The Veterinary surgeons exemptions order

Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966
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Protection of Animals Act
The Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order 1962
How to get an alternative therapist to treat your animal

The Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order 1962

With the movement of Complementary Therapies into the field of animal treatment, this Order was introduced to amend the Veterinary Surgeons Act to take such legitimate therapies into account.

As far as Complementary Therapies are concerned, this Order refers to 4 categories:

Manipulative Therapies
This covers only Physiotherapy, Osteopathy and Chiropractic and allows these therapies where a vet has diagnosed the condition and decided that this treatment would be appropriate.

Animal behaviourism
Behavioural treatment is exempt, unless medication is used where permission must again be sought from the vet.

Faith Healing
According to the RCVS Guide to Professinal Conduct, Faith Healers have their own Code of Practice which indicates that permission must be sought from a vet before healing is given by the "laying on of hands"

Other complementary Therapies
"It is illegal, in terms of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, for lay practitioners however qualified in the human field, to treat animals. At the same time it is incumbent on veterinary surgeons offering any complementary therapy to ensure that they are adequately trained in its application." (RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct 2000 - treatment of animals by non-veterinary surgeons)

So, apart from the manipulative therapies, behavioural treatment and faith healing, all other forms of Complementary Therapy are illegal in the treatment of animals.

The Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order states that: -

1. The Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order 1962 allows for the treatment of animals by 'physiotherapy', provided that the animal has first been seen by a veterinary surgeon who has diagnosed the condition and decided that it should be treated by physiotherapy under his/her direction.

2. 'Physiotherapy' is interpreted as including all kinds of manipulative therapy. It therefore includes osteopathy and chiropractic but would not, for example, include acupuncture or aromatherapy.