Modernizing
the Practice
of Veterinary
Medicine
SCOPE OF
PRACTICE
Authorized Activities
The following is a list of proposed activities which would be legislatively
authorized to veterinarians; this means that only a veterinarian can perform
these activities independently, or delegate them to someone (regulated or
unregulated) who is not authorized but is deemed competent by the vet-
erinarian to perform them, as long as delegation is not prohibited. Under
delegation, the veterinarian remains responsible for the supervision and
outcome of the activity.
The list of authorized activities includes:
1. Making or communicating a diagnosis identifying a disease,
disorder, dysfunction or condition as the cause of an animal’s signs
and presentation
2. Performing a medical assessment to determine the fitness for
purpose or soundness of an animal, or group of animals, on which
it is reasonably foreseeable that a person or organization will rely
on the assessment.
3. Ordering laboratory tests on an animal or on specimens taken from
an animal.
4. Prescribing, compounding, dispensing, or selling a drug
5. Performing a procedure on tissue below the dermis
6. Performing a procedure below the surface of a mucous
membrane
7. Performing a procedure on or below the surfaces of the teeth,
including the scaling of teeth and occlusal equilibration
8. Performing a procedure on or below the surface of the cornea
9. Setting, immobilizing, or casting a fracture of a bone or a
dislocation of a joint or a severed tendon
10. Administering a substance by injection or inhalation, or
monitoring of such
11. Moving the joints of the spine beyond the animal’s usual
physiological range of motion using a fast, low amplitude thrust
12. Putting an instrument, arm, hand, or finger,
•Definition
and Authorized
Activities•
i. beyond the external ear canal,
ii. beyond the point in the nasal passages where they normally narrow,
iii. beyond the larynx,
iv. beyond the opening of the urethra,
v. beyond the labia majora,
vi. beyond the anus or cloaca, or
vii. into any other natural or artificial opening into the body
13. Applying or ordering the application of a form of energy
prescribed by the regulations under this Act
14. Performing upon an animal any manual procedure for the
diagnosis and/or treatment of pregnancy, sterility, or infertility
15. Performing allergy testing
18 Achieving a Modern Approach to the Regulation of Veterinary Medicine in Ontario