http://www.jaapl.org/cgi/reprint/30/4/520.pdf begins: > Novel Cases: Malingering by Animal Proxy > H. W. LeBourgeois III, MD, Tonya A. Foreman, MD, and > John W. Thompson Jr., MD > >Malingering to obtain medications of abuse is well documented in the >general medical setting. However, we have found no cases previously >reported of such malingering in a veterinary setting. We report five >cases submitted by veterinarians in which clients (pet owners) are >strongly suspected or confirmed to have been engaging in malingering >to obtain controlled medications for their personal use. Cases bear >a striking resemblance to malingering in the general medical setting >for drugs to abuse. We propose that veterinarians, like their medical >counterparts, are potential targets of malingering by their clients >for drugs of abuse. Because of their familiarity with this condition, >psychiatrists may have a role in training veterinarians to recognize >malingering on the part of their human clients. In addition, >psychiatrists may benefit from familiarizing themselves with novel >forms of malingering, such as are presented in this case series. > J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 30:520 -- 4, 2002 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=222&A=1275&S=2 including >Investigators approached 1,000 veterinarians, who reported 448 cases >of non-accidental injuries in animals, six of which the submitting >veterinarians believed were instances of Munchausen by proxy. Led by >H.S. Tucker of the Royal United Hospital in Bath, UK, the researchers >noted that three other cases may have also resulted from owners >deliberately hurting their pets. Some commonalities were found in the >suspicious cases, such as how owners would rapidly change veterinarians >or request frequent appointments. In one case, an owner was supposed >to have requested four appointments one the same day. http://www.juliegregory.com/about.htm After first "Q" http://www.ashermeadow.com/mspDescribed.htm http://earthops.org/munchausen.html Sukie (not a vet) Current FHL address: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth People can join there or can send a blank mail to the automated joining address: [log in to unmask] and then follow the directions. (The second is recommended for those having problems with Yahoogroups web settings, and afterward send a blank mail from your subscribed address to [log in to unmask] to get the digest instead of individual mails. ) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml [Posted in FML 5520]