I have been on several house calls when I worked as a Vet Tech, especially for euthanasias. There were a few other calls that we made, including one to a farm to see a swan. Can you imagine trying to take a big bird like a swan in to the vet clinic?
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| Photo via Auburn Alumni Association on Flickr |
With the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act, veterinarians will be allowed to carry controlled substances with them to make important house and farm calls. Many people opt to have their pet euthanized at home, because they feel it's more comfortable. The drug given to pets for a euthanasia procedure is a controlled substance. Without this law, veterinarians would not be able to provide at home euthanasias to their clients and patients.
Besides that, veterinarians can provide anesthesia and pain management to patients who need it as well. Many of the drugs used for pain management are also controlled substances. Other than cats and dogs, veterinarians do mobile calls to farms and even to help wild animals.
But, the bill still needs to pass in the U.S. House. You can help by asking your representative to vote for this bill. More information about the bill and how you can help get it passed completely can be found here at the AVMA website.
I can't imagine not being able to help animal patients who need it most. There are so many situations where a law like this really needs to be in place. In some cases, clients may be elderly or disabled and unable to get their heavy immobile pets in to the vet for treatment or even euthanasia. By being able to carry important drugs with them on their house calls, veterinarians can help a lot of pets and people too.
This is wonderful. It seems only fair that vets will be able to carry those drugs to administer if necessary. Thanks for sharing this news!
ReplyDeleteWe hope it is passed as it will make a huge difference when treating difficult or large pets and urgent cases. Not sure what the situation is over here? Have a fabulous Friday.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Molly
It's something vets are already doing here, but it has just been overlooked I guess you could say. I think the authorities were going to crack down on vets for this which is why they want to put this law in place.
DeleteWhen a vet comes to a home now to euthanize a pet, is that illegal due to the drugs they must carry? Or is it currently a state by state thing?
ReplyDeleteThey are trying to pass a law that will make it illegal for vets to carry controlled substances in a mobile setting. Here's an article I found about it - http://evetclinic.com/389/our-blogs/controlled-substance-act-making-it-illegal-for-mobile-vets-to-carry-euthanasia-solution
DeleteHuh... We had our first pup euthanized at home. I wonder if she was breaking the law by carrying the necessary drugs? It was a great service as our first dog was terrified of the vet's office, and I didn't want her last moments to be filled with fear. For our last dog, Abby, we did go to the vet's office as they all treated her like a rock star and she loved going there. :( Two years ago today...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on this. I went to the site and they made it quite easy to email my representative.
Thanks for helping out Jackie! They are trying to pass a law that will make it illegal for vets to carry controlled substances. See the link above for more information.
Deletethis is an excellent post ann and very informative...thanx for the link...I know for a fact the lady that lives about 5 miles from here and runs an animal sanctuary, is going to love this bill if it passes; she takes in all animals, both domestic and wild...we transported a wounded swan to her about 2 years ago and it was not an easy thing to do.....thankfully the swan , tho his wing was broke, did very well under her care....I wont mention what "agencies" said...no...they were to busy to help...we just wanted the poor creature to get to her and with as less stress and pain as possible....
ReplyDeleteSwans are not super easy to handle are they? Hopefully this law does well in the House.
DeleteThis is a wonderful news :)
ReplyDeleteThat's all great news. They should be allowed to carry whatever they need to help the animals.
ReplyDeleteJust the fact that they can't already do this legally points out the need to provide more education to the idiots running our country. End of short rant.
ReplyDeleteThey can do this right now Brian. There is a different law that is trying to get passed that will prohibit them from doing it, so they need this in place.
DeleteI’m glad the Senate passed it but that means the House won’t even bring it to a vote. It’s such an important bill but it should be a non-issue and vets shouldn’t have to fight for it.
ReplyDeleteThis is great. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteTypical big government. They pass a sweeping bill which impacts more than what they are tying to control. Hopefully they get it straightened out.
ReplyDelete