ߣÏÈÉú

With so much on the ballot this Nov. 5, it is easy to overlook things.

As a veterinarian who has devoted his career to caring for your pets, I wanted to alert you to one item:  Prop 129 seeks to create a new paraprofessional in the veterinary field called a veterinary professional associate.

Under Prop 129, students would complete a , and a one-semester internship. As outlined, the program would encompass 65 credit hours, which is about half the credit hours required by most programs for veterinarians and would consist of three semesters of fully online lectures with no laboratory; a fourth semester of truncated basic clinical skills training; and a short internship/practicum.

---

---

Additionally, as mentioned there is no accreditation or certifying examination. This is unbelievable. Veterinary professional associates are not required to carry liability insurance — all liability and legal risk for a veterinary professional associate’s work would fall solely on the veterinarian. 

Currently, only Colorado State University’s proposed master’s program would satisfy the requirements to qualify for a veterinary professional associate. 

---

---

Despite this alarming lack of formal education and proper training, veterinary professional associates would be able to practice the full scope of veterinary care, including performing surgeries. While on the surface a small few may think this is a good idea, the actual enactment and fulfillment of this role was poorly thought out and actually endangers your pet’s health.

Currently, there is no credentialing or certifying examination for veterinary professional associates. You read that right. As a veterinary professional, I find this completely unacceptable.

Would you want a medical surgeon who has not undergone the requisite rigorous training and credentialling to operate on you? I wouldn’t. When it comes to your pet’s safety and well-being, even routine procedures can become complicated. 

Yet Prop 129 would allow an undertrained and non-credentialed individual to operate on your pet. In short, Prop 129 threatens to upend the critical education and training standards that safeguard the high quality of veterinary care across the state, putting animal and public health in unnecessary jeopardy. 

---

Want the news to come to you? Get the top stories in your inbox every morning. Sign up here: VailDaily.com/newsletter

---

It further appalls me that Prop 129 and its proponents are attempting to fool voters into supporting the creation of a new position for a job that isn’t necessary and doesn’t exist so that colleges and private equity firms can profit from unsuspecting students and pet owners. and pet owners report that they want a veterinarian in charge of their pet’s care. To put it simply, this measure and its backers are putting profits before safe veterinary care and the health of Colorado pets and other animals.  

Colorado voters must not allow Proposition 129 to jeopardize the vet care that our pets and animals deserve. I urge voters to vote no on Proposition 129 this November. 

Steve Sheldon is a retired veterinarian in Eagle Colorado. He is a past president of the South Florida Veterinary Medical Association and a current member of the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association and a member of the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association Advocacy Committee.