Opioid addiction is rampant across the country costing over 100 Americans lives each day and $75 Billion in related economic burdens. But, what about opioids and our pets?
Veterinarians are very aware that human opioid abuse is a major problem, but compared to physicians, veterinarians prescribe far fewer opioids for animals.
Dr. John de Jong, veterinarian and 2018/2019 President of the American Veterinary Association says, “We typically use opioids only in the hospital environment to reduce the amount of anesthesia and speed recovery times, while decreasing pain.”
Drugs are dispensed for animals only after the pet receives a physical exam, with careful record keeping, payment for services and strict control of medications.
Topics Dr. de Jong discusses:
• How veterinarians vary from physicians in prescribing/giving opioids.
• The kind of opioids are prescribed for animals and for what types of conditions.
• Veterinary practices and the responsible use of opioids.
• Efforts to help curtail pet owners’ abuse of their pets’ opioids.
• DEA requirements.
• What to do if a pet accidentally ingests a person’s prescribed opioids.
• Where to go for more information.
About Dr. John de Jong (pronounced De Young): Dr. De Jong becomes the 2018/2019 President of the American Veterinary Medical Association on July 17, 2018 at the 155th Annual Convention of the AVMA in Denver. He is a companion animal veterinarian and experienced veterinary surgeon, owns the Newton Animal Hospital, a suburb of Boston.
Dr. de Jong chaired the AVMA Board of Directors from 2015-2016 and was District I representative from 2010-2016. Dr. de Jong also served in the AVMA House of Delegates, where he chaired the AVMA’s House Advisory Committee, the Governance Performance Review Committee and the Political Action Committee Policy Board. He was the AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network state legislative coordinator and served on the Long Range Planning Committee.
Dr. de Jong is a past president of the Massachusetts and New England Veterinary Medical Associations, as well as the American Association of Housecall Veterinarians. He is on the board of trustees at Tufts University and serves on the board of advisors for the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.
About the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA): The AVMA is a not-for-profit association representing more than 91,000 veterinarians working in private and corporate practice, government, industry, academia, and uniformed services. The AVMA acts as a collective voice for its membership and for the profession.
