WSAVA Activities and Committee Reports
Its official! The WSAVA News is now available in Chinese thanks to the translation skills of Jason Shu and the generous support of the Beijing Small Animal Veterinary Association.
For those interested, visit the WSAVA Homepage and follow the link on the left hand margin titled WSAVA News in Chinese.
NEWS From Around the World
Microchipping updates from North America
USA – As initially reported in the June 2005 WSAVA News, the motion to proactively support an open microchip standard within the USA, as formulated by the Florida Veterinary Medical Association (FVMA) and supported by various other US state VMAs, received the support of the American Veterinary Medical Association House of Delegates. Meant to reinvigorate efforts to overcome the current technological incompatibilities between existing microchip products within the US marketplace, it mirrors similar US governmental initiatives, arising from the Senate House Appropriations Committee, charging the Animal Plant Health Inspectorate Service (APHIS) to develop an implementation plan for microchip technology in companion animals based on the International Standards Organization (ISO) microchip standards. Both the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association (a WSAVA member) have position statements in favor of the ISO standards, as do various other US-based user groups, including humane/shelter associations. The US government has also adopted an animal identification scheme for agricultural animals that is based on the ISO standards.
In a related story, an out-of-court settlement was reached in one of the many ongoing litigation cases between the various microchip technology distributors/manufacturers in the US. As reported in the July 23, 2005 New York Times, AVID USA (a manufacturer and distributors of microchip technology in the USA that is principally based on proprietary encrypted 125 kHz technology) and Banfield (a veterinary hospital chain with over 450 veterinary hospitals that recently began distributing open ISO standard microchip technology in the USA) agreed to jointly fund an independent study of available microchip technology, to include a review of truly universal readers, at an estimated cost of between $20,000 – 50,000 with an intended 90 day completion date. Both AVID and Banfield have sent letters to the Coalition for Reuniting Pets With Their Families (a US-based user group comprised of national veterinary medical and helter/humane associations) requesting their involvement in overseeing the project.
Canada – Formally adopted by the individual members of the Canadian National Companion Animal Coalition (comprised of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, the Canadian Kennel Club, and the Canadian Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council), August 1, 2005 marks the implementation date of ISO-only microchip technology in Canada. This initiative is supported by a NCAC review process whereby interested microchip vendors can have their technology and database service evaluated for compliance to the NCAC position and, if successful, receive NCAC support as a viable microchip technology provider in Canada. To date, 3 microchip vendors have successfully completed the review process.
WSAVA/FECAVA/CSAVA 2006 Congress Update
What does the number 100 have in common with the date of October 11-14, 2006? This is when over 100 world-renowned speakers come together in “hundred-spired” Prague, Czech Republic as part of the CE program for the 31st WSAVA/12th FECAVA/14th Czech Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress. Don’t miss this superb CE opportunity in Prague, the cultural & geographical heart of Europe. So mark your calendars and stay tuned for further information or visit the Prague 2006 Congress website for ongoing details and updates.
