COLUMN: Voters shouldn’t decide future of veterinary medicine

There is a veterinary care ballot question going before voters in November, backed by Gov. Jared Polis and Heidi Ganahl. It is, once again, a perfect illustration of why Colorado’s citizen-led ballot proposal question must be remedied.

Rep. Karen McCormick, a retired veterinarian, brought forward HB24-1048 Providing Veterinary Services Through Telehealth and HB24-1047 Veterinary Technician Scope of Practice last session. Both were signed into law after going through multiple committee hearings and ample public comment.

The veterinary telehealth law allows for and defines different types of telehealth veterinarians may legally utilize by establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship with consent of the client. This replaces the requirement that the patient be examined in an in-person, physical examination. It also allows a veterinarian to refer a patient to a specialist and affords that specialist to provide services under the referring veterinarian’s relationship.

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