virginia can be the leader for Professional Standards in medical care for companion animals. Owner notification and consent must be made mandatory. Medical care and decisions must never be made without specific, lawful guidelines that include medical students working under strict guidance from veterinary doctors at all times and owner notification and consent for all medical care. The bond with an animal is as lasting as the ties of this world can ever be and in their time of medical need we must rely on specific protocol and guidelines used by the doctors in every situation.