Important Notice for Owners to Read
In the UK, all animal practitioners must ask for veterinary consent before assessing or treating an animal that is in pain, or is displaying signs or symptoms that indicate it may have a medical problem. Only happy, healthy animals who’s owners want preventative or competition care, may bypass this process, but the Osteopath will must make the final decision on receipt of the animal’s medical history.
It is rarely, if ever, thay we have consent to treat declined, but if it is, it’s usually for good reason, so please do not see this as a barrier to osteopathic care. The law is simply in place for the greater good of the animal, as they cannot communicate pain in the same way that we do, and sadly, some owners cut corners to the detriment of the animal’s safety.
Attaining consent, generally consists of a simple email or phone call to your veterinarian, to explain you have requested treatment for your email and to attain additional background or medical information that may shape the next steps of treatment.
Important Update from RCVS and DEFRA
Posted on November 27, 2020 by Association of Animal Osteopaths
REGARDING CONSENT FOR VETERINARY OSTEOPATHS, CHIROPRACTORS AND PHYSIOTHERAPISTS TO TREAT ANIMALS
Important information for owners, vets and practitioners, there has been a clarification regarding consent from vets for animal osteopaths, animal chiropractors and animal physiotherapist practitioners to treat animals.The update from RCVS can be found on their website at: https://www.rcvs.org.uk
The following update has come from RAMP (The Register of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners. www.rampregister.org
RCVS Guidance clarification for MSK Practitioners. The following Guidance has been passed by the RCVS Standards Committee and will be circulated among the veterinary profession:
a) Musculoskeletal therapists are part of the vet-led team. Animals cared for or treated by musculoskeletal therapists must be registered with a veterinary surgeon. Musculoskeletal therapists carry out a range of manipulative therapies, including physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic therapy.
b) As per the Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order 2015, remedial treatment by ‘physiotherapy’ requires delegation by a veterinary surgeon who has first examined the animal. ‘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. It is up to the professional judgment of the veterinary surgeon to determine whether and when a clinical examination should be repeated before musculoskeletal treatment is continued.
c) The delegating veterinary surgeon should ensure, before delegation, that they are confident that the musculoskeletal therapist is appropriately qualified and competent; indicators can include membership of a voluntary register with associated standards of education and conduct, supported by a disciplinary process. As the RCVS does not regulate musculoskeletal therapists it cannot recommend specific voluntary registers.
d) Musculoskeletal maintenance care for a healthy animal, for instance massage, does not require delegation by a veterinary surgeon. However, the animal must still be registered with a veterinary surgeon. Maintenance should cease and the owner of the animal should be asked to take their animal to a veterinary surgeon for clinical examination at the first sign that there may be any underlying injury, disease or pathology. Alternatively, the musculoskeletal therapist may ask the client for formal consent to disclose any concerns to the veterinary surgeon that has their animal under their care.
This has come about as a result of RAMP Council consultation with DEFRA and the RCVS around clarification for veterinary consent for Competition and Maintenance Care.
To reiterate, the only difference to current practice is in point d). An animal declared healthy by the owner, in cases where care is given to maintain good health and optimise competition performance, can be seen without specific Veterinary referral with the caveats stated. This covers the areas of Maintenance care and Competition care ONLY.
This clarification will ease the current legal grey area and hope it will improve communication between MSK Practitioners and the Veterinary Profession. ANY pathology must be reported back to the animals registered vet immediately.
What this means for owners
We first ask all owners to complete a case history form which we expect owners to complete in full and not witholding information that could result in inappropriate treatment, putting the animal at risk.
The case history is reviewed by your osteopath. You will be informed about vet consent at this stage.
If your osteopath considers that theremay be an underlying problem, or deems the request to fall outside of “Musculoskeletal maintenance care for a healthy animal” they will let you know that they need to speak to your veterinarian in the first instance. Your consent is required for this process, but this is attained at the case history phase.
Your osteopath will disclose the animals case notes with their veteriarian—typically over the phone. If the vet is busy or unavailable, this process can take a few days.
Not until vet consent has been given—sometimes after they have seen the animal themselves—can the osteopath progress with treatment.
There are occasions where vet consent is refused but if this happens, it is almost always for good reason and with the animal’s welfare at heart. If this happens, we will not be able to continue with your request to treat, osteopathically.
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