COLORADO, USA — A group of veterinarians and advocates for animal health is proposing two measures for Colorado's November ballot that, if approved, would make it easier for pet owners to get vet care.
The Vet Care Coalition is a group of veterinarians, pet owners, and animal welfare organizations that works to increase access to vet care. The coalition submitted ballot proposals 144 and 145.
The Denver Dumb Friends League is part of the coalition. DDFL's President and CEO, Dr. Apryl Steele, helped draft these proposals.
Proposal 144 would let veterinarians use telehealth for appointments, without having to see the pet in person first.
"We know that there are animals that are really hard to get into the veterinary hospital. There are people that live hours away from a veterinary hospital that need expert advice from veterinarians," Steele said. "What we have to consider is, if getting there is not an option, that doesn't mean there should be no veterinary expertise provided for that pet."
Proposal 145 would establish a new position called Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA). This position could be filled by someone with a master's degree in veterinary care. They'd be able to work under the supervision of a veterinarian to provide some care, like diagnosing conditions, providing treatment, prescribing medicine and even performing some surgeries.
"There are vet technicians that have mostly a two-year associate's degree, and then there are doctors of veterinary care that have 8-plus years of education. And nothing in between," Steele said. "So we're trying to open it up so people can get more care."
Another goal of these ballot measures is to make veterinary care more affordable.
"It's expensive to provide veterinary care," Steele said. "No matter if a pet has a wealthy owner or not, they feel the same amount of pain, they get sick the same amount, and they deserve to get care. These are family members. And for us to say that you have to be privileged and wealthy to care for this family member, it's just unacceptable."
The proposals have a status hearing in the state legislature Jan. 25. If approved, they'll need enough signatures to get on the November ballot.
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