Sterilization of animals promotes healthy animals/control for burgeoning cat and dog popu
Not everyone can afford to spend hours volunteering, and nonprofits are finding it harder and harder to find paid veterinarians, let alone volunteers. The veterinary workforce shortage has a significant effect on low-income communities across Virginia – the proposed changes would allow for increased participation by veterinarians in programs designed to help more animals in those communities by eliminating the requirement that they must work without compensation.
Overpopulation has been exacerbated the ongoing veterinary shortages. Non-profit organizations that have the surgical facilities are struggling with such a limited pool of Virginia-licensed veterinarians. High volume, high quality, space/neuter services are the most effective way to address the crisis of companion, animal overpopulation, that floods overburdened public shelters with animals.
Allowing CE credits for sterilizing and vaccinating animals who otherwise would not receive any veterinary care supports public health at large while providing the opportunity for practitioners to hone their surgical skills and work in novel environments.
The proposed changes would neither allow nor encourage veterinarians and technicians to use time spent working in low-cost spay/neuter clinics to fulfill all their CE requirements. There are still many other CE opportunities available for them to pursue according to their needs and interests, and the regulation does not limit an individual’s pursuit of learning.
We should be doing everything we can to promote sterilization as it is an effective, responsible and humane method of. controlling companion, animal overpopulation that also bestows health benefits to these animals.
