Riddell, whose group is comprised of veterinarians who specialize in treating cattle, said most vets probably encounter only one or two organic farms and "it's asking a lot of them to know actually two different ways of treating something."
It's also difficult to get subjects added to "already overflowing" veterinary curriculums, Riddell said. Iowa State University and some other schools now offer courses on alternative therapies, but the focus tends to be more on herbal and Chinese therapies, not necessarily organics, said Jim McKean, a veterinary professor at Iowa State University.
Mike Chaddock, deputy director of the Association of American Veterinary Colleges, said it's unlikely schools would offer a course just about organic treatments. Most veterinary schools in the U.S have a "one-health" curriculum in which students are taught "how their decisions affect the health of the animal, the health of human beings as recipients of food produced by the animal .... and impact nature and the environment."
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But McKean said organic practices have their own health risks. For example, animals kept in a pasture are more likely to encounter disease-carrying wildlife and can be more at risk for parasitic diseases, such as trichinosis or toxoplasma, he said.
"Both of those have largely been removed by moving swine indoors into confinement operations," McKean said.
He also criticized what he described as reluctance among organic farmers to seek medical treatment.
Organic regulations bar farmers from withholding antibiotics from sick animals just to retain their organic certification. But once animals receive antibiotics or hormones, they must be removed from the organic herd. Meat from a cow, for example, could then be sold as conventional beef, but at a much lower price.
"One of my issues with the organic livestock movement is that because of the increased value of the organic animal versus those that have been treated for diseases, is they put off treatment of diseases for an extended period of time," McKean said, adding that he believes the delay can cause unnecessary suffering.
