Vets say ‘no’ on prop 129, that it will not help rural vet shortage

As veterinarians who have spent our careers devoted to the health and welfare of pets and livestock in rural Colorado communities, we are alarmed at Proposition 129 on this November’s Colorado election ballot.

This proposition would create an unnecessary and potentially dangerous new role called a Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA) – a sort of “quasi-veterinarian” with much less training and experience than actual Doctors of Veterinary Medicine.

Under Proposition 129, a VPA’s training would be mostly online with minimal hands-on instruction, yet these individuals would be allowed to diagnose illness and perform surgery, among other critical tasks. There’s a reason this job does not exist anywhere in the United States – it’s a bad idea.

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