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Vets protest about the animal drug control regulations

Vet

The World Health Organisation estimates that animals are the source of 60% of infectious diseases that impact humans. Veterinarians have taken to the streets in concern that this number may rise as a result of the new state legislation that restrict their ability to prescribe antibiotics. In addition to shutting down the majority of the 331 veterinary clinics in the province for two hours, while some remained on call, the group organised its first protest against the new drug laws in Alicante.

They used this time to demonstrate outside the Government Subdelegation and make their concerns heard. A manifesto was read, urging Luis Planas, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, to change his stance. Veterinarians and pet owners were among the more than 300 attendees.

The prevalence of leishmaniasis in Alicante is three times higher than the national average, which worries veterinarians in particular. They worry that if they don’t handle the animals properly, this zoonosis will become out of control. This human-transmittable illness is typified by sporadic fever episodes, weight loss, concurrent splenic and liver enlargement, and anaemia. In almost 90% of cases, it can be fatal if treatment is not received.

There is one dog for every four people living in Alicante


The province has a substantial pet population, with one dog for every four residents, which contributes significantly to the spread of zoonosis, according to Gonzalo Moreno del Val, head of the Alicante College of Veterinarians. Furthermore, because mosquitoes are the vector of transmission, anyone can contract leishmania, the protozoan that causes this ailment, whether or not they own a pet.

Professionals, however, are upset that the new state law on veterinary medications, which went into effect in January, restricts their prescription in these situations to allopurinol, the medication that is generally agreed to be the most suitable for treating this illness in dogs. Up until the new rule, they used the human active ingredient because there isn’t a veterinary medication in Spain that contains it.

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A major issue


This possibility was eliminated by state regulations that went into force at the start of the year. “This animal disease could spread and impact more people since we are unable to adequately treat it. In addition to being a major issue for us professionals and placing us in an awkward position, it has an impact on society as a whole. Moreno del Val adds, “Spain’s uniqueness is also quite extravagant, as this treatment is used in other countries.” Production farms as well as small animal veterinarians are impacted by this ban.

“When it comes to something as crucial as prescription, we cannot treat animals based solely on our clinical judgement or scientific data. First and first, the health and well-being of animals will be impacted, followed by people, if one of our primary duties as healthcare professionals—prescription, just like for doctors—cannot be utilised to cure illnesses. Since many of these illnesses are contagious, they affect public health and are a concern for the entire community.

“My clinical judgement is not criminalised”


Thus, among the slogans that veterinarians in the Plaza de la Montañeta have displayed on their banners are “The health of animals is the health of people,” “For one health,” “We are health professionals, only our clinical judgement is valid,” “Royal Decree 666/2023 prevents us from adequately treating millions of animals,” “I am a veterinarian, my professionalism is not questioned, my clinical judgement is not criminalised,” and “Yes to public health, animals are not to be touched.”

Although they believe that the interpretation made in Spain is far more restrictive than in other European countries, the group’s dissatisfaction, which is widespread throughout the nation, stems from a rule that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food initially wants to control a public health issue that veterinarians also share, such as antibiotic resistance.

These experts also confirm that pets barely account for 0.19% of the total amount of antibiotics ingested by people and animals in our nation. “Is this percentage really that bad that it puts the veterinary industry under so much strain? The group notes, “It’s odd that we have this control system for animals, but it doesn’t exist for humans; it doesn’t make sense.” According to the vets, the Ministry of Agriculture staff who created the norm lack clinical judgement “and don’t listen to us either.”

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This new rule also mandates that veterinarians use an internal electronic platform called PresVet to report every prescription to the Ministry. Additionally, they are no longer permitted to prescribe drugs; instead, owners of dogs and cats must buy them from pharmacies, which frequently run out of stock because of drug shortages. Veterinarians must conduct cultures to determine the best drug, which may be life-threatening for the animal, delaying treatment.

Jordi Fontaner, an Elche veterinarian, observes a system of operation that raises the expense of therapy. “The drugstore would sell you the entire box of a medication, but we used to hand out ten tablets. The law states as much. Both the treatment and the product get more costly. To switch from one antibiotic to another, they require us to run antibiograms (cultures), which raises the expense because each one costs about 50 or 60 euros.

“It’s not an economic issue”


“It’s no longer a financial issue,” the expert adds, adding that the procedure takes longer. Our goal is to be able to care people the way we want to, not to generate money. Because an antibiogram can take up to seven days to produce benefits, treatments shouldn’t be prolonged. Immediate prescriptions are forbidden by the decree.

“We are losing our professional judgement. They forbid us from working or prescribing. We truly know what to employ in each situation, but the law restricts us, particularly when it comes to antibiotics.” Pet owners must now visit pharmacies to obtain their prescription drugs. “They don’t have that medication; they can’t acquire the pills, so they have to go to three, four, or five. In the end, we issue four or five prescriptions for each treatment since they must keep returning, whereas previously we handled it ourselves.”

Fontaner gives the example of an 80-year-old customer who visited multiple pharmacies in search of medication for her pet. “The woman actually informed me that my cat should die at the end. Since they won’t let us work, we’ll ultimately have to get around the law that is being imposed on us.”

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With the new rules, “we invest a lot more time in looking for which antibiotics we can get, because we are limited by the law,” according to Tania García, a veterinarian from l’Alfàs del Pi. Perhaps writing a prescription takes twice as long as the 20-minute consultation that was originally scheduled. After that, it must be uploaded to the PresVet system. Or it takes nine days to receive it and the pharmacy doesn’t have it. Customers accuse us, therefore we have to explain, which ultimately takes a lot of time.

Reducing the 21% VAT rate on veterinary consultations as a medical profession is another demand.


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Hospitality and recreation establishments in Elche receive 36 infringement reports from local police

The Elche Local Police conducted an operation that involved inspecting thirteen hospitality and leisure outlets in various neighbourhoods, resulting in one arrest and 36 violations. The data was made public on Friday, 28th March, mainly as a reminder of the work that is being done. Councilman Juan de Dios Navarro gave the police top for their efforts.

According to local police inspector José Antonio Corrales, the majority of the infractions included drug usage and possession, including four for cocaine possession and seven for hashish, as well as improper company documentation. Additionally, there were two reports for disturbing the peace or disrespecting law enforcement, four for not following the minimum hygienic standards for food storage, one serious infraction for conducting the activity after hours and behind closed doors, and seven for irregularities found on the property, including improper documentation.

Additionally, officers found six infractions for permitting smoking in unapproved indoor locations, three for type “B” slot machine identification guide deficiencies, and one major infraction for emergency escape and door flaws. Additionally, a report was made about the selling of illegal tobacco at a pub, where 20 packets were confiscated and one individual was detained on court order and imprisoned.


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Visitor to Catral cemetery locked inside

Catral Local Police Cemetery

As nightfall approached on one of these soggy spring days in March, a young man decided it would be a good idea to visit a cousin or acquaintance’s grave and take a walk through the cemetery. Because the cemetery still closes its (automatic) gates at six o’clock at this time of year, but without the winter gloom that may discourage anyone from going.

However, the door was locked when he attempted to exit. The visitor didn’t seem to want to spend any more time among the cemeteries, despite the cemetery’s reputation as a particularly tranquil spot. Unaware of the placard bearing the mobile phone number for anyone needing help, he dashed out the gate. It was all on camera.

Joaquín Lucas, the mayor of Catral, maintains that this occurrence is unrelated to the privatisation of the cemetery works and feels that management by an outside company is an efficient approach to provide this service in a municipal office. He went on to say that the young man who who was locked in is from the nearby municipality of Dolores rather than Catral.

The local police took to social media and atacked the man’s “reckless” behaviour. He has been named in connection with “criminal proceedings for a crime against another’s property.” Nonetheless, the business will be liable for any damages brought on by the damaged door anchors.

In addition to clarifying that the business employs two workers—a gravedigger and a labourer who maintains the communal areas and restrooms—the Councillor for Services, Daniel Escudero, reaffirmed that the automatic door is an option offered by the company itself.

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Five arrested in Alicante and Murcia for shoplifting

Five individuals involved in grocery theft have been taken into custody by the Guardia Civil. In the regions of Alicante and Murcia, the thieves were stealing in a number of locations for a well-known supermarket company. The things that were stolen are worth over 8,000 euros in total.

The investigation started after the retail chain representative filed a complaint. The pattern was consistent across all cases: three or four people went into the store, and one of them loaded up a cart with expensive things like canned goods, extra virgin olive oil, sausages, or alcoholic drinks. The last one hurried out of the grocery without paying, and another diverted the attention of the staff.

It was discovered that the same people were responsible for the crimes in multiple towns in Alicante and Murcia after examining the security footage from the impacted businesses. Since the suspects did not live in the residences where they were registered and lacked a stable address, it was very difficult to find them.

Shortly after committing another theft at a store in a suburban neighbourhood of Rojales (Alicante), officers caught two of the suspects off guard and took them into custody. Many of the stolen goods were found at that time and brought back to the impacted business.

The other three were later taken into custody in the cities of Almoradí (Alicante) and Guardamar del Segura. The majority of the pilfered items were sold on. Additionally, the two cars that were utilised in the crimes were taken.

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Eleven thefts have been resolved as a consequence of the investigation conducted by the Novelda Civil Guard’s investigation section. The cities of Novelda, Torrevieja, Almoradí, Catral, and Rojales in Alicante as well as the municipalities of San Javier, Jumilla, San Pedro del Pinatar, Cartagena, Archena, and Caravaca de la Cruz in Murcia were the sites of these crimes.


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