When Florida massage therapists, light therapists and animal communicators started receiving cease and desist orders, the Florida Board of Veterinary Medicine was asked for an interpretation of the state’s veterinary practices law.

After the board failed to respond, the Florida Alliance For Animal Owners Rights submitted this list of practices that they felt would never be considered to be practicing veterinary medicine:

1. Acupressure.
2. Aromatherapy.
3. Animal communications.
4. Farriery.
5. Flower-essence therapy.
6. Hands-on healing.
7. Homeopathy.
8. Light therapy.
9. Magnet therapy.
10. Nutritional counseling.

A Wrong Move!

So you can imagine alliance members’ shock when the state board on March 2 decided that all 10 qualified as the practice of vet medicine. The executive summary of that meeting states, “The board discussed the modalities presented by the Florida Alliance for Animal Owners Rights and voted that performing those modalities on animals other than your own would be considered the practice of veterinary medicine.”

Unfortunately, farriery was on the list, says Nancy Stephens, president of the Tallahassee, Fla., based group that represents vets, equine dentists, massage therapists, farriers and animal owners.

While it’s not likely that farriers will be told they can’t shoe horses without the approval of a vet, that’s unfortunately now the law in Florida. And the state has already tried to stop some folks from practicing their trades.

“We want to know who is and is not breaking the law and have allowances for therapies and services that vets typically don’t provide,” says Stephens. “Selective enforcement of the current law is another problem and…