Assemblymember Hayashi has introduced legislation to the state senate that would make it illegal — a crime — for anyone other than a board certified veterinarian to offer chiropractic care, massage, or other bodywork to your horse or other pet. Apparently this legislation will be voted on this coming Monday, so if you can take the time to call or email your senate and assemblyperson (find them here http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html) to let them know that you do not support AB 1980 you will help preserve your pets access to affordable chiropractic and bodywork care. While I believe a horse (or other animal) already under veterinary care should always have veterinary approval before any other modalities are applied, I have a hard time imagining a world where our already busy vets will acquire the education and have the time to give a horse a full body massage or chiropractic adjustment of the kind we might get for ourselves as part of a wellness protocol.
Apparently the passage of this bill would make it illegal for your current chiropractor or massage therapist or other complementary care practitioner who is NOT a vet to continue to provide care to your horse or pet.
Thank you for taking the time to make your voice heard. You are your horse's (and other animals') spokesperson in this and all other matters.
Here is the language from the bill which you can check out yourself at:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_1951-2000/ab_1980_bill_20100629_amended_sen_v96.pdf
(3) Existing law prohibits the practice of veterinary medicine without
a license and specifies that a person practices veterinary medicine when
he or she, among other things, represents himself or herself as engaged
in the practice of veterinary medicine or administers a treatment of
whatever nature for the cure or relief of a bodily injury or disease of an
animal.
This bill would provide that a person also practices veterinary
medicine when he or she performs physical rehabilitation or
musculoskeletal manipulation upon an animal, unless otherwise
authorized by regulation of the board. By thereby expanding the scope
of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(4) Existing law requires the board to establish the tasks that may be
performed by a registered veterinary technician and requires a person
performing those tasks to be registered by the board.
To further clarify, The CVMA task force in 2007 defined physical rehabilitation (PR) as follows:
“(a) the term animal physical rehabilitation (PR) is the art and science of physical or corrective rehabilitation of any animal by use of the physical, chemical and other properties of heat, light, water, electricity, sound, massage and active, passive, and resistive exercise and shall include physical rehabilitation evaluation, treatment planning, instruction and consultative services. PR when performed upon animals constitutes the practice of veterinary medicine.
(b) PR may only be performed by the following persons:
(1) A veterinarian who has examined the animal patient and has sufficient knowledge to make a diagnosis of the medial condition of the animal, has assumed responsibility for making clinical judgments regarding the health of the animal and the need for medical treatment, including a determination that PR will not be harmful to the animal patient, discussed with the owner of the animal or the owner’s authorized representative a course of treatment, and is readily available or has made arrangement for follow-up evaluation in the event to adverse reaction or failure of the treatment regimen.
(2) A California licensed physical therapist (“physical Therapist”) working under the direct supervision of a veterinarian.
Sarah Miles, MA EBW
Balanced Equine Body Work
831-251-9871
smiley@cruzio.com
www.balancedequinebodywork.com
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