Veterinary medicine: license exceptions: limited veterinary services premises registration.

Existing law makes it unlawful for any person to practice veterinary medicine or any branch thereof in the state unless the person holds a valid, unexpired, and unrevoked license to practice veterinary medicine, surgery, and dentistry, and the various branches of those practices, as described. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor for any person to violate, or to aid or abet in violating, any of these provisions. Existing law exempts a person from licensure and specified requirements imposed on licensees when the person engages in specified acts of veterinary care for an animal, including, among other acts, administering sodium pentobarbital for the euthanasia of sick, injured, homeless, or unwanted domestic pets or animals without the presence of a veterinarian when the person is an employee of an animal control shelter and its agencies or humane society and has received proper training in the administration of sodium pentobarbital for these purposes. This bill would expand this exception to include officers and employees of a shelter and would expand the types of veterinary care that may be provided pursuant to these provisions to include, but not be limited to, the administration of nonprescription vaccinations, pursuant to written protocols, to prevent the spread of communicable disease and administering first aid, as defined, without the presence of a veterinarian as long as the person has received the required training, as specified. The bill would require a shelter engaging in these exempted acts of veterinary care to maintain records of the care, as provided. The bill would preclude these exemptions from being construed to relieve a duly authorized officer of a shelter from the obligation to convey an injured animal to a veterinarian as specified or as otherwise necessary to provide the animal with needed veterinary care that the shelter is unable to perform in accordance with the exempted acts of veterinary care. The bill would exempt a person from licensure and specified requirements imposed on licensees when engaging in specified acts of veterinary care. By changing the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law also requires all premises, as defined, where veterinary medicine, dentistry, or surgery, or the various branches thereof, is being practiced to register with the board. This bill would require public animal shelters, shelters operated by a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, and humane societies that offer limited veterinary services, as defined, to register with the Veterinary Medical Board as a limited veterinary premises. The bill would specify application, staffing, and operations requirements for the limited veterinary premises registration. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose as state-mandated local program. Existing law requires the initial and annual fees for registration of veterinary premises to be set by the board in an amount not to exceed $400 annually. This bill would require a limited veterinary premises to pay that fee. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.