Extraordinary Business

1) Proposed Changes to Large Animal Bylaws

This link is to a pdf of a draft of changes to large animal bylaws presently being considered by council. These changes, to be drafted by Wade Sweet, will be presented to the membership at the AGM in November 2010. Please read them and forward any concerns, questions, suggestions to Juanita Glencross. She can present them for discussion at the CVMA conference in Calgary in July 2010.

2) Revenue Tax Guide - Veterinary Clinics

The second installment of the Revenue Tax Guide - Veterinary Clinics has been posted
online http://www.gov.pe.ca/pt/taxandland/index.php3?number=1029935 for consultation. This installment includes the Application of Revenue Tax to Consumables Purchased by Veterinary Clinics.

We would welcome input by your association members.

The consultation process has been valuable to date. I am pleased to report that we did get some feedback and have incorporated clarifications into the first installment as a result. Please thank your members on our behalf.

3) Use of Integrative Therapies Policy Statement

The diverse group of medical and health care therapies which are not considered a part of routine veterinary practice are most often referred to as holistic, complementary, alternative, or integrative medicine. These include veterinary: acupuncture, botanical or herbal medicine, chiropractic or manipulative therapy, homeopathy, laser and shock-wave therapy, physiotherapy or massage therapy, and many others. When performed within a context of a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship, these therapies are recognized as being an integral part of veterinary medicine by many national and international veterinary organizations. Nevertheless, there may be uncertainty in the mind of the veterinarian as to the appropriate circumstances for their use, the qualifications of practitioners employing these methods, and how the owner of an animal which might benefit from such treatment can be ethically directed to obtain it.

Guidelines

1) Integrative medicine constitutes the practice of veterinary medicine as defined in the Veterinary Profession Act, section 1(h)i, ii, iii.

2) Only veterinarians have the education and background to evaluate and integrate these less common modalities into a treatment regimen for animals.

3) The various modalities which comprise integrative medicine have differing levels of scientific validity, and each must be considered on its own merits by the veterinarian attending a case for which such therapy may be proposed.

7) The PEI Veterinary Medical Association does not certify or license either veterinarians or facilities with regard to provision of integrative therapies. Certification of veterinarians is the responsibility of the appropriate professional specialty group for any particular discipline. 

8) In the event of a complaint by the animal owner which involves the use of an integrative therapy by a Member, the complaint will be subject to the normal process as described in Section 21 of the Bylaws.