| Legislative Veterinarians Defend OSU |
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OKLAHOMA CITY – Recent attacks on Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine are inaccurate and misleading, a group of state legislators said today.
Oklahoma House of Representatives
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: State Rep. Phil Richardson
Legislative Veterinarians Defend OSU
State Reps. Brian Renegar, Lee Denney and Phil Richardson – each a graduate of OSU with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree – defended the school, noting the program is nationally recognized as one of the best in the country. “As a proud graduate of OSU’s vet school, I can say the recent claims about the school’s teaching methods are unfounded and colored by the perceptions of individuals promoting a radical animal-rights agenda instead of sound teaching methods for veterinarian training,” said Renegar, D-McAlester. Madeleine Pickens, the wife of oilman T. Boone Pickens, recently criticized OSU’s vet school, saying the college uses “barbaric” teaching practices that border on animal cruelty. “Our training is designed to prevent animal suffering, not create it,” said Denney, a Cushing Republican who has authored legislation to outlaw puppy mills in Oklahoma. “No one can spend years training to become a veterinarian without caring about animals.” “I don’t doubt Mrs. Pickens’ intentions, but the information she was provided is inaccurate,” said Richardson, R-Minco. “As a result, the picture she paints of the College of Veterinary Medicine is grossly distorted and misleading.” The three lawmakers noted that live animal surgery is a necessary component of the learning process for veterinarians comparable to the training of medical doctors. |
