CAN A VETERINARIAN DO HOMEOPATHIC ANIMAL TREATMENT UNDER VET LAW

I have noted in recent times that some veterinarians are finding good results with Homeopathic drugs and are recommending homeopathic treatment in veterinary practices. This let a general curiosity in me what is the position of Homeopathic treatment in Veterinary practices ? Whether our veterinarians are protected by law if any animal during homeopathic treatment die ?

This let me to search the rules and regulations of veterinary practices and VCI in India .I will try to elaborate the matter only with legal points so that we can take future actions to safe guard our veterinary  profession.

As per Veterinary Council of India , you are not permitted to do veterinary practice even though you are possessing a veterinary degree if your name is not included in their or State Veterinary Council Register that means only registered veterinarians are allowed to do veterinary practices in India..  However, if you are a Veterinary teacher in an veterinary institute, you may do the limited veterinary practice ,confined to that veterinary institute , till your services . 

Thus a very peculiar situation arises when a veterinarian , with well recognized veterinary qualification retires from a veterinary college and forgo his registration , as he does not consider it  of any significance for him, even professor of medicine is prohibited by law  to do veterinary practice in the state if he has not renewed his registration. 

See ! a retired  professor who has guided so many students in his post graduate programs is prohibited by law to do veterinary practice or issue a veterinary health certificate in the field ? Should we  not think over this issue. In my opinion if a veterinary teacher with qualified veterinary degree retires , he should be permitted , with out renewing his registration, to continue his veterinary practices till he lives .

I venture to study the law of doing homeopathic practice by a veterinarian  by searching Google Engine. There appears some ambiguity in the matter and perhaps we may interpret the matter with our convenience. The website of regulations for veterinary practices in India (https// indiankanoon.org/doc/1469803/.) clarifies some facts and terms in this regards .

Recognized veterinary qualification means any veterinary qualification included in the first schedule or the second schedule.

Veterinary Medicine means modern scientific veterinary medicine in all its branches and include Veterinary Surgery and Obstetrics.

This means a registered veterinarian is allowed to do modern scientific veterinary medicine  and this may include Allopathy, modern Homeopathy and Ayurved 

But if you see syllabus of BVSc and AH which includes Anatomy, Physiology, pathology, pharmacology ,surgery, gynaecology etc  all the books of these subjects  are those which are prescribed in an Allopathic syllabus or our Medical colleges with Allopathic degree. Thus these persons are trained according to the Allopathic pattern of treatment while Homeopathic treatment is considered a separate discipline which require to acquire its own degree. Thus without acquiring such degree , can a registered veterinarian prescribe homeopathic medicines to his patient ? And if the animal dies during treatment, whether he is protected by law ?

A related question will be how we can check other persons not well qualified by prescribing Homeopathic drugs to the animals ? What will happen if they take shelter of court of law ?

I have raised this question on face book and whatsapp and has not received any satisfactory answer of such problem hence posting it on my blog with the hope that a new thinking will solve above problems.

I may add on 25th April,2018 that when VCI acts were passed in the Parliament a question regarding Homeopathy practice was raised by a member. Dr CM Singh the then President of VCI and NAVS, through the Minister told the lok sabha that a Veterinary research institute can conduct a homeopathy drug trial under guidance of a homeopath and the veterinarian can try or recommend this drug only for the treatment . But if a veterinarian wish to do Homeopathy practice, he has to acquire its knowledge as well as he has to register himself for homeopathy practice, then only law can protect him against some adverse eventuality. (This information was shared by Dr Rama Kumar V former Secretary of VCI through face book )

TACKLING AMPHISTOMIASIS AS A VETERINARY PROBLEM

Jabalpur

There are only three trematode infections of our domestic animals which have attracted greatest attention of the scientists and a lot has been worked out and written on these subjects. However, it is also true that these fluke infections are mainly problem of African and Asian countries. Why it is so ?  , As every one will appreciate there is a great climatic difference between these continents and mostly European continent is not conducive for development of these fluke infections in the snails.   Other reason of this difference, beside climatic, is husbandry practices in these continents.. While animal husbandry is confined to large agriculture farms in European and American countries ,it is mostly dependent on agriculture reseduces in African and Asian countries and considered a poor man's way of extra earning. Here, grazing of the animals is a big phenomenon in maintaining the domestic animals; these animals are allowed to let free in marshy lands, barren areas for grazing . They  fulfill their water requirements from local sources which are either in the form of lake, ponds, tanks, rivers , rivulets or even low laying areas filled with rainy water. And these are the great source of trematode infections in our domestic animals. 

 In true sense , history of parasitic diseases is not very old and it is only in late nineteenth century where malaria disease was suspected to be caused by a protozoan parasite . It is not surprising that the  old literature on fluke infections, contain  great emphasis  on  fascioliasis , considering it as main problem of our animals with little attention on amphistomes and schistosomes. This is so in any important veterinary parasitology book including that of Soulsby or old monneign book. It is not very difficult to speculate over this; as we are aware Fasciola hepatica was discovered long back because of ease of its finding in our domestic animals hence this was the fluke first considered causing much harm to the animal industry . Also other  reason for this emphasis was discovery of Lymnea truncatula, as intermediate host for Fasciola hepatica in Australia- a country with emphasis on sheep hasbandry ; therefore, the scientists claimed Fasciola hepatica as an important pathogen for sheep health. Moreover, this snail was amphibious in nature thus giving possibility  of its survival on land as well as in water. However subsequent research found that is is mainly F.gigantica in Asian countries where an obligatory aquatic snail is intermediate host . Again this snail (lymnaea aurricularia or L.accuminata ) is mainly present in perineal water source . This is in contrast to the intermeidate hosts for amphistomes and schistosomes which are present not only in perineal water sources but also temporary water sources. The other reason is increase in number of species of the flukes and snails proportionately in these cases. 

Therefore , we have advocated that along with fascioliasis , two other fluke infections are also problems in India or other Asian and African countries.

Till now , it is a simple story but further work becomes complicated since little attention has been paid on mysteries of amphistomiasis and schistosomiasis. We have written in details on schistosomiasis in a book form that has been published by Springer India in 2012.

Therefore, this write up desires our attention on amphistomiasis where following points are to be considered
Presently, there are three important publications on amphistomes from India
a. A review by BSW Chauhan on amphistomes published in ZSI in 1966 or so
b. Dr SC Dutt Monograph on Paramphistomes and Paramphistomiasis in domestic runinants- published by PAU in 1980
c.Dr NK Gupta ,1993 book on Amphistomes ;systematics and biology- published by Oxford university, New Delhi
If you vet any of these publications , you will observe they are written from a Biologist's view point and many questions and literature which is important to deal the disease has been left as such.
In recent years there are some chapters on aphistomes but again dealing mainly systematics while our view point is dealing the subject  from a Veterinary point of view ,

1. Its very simple to see amphistomes  in  slaughter houses or while conducting postmortem of a animal. This is because opening of stomach or rumen, reticulum, abomasum of any animal ,witnesses presence of amphistomes in these animals.

2.Those who are not well versed with Parasitology, claim these adult  amphistomes for death of the animal

3 But for a Parasitologist it is always difficult to ascribe these adult amphistoomes for any pathology of the animal though there is no doubt that these flukes suck nutrients for their host for survival and reciprocation. All the books of parasitology tell there is no harm or no much harm due to presence of adult flukes in the stomach and it is difficult to refute this opinion.

4. There are more than 20 species of amphistomes prevalent in India but only four have been incriminated for causing pathogenesis ( though persons like Dr SC Dutt have identified about 40 amphistome species and most of them have been synchronized ). But the main question remains why all amphistome species are not considered pathogenic ? Is it due to their low number in nature or little power of infecting  animals ? or no production of any toxic material during its life cycle ?

5. Another problem is that amphistomiasis is considered a problem of young animals and intake of large number of metacercariae simultaneously else smaller doses of metacercariae may not cause any harm to the host. The main reason ascribed for pathology is lodging of a large number of immature amphistomes in duodenum at a time thereby causing sloughing and blockage

6. Do we have technology to identify cercariae of each amphistome species and to calculate which amphistome species is more prevalent in particular area. Is there any relation between prevalence and pathology of the infection

7.Diagnosis of amphistomiasis is again a complicated issue as detecting amphistome eggs in the faeces is not considered pathogenic hence persons have to demonstrate immature amphistomes in faeces of the animals.

8.As detecting immature amphistomes in faeces is more tedious , scientists have developed a method of antigen detection test in faeces which if positive shows animals being suffering from amphistomiasis.

9. However, arguably eggs in the faeces will also turn the test positive hence will it not affect ssensitivity of the test ?
10. In fact, in countries like India, there are multiple infections that occur in an animal in nature and it is very difficult to ascribe importance of each infection in every host species. Perhaps , there are many factors like species of the animal, age , sex and nutritional status which decide pathogenecity of the infection.
11. Though it is simple to control these coprological fluke infections by preventing them not coming in contact with water hence preventing hatching of the eggs , yet it is easy to say then to practice. The future Gobar Dhan yojna may play a great role in controlling these fluke infections .

Nevertheless, i am planning to write all about amphistomes and amphistomiasis with a perspective of a veterinarian point of view and will appreciate to receive any research paper, project report , etc on my mail < drmcagrawal@gmail.com> Like schistosomiasis, i will not hesitate to incorporate any new modern technique that may help in solving the problem provided it cost effective and simple , ; this may be confirmed by reading the chapter "technologies developed" in the referred book.Needless to say that each and every contribution will be thankfully acknowledged in the book .