Spain bans docking of dogs
tails Spain’s healthcare ranks 8th
in the world
Spain’s Senate has approved a law
to ban the cruel practice across
Spain in what is hailed as a victory
for animal rights. On March 16th
the Spanish Congress had voted to
pass the law, which will put Spain
in line with the 1987 European
Convention for the Protection
of Pet Animals. There had been
concerns that the PP would block
the legistlation at the Senate level.
The practice of removing parts of
a dog’s tail, known as docking,
is often justified by hunters as a
way to prevent the animal from
collecting burrs or brambles that
could cause them pain or infection.
But opponents say it causes the dog
unnecessary pain and suffering,
and when performed incorrectly,
the procedure can lead to lifelong
problems. For full story see: The
Local.es The Healthcare Access and Quality
Index (HAQ), published in the UK
journal The Lancet on Thursday,
studied the quality of healthcare
in 195 countries by measuring
mortality rates from causes that
should not be fatal in the presence
of effective medical care.
Spain was seventh and scored 90
points out of a maximum of 100.
Andorra topped the Index with
a score of 95, followed by Iceland
(94) and then Switzerland in third
place on 92 points.
Sweden and Norway made
up the top five and 13 of the top
15 countries were in Western
Europe, joined by Australia (6th)
and Japan (11th).
The UK was placed 30th and the
US 35th.
For full story see: The Lancet
article & results vs causes here