I oppose the proposal as written.  Most vets are not business owners, but work for the veterinary hospital or clinic.  It is my opinion that vets are licensed to care for animals and to give medical care to animals and need to focus their continuing education on courses that will assist the vet in giving competent care to the animals.  Vets who choose to own the business, need to accept the responsibility that comes with owning a business in addition to the responsibility that comes with taking care of the animals.  They reap the benefits, and should accept that there are additional burdens with those benefits.  Pet owners should not have to bear the burden of the vet's education for business practice when it can impact the quality of care that our pets receive.

 As an owner of companion animals, I take my cats to the vets for their medical care.  I do not take my pets to the vets because of the vet’s business acumen.

 Based on experience, I believe that pet owners in VA need any and all protection that they can receive that will help vets be competent.  Continuing education can add a little assurance to pet owners that their vet is up to date on veterinary care.

It is my opinion, that VA does not require a vet to practice veterinary care with any degree of reasonable care.

Case in point:

            Molly Mittens a healthy kitten went to the vets for a routine spay.

            Her surgery ended at 1130 a.m.

            At 2:30 p.m. the vets told the owners that her surgery “went well” and “she was waking up fine”.

            At 4:40 p.m. the vet writes in the medical record that “Molly is non responsive.” The vet does nothing.  No VS were taken, no saturation was taken, NO call to the owners to all them to make an informed decision as to whether or not to transfer her to an overnight clinic.

            At 5 p.m., the vet locks the doors and turns off the lights.

In the morning, this precious, innocent kitten is found dead.  No surprise since no treatment or care nor was a phone call made to the owners to give them the option of making an informed decision.

 The Veterinary Board of VA determined that this did not violate any regulations, despite the fact that VA does require that vets practice in a manner that is consistent with a reasonable standard of care.

Since this vet, per the Board, did not violate any regulations therefore this vet practiced a reasonable standard of care. Meaning in VA, a vet can leave a non responsive kitten who was waking up well 2 hours earlier all alone to die and not even call the owner.  This is what passes for a "reasonable standard of care" for veterinarians in VA.

I believe that this Board should have required this vet to take mandatory education regarding post op care of a patient and a course in veterinary ethics.  (If one exists. If one does not exist, that is a problem that this board needs to address.  Attorneys in VA are required to have 2 hours of Ethics each year, this should be a requirement for vets, in my opinoin.)  The owners should have been notified and should have been allowed to make an informed decision as to Molly’s care. Which I can assure you, would not have been to turn off the lights and allow Molly to suffer and die all alone in the dark.

Please protect the pets and the pet owners in VA and do not allow this proposal.  I have no doubt that this board will instead decide to protect the vets of VA.  Part of being able to call yourself a "professional" means that there is meaningful self-governance and Peer Review.  When the board fails in it's mandate to do adequate Peer Review, it lowers the standards for all veterinarians, and makes it difficult to see vets as anything other than technicians and not professionals.

 I am willing to share Molly Mittens’ medical record, my complaint to the Board and the Board’s decision, that Molly’s care was appropriate with anyone who is interested.  I can be contacted at mollymittens7@gmail.com. I have consulted many "neutral" vets and have yet to find one that can explain why this was appropriate care and met a reasonable standard of care for Molly. 

 Pet owners and their pets deserve a much higher reasonable standard of care from vets or in Molly's care a minimal standard of care.  Taking her VS, or calling the owner should have been the minimal that was done to help Molly.  However, in Virginia not even that is required of a vet.

Please, please protect our pets and not the vets.

Respectfully submitted,

Molly Mittens’ Mom.