The Veterinary Act is a Parliamentary Act passes in order to safeguard the welfare of sick or injured animals.
It is an offence for any person, other than the owner of the animal, to treat an animal unless the permission of the vet in
charge of the case or to whom the animal would be referred is sought and obtained.
Section 19
“Subject to the following provisions of this section, no individual shall practise or hold him/herself out as practising
or as being prepared to practise veterinary surgery unless he is registered in the register of veterinary surgeons or the supplementary veterinary
register.”
[There are certain exceptions to this rule in the Cat itself (doctors and dentists for example when acting at the request
of a veterinarian) or in Schedule 3 to the Act (farmers and veterinary nurses, subject to certain limitations for example). None of these exemptions applies to physiotherapists however.]
Section 27
“Veterinary Surgery” means the art and science of veterinary surgery and medicine and, without prejudice to the
generality of foregoing, shall be taken to include:
(a) The diagnosis of disease in and injuries to animals including
tests performed on animals for diagnostic purposes.
(b) The giving of advice based upon diagnosis;
(c) The medical or surgical treatment of animal; and
(d) The performance of surgical operations upon
animals.”
In addition, in the content of what we are talking about, the Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order 1962 (made under the
Veterinary Surgeons Act 1948 but kept alive by the 1966 Act permits:
“The treatment of an animal by physiotherapy if carried out under the direction of a registered veterinarian who has examined the animal and prescribed such treatment.”
It is an offence for any person, other than the owner of the animal, to treat an animal unless the permission of the vet in
charge of the case or to whom the animal would be referred is sought and obtained.
Section 19
“Subject to the following provisions of this section, no individual shall practise or hold him/herself out as practising
or as being prepared to practise veterinary surgery unless he is registered in the register of veterinary surgeons or the supplementary veterinary
register.”
[There are certain exceptions to this rule in the Cat itself (doctors and dentists for example when acting at the request
of a veterinarian) or in Schedule 3 to the Act (farmers and veterinary nurses, subject to certain limitations for example). None of these exemptions applies to physiotherapists however.]
Section 27
“Veterinary Surgery” means the art and science of veterinary surgery and medicine and, without prejudice to the
generality of foregoing, shall be taken to include:
(a) The diagnosis of disease in and injuries to animals including
tests performed on animals for diagnostic purposes.
(b) The giving of advice based upon diagnosis;
(c) The medical or surgical treatment of animal; and
(d) The performance of surgical operations upon
animals.”
In addition, in the content of what we are talking about, the Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order 1962 (made under the
Veterinary Surgeons Act 1948 but kept alive by the 1966 Act permits:
“The treatment of an animal by physiotherapy if carried out under the direction of a registered veterinarian who has examined the animal and prescribed such treatment.”