In recent weeks, we’ve received a number of e-mail messages concerning the Model Veterinary Practices Act draft proposal that is currently being updated by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) in Schaumburg, Ill. Public comments on the proposal were being accepted through March 15.

The issues raised in the e-mail messages boil down to some fears that adoption of this proposed language in state veterinary practice acts could make it illegal for anyone other than a veterinarian to pass along information that the group considers in any way, shape or form,  to deal with veterinary medicine. 

If these fears would prove to be true, then the key question for our readers is what impact the proposed language would have on farriers.

Not To Worry

AVMA staffers recently told the American Farriers Journal editors that you shouldn’t have any worries. “I don’t see it affecting farriers and that is certainly not the intent of the draft proposal,” says Elizabeth Sabin, the AVMA staff liaison to the 10-member task force who spent 30 months making revisions. “It was certainly not the intent of these revisions to consider regulating farriers.”

In fact, distributing general health advice is not the problem for the AVMA organization. But when the advice gets into specific diagnosing and treatment areas that are a function of veterinary medicine, there are concerns.

The current single-spaced draft runs 18 pages and includes two dozen sections. While much of the proposal deals with regulation of veterinarians, several key sections appear disturbing to…