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Hobby farmers with backyard chickens, small ruminants, pet pigs, and other animals may be reaching out to veterinarians in the coming months as OTC antibiotics sold at feed stores will soon need a veterinary prescription. As of June 11, 2023, all medically important antimicrobials will require a prescription per FDA's guidance for industry (GFI) 263...
The following message was distributed by the Colorado State Veterinarian’s Office on April 14, 2023. The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) State Veterinarian’s Office was notified on March 28 that a horse residing in Garfield County had tested presumptive positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA). The initial test was completed at Colorado State University’s Western Slope Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory with the confirmatory test completed at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, on April 4. The positive horse was euthanized on April 11 and the exposed horses are currently under...
USDA’s Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), authorized by the National Veterinary Medical Services Act (NVMSA) helps qualified veterinarians offset a significant portion of the debt incurred in pursuit of their veterinary medicine degrees in return for their service in certain high-priority veterinary shortage situations. VMLRP awardees commit to providing at least three years of food animal veterinary services in a designated veterinary shortage area in return for payments of up to $25,000 of student loan debt per year with a maximum of $75,000 for a three-year contract. VMLRP awardees are...
The following message was distributed by the Colorado State Veterinarian's Office on February 28, 2023. Because highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continues to present a threat to birds across Colorado, the Colorado State Veterinarian’s office has issued updated guidance for poultry events, such as swaps, meets, and competitions. The guidance asks poultry owners to increase safety precautions and biosecurity practices, monitor their flocks for illness, and report any sick or dead birds to the State Veterinarian’s Office. “The most important thing poultry owners can do right now to protect their birds from...
CVMA is tracking a handful of bills currently in the Colorado legislature that could have the potential to impact animals and veterinarians in Colorado if passed by the legislature and signed into law. Note: Bills regarding the mid-level practitioner and other changes to the Veterinary Practice Act have not yet been introduced in the state legislature, and are not reflected below. Bills CVMA supports Veterinary Education Loan Repayment Program (SB 23-044) This bill would update the veterinary education loan repayment program in the following ways: Increase the number of qualified applicants per year from...
Will Colorado’s Veterinary Practice Act be expanded to include mid-level practitioners and relax VCPR requirements for telehealth? A new bill put forth by the Animal Welfare Association of Colorado (AWAC) is proposing just that. AWAC hosted a town hall on Wednesday, February 1 to share information about its upcoming bill that would include significant changes to the Veterinary Practice Act. CVMA notified members of the town hall and encouraged them to attend to learn more about what AWAC is proposing. CVMA wants to ensure members are informed of proposed changes that could...
Thank you to all our CVMA members and friends who took the time to attend our virtual town hall regarding the mid-level practitioner on Thursday, January 19. Due to time constraints during the town hall, we were unable to answer every question that was submitted. We have included answers to all the questions submitted below. Looking for more information on the mid-level veterinary practitioner issue? Get more information on our website here. Question 1: Is there an analogous credentialed position in human healthcare i.e. physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner? How was the...
CVMA Position Statement on the Veterinary Professional Associate (Mid-Level Practitioner) Updated by the CVMA Board of Directors January 13, 2023; Originally adopted February 17, 2022 CVMA strongly opposes the mid-level veterinary practitioner as a new professional, and opposes any education program that would educate and graduate such a professional. Origin of the mid-level veterinary practitioner During the 2021-2022 renewal of the Colorado Veterinary Practice Act, an idea surfaced to create a mid-level professional in veterinary medicine (this professional would be similar to a physician assistant in human medicine). The proposed profession has been offered to...
The mid-level practitioner…what is it, and how could it impact veterinary medicine in Colorado? For over a year, CVMA has been asking these questions to see whether a new veterinary professional could positively impact the delivery of veterinary medicine in Colorado. This article is the third in a series exploring the concept of the mid-level practitioner and examining what may make sense for Colorado. Interested in being a part of the conversation? CVMA is hosting a town hall Q&A session on Thursday, January 19 — click here to register, and click here to...
The following information was distributed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture on December 20, 2022. The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are cautioning horse owners not to feed Top of the Rockies alfalfa cubes with the date codes 111222, 111322, 111422, 111522, and 111622. Consumers who have products marked with those date codes or who are unsure of the date code should throw them away in a secure container and follow the handling and cleaning instructions below. Horse owners should immediately consult their...