California Lawmakers Pass Bill to Expand Access to Veterinary Telehealth

San Diego Humane Society and the ASPCA Commend California Lawmakers for Passing Bill to Expand Access to Veterinary Telehealth

If signed by Gov. Newsom, Assembly Bill 1399 will remove unnecessary barriers that restrict access to virtual veterinary care in the Golden State.

September 14, 2023

SACRAMENTO —  San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) and the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) commend California lawmakers for passing Assembly Bill 1399, to empower licensed veterinarians in the Golden State to establish a veterinarian-client-patient relationship through video technology. Introduced by Assemblymembers Laura Friedman (D-Burbank) and Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), the bill passed the legislature this week with strong bipartisan and near-unanimous support. It now goes to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has until Oct. 14, 2023, to sign the bill into law.

Given the critical shortage of veterinarians nationwide, many pet owners are experiencing firsthand a lack of access to veterinary care. In California, a number of counties have low access to veterinary care and the statewide Veterinary Care Accessibility Score is 47 out of 100, according to the Veterinary Care Accessibility Project. A study from Banfield Pet Hospital estimates that 75 million pets in the U.S. could be without veterinary care by 2030 if we do not update our approach to providing care.

Telehealth is a lifeline for pet owners, especially those in remote or underserved areas with few or no veterinarians and those who face financial, or logistical obstacles getting pets to a clinic. Human healthcare has long relied on safe and convenient telehealth technology to help bridge gaps in care caused by workforce shortages, and translating this use of technology into veterinary medicine can do the same to prevent unnecessary animal suffering.

“We urge Governor Newsom to sign A.B. 1399 for its countless benefits to pet owners and shelters across the state,” said Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO, San Diego Humane Society. “Right now, veterinarians can only give medical advice after seeing pets in person — and the wait times can be long and stressful. The situation is even more dire for shelter animals in low attention regions of California. For many shelters, the closest veterinarian is 50 or more miles away, making physical visits incredibly challenging. A.B. 1399 will modernize the practice of veterinary medicine and make telehealth a reality just as it is in human medicine.”

“When used responsibly, veterinary telehealth can reduce animal suffering, address financial and logistical barriers to veterinary care, keep pets in their homes, and extend the capacity of animal shelters to serve animals and their communities by increasing access to veterinary care,” said Brittany Benesi, senior director of state legislation for the ASPCA’s Western division. “Given the critical shortage of veterinarians, it’s imperative that we update our antiquated laws to embrace telehealth as a vital tool that will help provide more care to pets. We’re grateful to Assemblymembers Friedman and Lowenthal for their leadership on this bill, and we urge Governor Newsom to sign A.B. 1399 into law to enable California veterinarians to use technology to protect the pets who need it most.”

“We love our pets in California, however many pets do not regularly see a veterinarian due to significant financial, geographical and logistical obstacles. Outdated state regulations block licensed veterinarians from giving simple advice and direction to pet owners through telemedicine unless the owner first brings the pet into the veterinary hospital,” said Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Burbank). “A.B.1399 modernizes the veterinarian-client-patient-relationship through telemedicine to increase access to care for all California pets.”

“The pandemic accelerated our thinking on how we access healthcare and that experience has proven that not all medicine needs to be practiced in person,” said Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach). I am proud to be a joint author on A.B. 1399, which takes what we learned from the pandemic and expands telehealth access to veterinary medicine. Expanding access to telemedicine is particularly important for humans and animals who live in rural locations, lack access to transportation, or have other mobility issues. As we face a statewide shortage of veterinarians, the virtual house call is an excellent option for our pets to improve access to healthcare, when deemed appropriate by an attending veterinarian.”

The current California regulations around veterinarian telehealth are forcing pet owners to wait for hard-to-get appointments so that veterinarians can perform in-person physical examinations of an animal as a prerequisite to providing almost any medical recommendations. The law requires veterinarians to conduct a new in-person examination each time that an animal — even a regular patient of that veterinarian — has a new problem, including minor and common ailments, or for routine prescriptions. By enabling veterinarians to see new patients remotely, A.B. 1399 modernizes veterinary care in California, helping address the veterinary care crisis and ensuring that California pet and livestock owners can benefit from the safety and convenience of veterinary telehealth.

SDHS and the ASPCA encourage Californians to contact the governor’s office and urge him to sign this lifesaving bill to enhance access to veterinary care to all animals and help keep pets in loving homes.

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About the ASPCA®
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) was the first animal welfare organization to be established in North America and today serves as the nation’s leading voice for vulnerable and victimized animals. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with more than two million supporters nationwide, the ASPCA is committed to preventing cruelty to dogs, cats, equines, and farm animals throughout the United States. The ASPCA assists animals in need through on-the-ground disaster and cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal placement, legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the sheltering and veterinary community through research, training, and resources. For more information, visit www.ASPCA.org, and follow the ASPCA on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.

Florida Association of Animal Welfare Organization Caution:  Beware of Puppy Mill “Whitewashing”

October 19, 2023 – FOX13 from the Tampa Bay area covered the controversy and spoke with FAAWO Board President and CEO of Humane Society of Tampa Bay, Sherry Silk. 

October 11, 2023 – After the recent announcement of a partnership between one Florida animal shelter and the commercial dog breeding industry, a statewide animal welfare association, The Florida Association of Animal Welfare Organizations (FAAWO), representing more than 100 animal rescue and sheltering organization members, today announce their united, unequivocal opposition to the selling of dogs and cats in retail stores. 

FAAWO cautions Florida residents and animal shelters to avoid inadvertently supporting the cruelty and suffering caused by puppy mills.  On behalf of our member agencies, shelters, and rescue groups across the state, we ask the Florida Legislature to shut down the puppy-mill-to-pet-store pipeline into Florida by banning the retail sale of dogs in stores.

“Government and private animal shelters across the state of Florida face an ongoing crisis as pet owners struggle with housing and economic issues, contributing to an increase in homeless animals needing shelter services, while serious staffing and veterinary workforce shortages continue to impact our operations,” said Sherry Silk, President of FAAWO.  “Especially given the ongoing animal sheltering and veterinary workforce shortage, it is unconscionable to import puppies from Midwestern commercial breeding operations into our state for sale in stores or to divert vital shelter resources to aid the puppy mill industry.”

“Selling puppies in retail stores creates a demand that can only be filled by inhumane puppy mills since responsible breeders do not sell their puppies to brokers or stores for resale.  We encourage families who wish to bring a new pet home to first visit animal shelters or breed rescue groups that are not affiliated with puppy mills, and we ask our state elected officials to shut down the puppy mill pipeline into Florida during the 2024 Legislative session.”

More than 80 local governments in Florida have passed ordinances aimed at ending the retail sale of dogs and cats.  In response, the puppy mill industry has pushed Florida state legislation to reverse these local laws and to stop local governments from enacting future ordinances that would prohibit the sale of puppies in stores.  Fortunately, these state preemption bills have been defeated, but it is time for the Florida Legislature to pass proactive legislation that once and for all shuts down the puppy mill pipeline into Florida by prohibiting the retail sale of dogs in Florida stores.

Our association encourages Florida families planning to bring a new pet into their home to visit their local animal shelter or contact a rescue group.  For families seeking specific dog breeds, breed-specific rescue groups have many dogs in their programs looking for homes.  If adoption is not an option, ensure that you only purchase a dog or cat from a responsible breeder who provides high-quality care, including veterinary care and socialization, and allows you to meet the parents and see the premises where the puppies were bred and raised.

Florida Association of Animal Welfare Organizations (FAAWO) is an organization of non-profit animal shelters and dedicated advocates working together to positively impact animal welfare throughout the state of Florida.  Our aim is to improve the lives of animals and support Florida shelters through legislation, disaster response, and animal transport.  FAAWO membership comprises non-profit shelters and animal welfare organizations in Florida working in partnership to:  support and advocate for stronger animal welfare laws at both state and local levels, coordinate and facilitate response initiatives to assist Florida shelters affected by disaster, and coordinate and facilitate the intrastate transport of homeless animals and supplies to support Florida shelters in need. 

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Media Contact: 

Sherry Silk, President FAAWO
813-774-4309
SherryS@HumaneSocietyTampa.org

Veterinarian telehealth bill aims to relieve limited access to vet care

For the last several years, there have been two primary reasons pets are surrendered to animal shelters: lack of affordable pet-inclusive housing options, and lack of access to affordable veterinary care and/or access to timely vet appointments.

The bad news: we haven’t fixed the problem with affordable pet-inclusive housing. Not even close. But let’s talk about that another time.

The good news: California is fixin’ to address limited access to veterinary care by passing Assembly Bill 1399 — which empowers licensed California veterinarians to establish a veterinarian-client/patient relationship through video technology — which basically means now you do not have to first establish care with a vet in-person before you can access telemedicine visits… READ MORE