CVMA Letter to Veterinarians
California Veterinary Medical Association
June 15, 2007
Dear CVMA Member:
In a sincere effort to reduce the hundreds of thousands of cats and dogs euthanized in California shelters each year, the CVMA decided to co-sponsor AB-1634 the California Healthy Pets Act. The CVMA has supported overpopulation efforts for many years. The decision to sponsor this legislation was heavily debated by the Board of Governors. The House of Delegates studied this issue at their November meeting and recommended uniform spay/neuter legislation across the state. We did not anticipate that our position would divide the veterinary community, that breeder clients would threaten to change veterinarians based on CVMA membership and demean the character of our highly respected Association.
The opposition has spread misinformation regarding this legislation. We hope you will read the bill and base your opinion on fact. AB-1634 can be found on the CVMA website at cvma.net. We appreciate your concerns and opinions and are working hard on amendments to address those issues.
The following changes are in the process of being inserted into AB-1634.
a.. Change the spay/neuter age to 6 months. Any veterinarian can provide a letter exempting a dog or cat for an additional 3 months and may write a second letter for an additional 3 month exemption (up to 1 year of age.)
b.. Add an exemption for any owner to purchase an intact permit that allows them to own an intact dog or cat. Any dog or cat that qualifies under this exemption would be limited to one litter per year.
c.. Allow any purebred dog or cat to qualify for an intact permit. The current language requiring purebred dogs or cats to participate in a show or competition, be in training to compete, or to have earned a title would be removed.
d.. Add language that clearly states that veterinarians will not be required to report the spay/neuter status of dogs and cats under their care, or enforce the provisions of this bill.
These amendments assure that any owner of any mixed breed dog or cat can keep their animal intact. Of course, the bill retains the language that assures that veterinarians make all medical decisions. There is no requirement for a veterinarian to perform the spay or neuter if he or she believes that, due to age or any medical condition, the animal should not undergo the surgical procedure. We think these amendments and this legislation will greatly improve the effort to reduce pet overpopulation in California.
We appreciate the phone calls, letters, and emails that you have sent voicing your concerns. We apologize if you did not receive a response but our resources are limited. We regret if this legislation has caused you any inconvenience.
Sincerely,
Ron Faoro, DVM
President
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