Modernizing
the Practice
of Veterinary
Medicine
SCOPE OF
PRACTICE
•Exemptions•
Existing Provisions
The Veterinarians Act currently prohibits any person, other than a veterinarian, from
engaging in the practice of veterinary medicine or holding himself or herself out as
engaging in the practice of veterinary medicine. However, there are exemptions for:
a. a person who is providing emergency first aid without charging a fee;
b. an animal’s owner, a member of the owner’s household, or a person employed for
general agricultural or domestic work by the owner;
c. a person who is taking blood samples
d. a person who is preventing or treating fish or invertebrate diseases;
e. a person who is collecting or using semen for the purposes of a business that
engages in the artificial insemination of livestock;
f. a person who is collecting or transporting ova and embryos of animals other than
mammals;
g. a student of veterinary medicine to the extent that the student is engaging in the
undergraduate curriculum of studies at the Ontario Veterinary College of the
University of Guelph.
What Change is Proposed?
It is proposed that the current exemptions in the Act remain with a change to expand the
learner exemption to include students of an accredited veterinary medicine program and
students of an accredited veterinary technician program. Further, it is proposed that the
existing exemption in (b) above be amended to also exempt a custodian of an animal to
administer a treatment plan, made by a veterinarian, and at the direction of the owner.
In addition, the Veterinarians Act would not apply to prevent a person who holds an
appropriate certificate of registration from the Ontario College of Pharmacists from
compounding and dispensing drugs for, or selling drugs to, the owner of an animal
There would be an additional proposed exemption for:
• An act by a person is not in contravention of the authorized activities section of the Act
if the person is exempted by the regulations under this Act
This broad exemption is intended to allow for agility by allowing the creation of exemptions
in regulations, such as exemptions for:
1. A person performing an authorized activity under a delegation or order of a
veterinarian
2. A member of the College of Chiropractors of Ontario is exempt from the authorized
activities section of the Veterinarians Act for the purpose of:
a. Moving the joints of an animal’s spine beyond the animal’s usual physiological range
of motion using a fast, low amplitude thrust
b. putting a finger beyond the anus for the purpose of manipulating the tailbone
Why is the College Considering Changes to this Concept?
The proposed model has attempted to ensure that it does not unduly restrict the
appropriate performance of certain animal care activities by competent individuals who
are not veterinarians. The model recognizes that certain classes of non-veterinarians have
the requisite competence, skills, knowledge, and judgment to perform defined authorized
activities, or aspects of them, and clarifies when and how this may be done.
24 Achieving a Modern Approach to the Regulation of Veterinary Medicine in Ontario