Intracardiac
Euthanasia
12/12/07 Board meeting
After
some discussion and review of the AVMA guidelines on euthanasia
(http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/euthanasia.pdf),
the Board determined by general consensus that "As a general
rule, the practice of intracardiac euthanasia is not the preferred
method of euthanasia, but realize there are circumstances where
it may be necessary. Intracardiac euthanasia should only be utilized
in situations where it is absolutely necessary."
Animal
Alternative Therapies
The Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board has had multiple inquiries
regarding the ability of animal massage therapists and other allied
health professionals to perform therapies on animals and not violate
the veterinary practice act. The Board appreciates these individuals
willingness to understand and work within the law and rules of
the veterinary practice act. Basically, the use of massage therapy
to treat a medical condition of an animal is the practice of veterinary
medicine and should be monitored by a veterinarian.
It
is not the intent of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board
to restrict the practice of alternative therapy practitioners
as long as they are not straying into the field of diagnosing
and medical treatment of animals. The Board reiterates that if
the animal practitioner is performing therapy for the purpose
of relaxation or other non-medical purposes, then it is not considered
the practice of veterinary medicine and is permissible. For instance,
an animal that has inhibitions regarding travel may require massage
therapy to relax it. In the event of a medical situation a veterinarian
can certainly prescribe such services as a therapist can provide
or the therapist can work under the supervision of the veterinarian
as long as the veterinarian maintains the medical supervision
for the animal.
Recent
legislation, HB 458, was enacted to provide the Board with
legal authority to ensure that only those practitioners trained
to perform veterinary medicine, are doing so. The Board has recently
filed rules to further clarify the definitions, etc. which will
hopefully allay any concerns. You can access the Board's web site
at www.ovmlb.ohio.gov
for updates regarding the rule filing.
