Ketamine, a drug often used to sedate dogs and cats for surgical procedures is being reevaluated by the World Health Organization. China has requested that Ketamine is changed to a Schedule 1 drug.
Dr. Patrick Hackett said, "For years, it's been a drug that some people on the streets would try to get a hold of. I think it goes by the street name of 'Special K,' or it used to." By moving Ketamine from Schedule 2 to Schedule 1 it would be in the same category as drugs such as cocaine and heroine. Hackett said, "It would take that drug out of our ability to use it on the pets in Knoxville or across the country. I've probably spayed and neutered 50,000 animals in Knox County using that drug. If it's no longer available, I'll have to use other alternatives that may not be as safe and certainly may be more expensive."
Ketamine is often used at Humane Societies and an increase in price is a large concern to financially concerned animal aid organizations. Executive Director of the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley, Amy Buttry said (regarding surgery cost), "We try to keep it really low so that as many people as possible will bring their pets in to have them spayed or neutered." Hackett said, "This drug has good uses, and the fact that a few people abuse it shouldn't be taken away from the masses that do enjoy the benefits of this drug."
The American Food and Drug Administration will be presenting their comments at the 36th Expert Committee on Drug Dependence in Geneva on November 16-20th.
No comments:
Post a Comment