Legislative Veterinarians Defend OSU

Recent attacks on Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine are inaccurate and misleading, a group of state legislators said today.

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.

Pickens is a well-known animal rights activist.

“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.