Pets and vets: Connecticut legislation aims to make driving with lap-held pets illegal

Connecticut

The Connecticut General Assembly is considering a bill that would make it illegal for drivers to hold their pets in their laps as they drive. The bill calls for those who violate the ban to pay the same fines as those who talk on a cellphone or text while driving, according to the Connecticut Post.

The bill's supporters say lap dogs are competing with cellphones for the attention of drivers and that restrictions are needed for the protection of drivers, pedestrians and the pets themselves.

Since enacting its hands-free law 10 years ago, law enforcement has issued more than 117,000 citations for cellphone use and distracted driving. The maximum fine is $1,000, the Post reports.

Kansas

The College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University is establishing a new center of excellence called the Center for Outcomes Research and Education (CORE), which will be under the guidance of David Renter, DVM, PhD, a veterinary epidemiologist. The center will focus on demonstrating the value of animal health interventions, with a goal of improving both animal healthcare and its associated impact on human health, according to a university release.

The center will involve several university faculty members, as well as experts at other institutions. Developing and enhancing public-private partnerships is a key part of CORE's strategic plan, according to the release. A $250,000 gift from Zoetis will help establish the center.

Texas

New legislation presented in Texas is meant to fix weaknesses in the public health response to the Ebola outbreak last fall in Dallas. If the bill passes, two Texas A&M departments will play a larger role in responding to an infectious disease emergency, according to the Bryan-College Station Eagle.

There are 16 provisions in the bill, one of which will task the Texas A&M Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Sciences with providing recommendations for control measures in animals and livestock. Texas A&M veterinarians helped treat Bentley, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel; in October 2014 after his owner, Nina Pham, contracted Ebola from a patient she was treating at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital, the Eagle states.

Utah

Steven Lucero, PhD, director of wellness at Utah State University's School of Veterinary Medicine, has created a pet loss hotline for pet owners who are grieving, according to the Associated Press. The line is staffed Monday to Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. by students.

Wisconsin

A 7-year-old yellow Labrador retriever is adjusting to life without a tongue after a freak accident involving a kennel. Doc, who belongs to Brad and Vanessa Meyer, managed to get his tongue stuck in the part of the kennel where the walls met the top, and it was completely ripped out, according to the La Crosse Tribune. Now the Meyers and Doris Durst, DVM, of Lake Wissota Animal Hospital are doing what they can to help Doc be happy and healthy without his tongue.

For now, Doc receives water from a syringe and eats food made into a paste in a similar way. He is already learning to slurp water from a bucket like a horse does, according to the Tribune.