§ 20-197 — License required. Practice defined. Veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Requirement.

(a) No person shall practice veterinary medicine, surgery or dentistry until such person has obtained a license as provided in section 20-199. A person shall be construed to practice veterinary medicine, surgery or dentistry, within the meaning of this chapter, who holds himself or herself out as being able to diagnose, administer biologics for, treat, operate or prescribe for any animal or bird disease, pain, injury, deformity or physical condition, or who either offers or undertakes, by any means or methods, to diagnose, administer biologics for, treat, operate or prescribe for any animal or bird disease, pain, injury, deformity or physical condition. The euthanizing of animals in accordance with applicable state and federal drug laws by the Connecticut Humane Society, the floating of teeth in horses by persons experienced in that practice and the performance of myofascial trigger point therapy by persons experienced in that practice shall not be deemed to be the practice of veterinary medicine. For the purposes of this section, “floating teeth” means using hand-held rasps to reduce or eliminate sharp or uneven edges on a horse's upper and lower molars to avoid injury to the tongue and cheeks and to improve chewing food, but does not include treating decay or tumors or extracting teeth. For the purposes of this section, “myofascial trigger point therapy” means the use of specific palpation, compression, stretching and corrective exercise for promoting optimum athleticism, and “persons experienced in that practice” means persons who, prior to October 1, 2003, have attended a minimum of two hundred hours of classroom, lecture and hands-on practice in myofascial trigger point therapy, including animal musculoskeletal anatomy and biomechanics, theory and application of animal myofascial trigger point techniques, factors that habituate a presenting condition and corrective exercise. (b) No veterinarian licensed under this chapter may practice veterinary medicine on an animal without first establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship with the animal and the owner of the animal or person responsible for the care of the animal, except that a veterinarian licensed under this chapter may provide, in good faith, emergency or urgent care to an animal when no veterinarian-client-patient relationship has been established if the owner of the animal or person responsible for the care of such animal cannot be identified. A veterinarian shall be deemed to have established a veterinarian-client-patient relationship if the following conditions have been met: (1) The veterinarian has assumed the responsibility of making medical judgments regarding the health of the animal and the need for the provision of medical care or treatment to the animal and has instructed the owner of the animal or person responsible for the care of the animal on the appropriate course of medical care or treatment of the animal; (2) The veterinarian has sufficient knowledge of the animal to make at least a preliminary or general diagnosis of the animal; (3) The owner of the animal or person responsible for the care of the animal has agreed to follow the veterinarian's recommendations regarding medical care or treatment of the animal; (4) The veterinarian is available for a follow-up evaluation of the animal or has arranged for (A) emergency or urgent care coverage for the animal, or (B) continuing medical care or treatment of the animal, as designated by the veterinarian, by another licensed veterinarian who (i) has access to the animal's medical records, or (ii) can provide reasonable and appropriate medical care or treatment to the animal; (5) The veterinarian oversees the medical care or treatment of the animal; and (6) The veterinarian (A) has performed a physical examination of the animal, or (B) is personally acquainted with the keeping and care of the animal by virtue of providing timely and appropriate medical care or treatment to another animal at the same location where the animal is kept. (c) A veterinarian-client-patient relationship may not be established solely through veterinary telemedicine. After a veterinarian-client-patient relationship has been established, such relationship may be maintained through veterinary telemedicine in between medically necessary examinations of the animal by the veterinarian or timely medical visits by the veterinarian to the location where the animal is kept. If there is no veterinarian-client-patient relationship, a veterinarian may only provide general advice using electronic means and shall not provide any specific advice regarding the animal, including, but not limited to, any diagnosis or recommended medical care or treatment of the animal. As used in this subsection, “veterinary telemedicine” means the exchange of medical information regarding the status of an animal's health or the delivery of a medical diagnosis, care or treatment of an animal through electronic means, including, but not limited to, telephone, video, mobile applications or an Internet web site-based platform.

Legislative History

(1949 Rev., S. 4600; 1957, P.A. 360, S. 2; P.A. 79-262, S. 1; P.A. 81-57, S. 1, 2; P.A. 86-123, S. 3; P.A. 98-94; P.A. 03-277, S. 1; P.A. 04-109, S. 3; P.A. 05-288, S. 83; P.A. 21-90, S. 12.) History: P.A. 79-262 replaced “and” following “condition” with “or”; P.A. 81-57 excluded the euthanizing of animals from consideration as practice of veterinary medicine; P.A. 86-123 eliminated provision exempting poultry from provisions of section; P.A. 98-94 excluded floating of teeth in horses by persons experienced in that practice from meaning of practice of veterinary medicine; P.A. 03-277 excluded the performance of myofascial trigger point therapy by persons experienced in that practice from the meaning of practicing veterinary medicine and defined “myofascial trigger point therapy” and “persons experienced in that practice”; P.A. 04-109 made technical changes, effective May 21, 2004; P.A. 05-288 made technical changes, effective July 13, 2005; P.A. 21-90 designated existing provision as Subsec. (a) and added Subsecs. (b) and (c) re veterinarian-client-patient relationship requirement, effective July 1, 2021. Cited. 3 Conn. Cir. Ct. 12.