college
CONNECTION
COUNCIL SETS WILDLIFE POLICY
July 2020 / Vol. 36 No. 2
ISSN 2370-5965
FEATURED
Council Highlights
As well as reading College Connection,
you can keep up to date on Council news,
including minutes, highlights and video
replays, through the College website. Visit
cvo.org/Council for information on past
and upcoming Council meetings.
Non-Drug Veterinary Products
In working with veterinarians whose practice includes wildlife and the
relevant provincial authorities, the College has established a wildlife policy.
Wildlife species found in Ontario have
an important role in our ecosystem.
Veterinarians, like the public, want to
ensure wildlife are properly managed and
receive care when needed.
Veterinarians may, as employees
or volunteers, provide services and
treatment to wildlife. The provision of
veterinary services to wildlife is unique
and requires a veterinarian to develop
expertise, knowledge and relationships
outside of traditional practice. The
College’s policy document strives to help
veterinarians understand the legal and
regulatory framework involved.
The public will commonly reach out
to veterinarians when they encounter
injured or ill wildlife. Following emergency
treatment, wildlife should then be
transferred to a wildlife custodian
for rehabilitation or release. Wildlife
custodians are authorized by the Ministry
of Natural Resources and Forestry to
rehabilitate and care for injured, sick
or immature wildlife. A veterinarian
may treat wildlife that is in the care of a
wildlife custodian within a veterinarianclient-patient
relationship.
When wildlife is presented by the public,
veterinarians are permitted to euthanize
wildlife without consent when that is
the most humane course of action. A
veterinarian may also euthanize wildlife
that is in the care of a wildlife custodian
or they can dispense T-61 to a wildlife
custodian for the purpose of euthanasia.
The College appreciates those who
contributed their thoughts to the
development of the new policy. The
policy statement is available on the
College website at cvo.org/wildlife.
Earlier this year, College Council
approved a Policy Statement on the
Sale of Non-Drug Veterinary Products.
A helpful guide is also available. A
veterinarian is expected to discuss with
their client whether a non-drug veterinary
product is appropriate for an animal.
The Policy Statement and the Guide to
the Policy Statement related to the Sale
of Non-Drug Veterinary Products include
descriptions of non-drug veterinary
products, frequently asked questions on
this topic, and scenarios which describe
the appropriate sale of non-drug
veterinary products.
CONTENTS
cvo.org/standards
Council News 2
Well-being & Mental Health 3
Conflicts of Interest 4
Strategy 2023 5
Learning in Practice 6
Discipline Summaries 7
Code of Ethics 8
Instilling public confidence in veterinary regulation cvo.org 1