the word
3. Add your link here. You’ll see a link list here on each Blog the Change Day. Add your post URL — not a link to your main domain – so other animal supporters can find your cause.

4. Share the good will. Visit others on the list and offer support where you can. Remember, a kind word can create change too!

Extra credit … Paste the code from the link list into your blog post. (The code will only be available on Blog for Change day). While not required, it’s a terrific way to spread the good word of many bloggers’ causes at once!

Speaking of spreading the good word, don’t forget to tell your Twitter (hashtag #BtC), Facebook and email friends about your post. A kind word for BtC4Animals.com is always appreciated too.

This is a Blog Hop! 45 entries so far… you’re next!

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GoPetFriendly
Gone to the Dogs
Of Cows Tails and Chew Toys
The Thundering Herd
Dogs of the Week @ STLSeniorDog
24 PAWS OF LOVE
Healing the Planet One Animal at a Time
Fido & Wino: R. O. A. R. Squad
TTTs Conservation Cub Club
This One Wild Life
The Everyday Life of a MilShelb Mom
Life as The MilShelb
Phetched: Hot in Herrrre
The Road Dogs
Frankie Furter
Saturdays with Stella
Romance Puppy
Peggys Peg Place
Oh My Dog!
Whiskers
Doggy Days
Gathers No Moss
Mountaintop Natural Pets
Adventures of Klaus
AboutVetMed
Hollywood Chic: Mom to 4 Rescues (Follows Back)
Knit One Max Too
under the blanket
Lucys Human
Blog for Change Until There are None
FiveSibes Blog
Paws and Effect
Nubbin Tails
Maggie Mae Says
Will My Dog Hate Me
Rusty-Dawg Pet Products
Two Little Cavaliers
Celebrate Your Pet
Richmond Pet Lovers
Pawcurious
Oh Behave – Second Chance for Senior Dogs
Trupanion Blog – Blog the Change Baby Steps
Common Questions About Pet Adoption
What is Adopt-a-Pet. com
Our Dog Adoption Story

Our website makes it easy for anyone with an internet connection to find descriptions and pictures of adoptable animals by location, breed, gender, age, size, and color. Over 9,000 shelters posts pets on our website displaying over 130,000 pets available for adoption at any given time. We also help volunteers connect with shelters, and currently host over 14,000 people listed in our volunteer database for shelters.
What Makes Adopt-a-Pet.com Unique:
- On our website, people can use something we call “Search Saver.” This feature will notify users by e-mail when a particular pet of their specifications in available for adoption. For example, I can tell “Search Saver” where I live, and what type of breed I am looking for. When that animal is available, I am notified the next time a pet matching my search is added on Adopt-a-Pet.com.

- As of this summer we have now made it easy for our visitors to find pets and then recommend them to friends and family via Facebook, Twitter and other social applications. We are calling the idea “Social Petworking.” Here is how it works; once you have searched and found a pet in need, on the pet details page simply hover over the button labeled “SHARE,” there you can send the pet details page to any of your friends. For more information visit this page http://www.adoptapet.com/socialpetworking/signup.
- In addition to dogs and cats, we now feature all kinds of pets for adoption, including rabbits, farm animals, ferrets, hamsters and other small animals, horses, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and even fish. This was a major initiative that took many months to research and program into the site, and it is being well-received within the shelter community.

- By teaming up with the renowned street-artist Shepard Fairey, who designed the iconic Obama “Hope” image, we have available a number of stylish ways to promote pet adoption. Shepard was able to translate his work with Obama to an image that can be used to represent pet adoption support. Merchandise can be found at HYPERLINK “http://www.muttslikeme.com”www.muttslikeme.com

- We have begun blogging and created a Twitter Page along with a Facebook Page. Our blog is located at HYPERLINK “http://blog.adoptapet.com/”http://blog.adoptapet.com/, there you can join our Facebook Group, or follow us on Twitter. Blog Highlights:
Adopt-a-Pet.com has recently begun blogging, and every week we publish posts from two separate columns. On Tuesday we blog about pet care tips, and on Fridays we do our best to find heartwarming stories about adopted pets all over the country. Here are a few highlights from our blog:

10 Ways To Help Homeless Pet, Even If You Can’t Adopt
What To Ask Your Veterinarian
Good News In Pet Adoption – A Weekly Post
10 Things To Consider Before Adopting

Superbugs vs. antibioticsMisuse of antibiotics breeds drug-resistant diseases www.saveantibiotics.org340B Savings & ComplianceWe power more 340B entities across the USA than anyone. www.SentryDS.com/340B
The issue is not that the meat itself is infected or that consumers are ingesting antibiotics with their protein, but that the overuse of antibiotics is diminishing the efficacy of crucial medications needed for human use. Estimates are that 70,000 Americans each year die from infections that once could be treated with common medications. The European Union has banned the use of antibiotics in livestock except to treat illness, but similar efforts in the United States have stalled in Congress.

So last week, when the FDA issued a “draft guidance” urging meat producers to employ antibiotics judiciously, asking them to voluntarily limit their use to instances of “medical necessity” or to administer them with the oversight of a veterinarian, it was a step forward. Sort of. The occasion can be likened to then-Surgeon General Luther Leonidas Terry formally declaring in 1964 that cigarette smoking was a serious health hazard. That too was an important step forward, and both public health officials and ordinary citizens took note — but tobacco companies spent the next three decades in denial. So the good news is that the FDA’s action brings us into the 1960s. The bad news is that the draft has no teeth and proposes no regulations that might become law. What’s more, it doesn’t discourage the prophylactic use of antibiotics in livestock to prevent disease, which is a big part of the problem. It should have allowed the use of antibiotics only to treat animals that are already sick.

It is difficult to tell where all the stakeholders stand. The American Veterinary Medical Assn. welcomed the FDA’s action and vowed to work with the agency. The pork industry questioned the science behind the draft and said that its farmers already use antibiotics judiciously. And the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn. issued a statement asserting that the causes behind drug-resistant infections are complex and solutions should also take into account human misuse of antibiotics.

It’s time to take a firmer stand and ban the use of antibiotics except when animals are sick. It’s harmful to public health to use antibiotics preventively or to promote growth. The results are in and the science is sound. No longer is the question whether antibiotics in meat farming should be curtailed, but how best to go about doing it.