Unauthorized Practice Alert

It is not appropriate for B.C. veterinarians to send invitations for veterinarians licensed in other jurisdictions to provide services directly to B.C. breeders or other members of the public. Such services must be rendered by veterinarians licensed in B.C. and working from a B.C. accredited practice facility. B.C. licensed veterinarians may utilize unlicensed consultants as long as the B.C. veterinarian maintains the veterinary client patient relationship and records, and does not permit the consultant to assume that role, outside of an accredited practice.

For more information visit the Unauthorized Practice and Practice Facilities pages.

If you have any questions, please contact the office. We will continue to update this post as we receive more information.

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease - new information for ordering vaccines
On March 2, 2018, it was initially reported that Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHD) had been identified in the feral rabbit population in the Nanaimo area. Since then RHD has been confirmed in feral rabbits in Delta, Comox, Richmond and Parksville. The strain in BC appears to be highly virulent and easily spread with a short incubation period. It also may infect rabbits less than 30 days of age unlike most other strains. Strict biosecurity is key for the prevention of spread to other rabbits. We encourage you to follow these links to a very thorough Fact Sheet on RHD and a document on Rabbit Biosecurity Protocols. 

RHD Statement (April 16, 2018)

There is no vaccine licensed for Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease in Canada. The CFIA’s Canadian Centre for Veterinary Biologics has kindly facilitated acquiring an emergency import permit through the office of the Chief Veterinarian for BC, Jane Pritchard, which allows the vaccine to be re-distributed to clinics under the single application. The vaccine, Filavac, is a French vaccine with protection against RHDV2 and RHDV1. To order the vaccine, you must complete this order form electronically (do not print, complete by hand, and scan) and e-mail it to jane.pritchard@gov.bc.ca by June 29^th.

Expiry date: June 2019

Estimated cost: $100 for the 50 dose multi-vial that must be used within 2 hours of reconstitution and $200 for the 10 individual dose blister pack. Additional cost for courier direct to your clinic if required will be added on to invoices.

Technical information: This information on the vaccine is in English (it will most likely come with only French labeling and information).
Publicly Available Assessment Report for Filavac
Filavac Package Leaflet
Filavac Summary of Product Characteristics

Template for the vaccination certificate: A certificate must be received by the Chief Veterinarian (as importer of the vaccine) for each use of the vaccine. For large groups of rabbits with a single owner where the vaccine is being administered at a single time you can do one certificate and attach a list of the individual rabbits with identification information.
Certificate of Vaccination with Filavac VHD K C 

Delivery is anticipated for the week of July 9^th.

Cat Declaw (Partial Digital Amputation) Standard of Practice

The College of Veterinarians of British Columbia is banning the practice of declawing cats unless it is necessary as an appropriate medical therapy. The new mandatory standard of practice is being implemented after researching other jurisdictions and consultation with BC veterinarians. Although Nova Scotia is the only other Canadian province to ban cat declawing, it is also banned in Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Brazil, the United Kingdom, parts of Europe and some cities in California.

Under the Veterinarians Act, the CVBC has the power to investigate and impose disciplinary action on veterinarians who ignore the new standard of practice. The Act allows disciplinary enforcement of non-compliance with bylaws and mandatory standards of practice, without distinction (ss. 52 and 61). CVBC Council passed a motion on May 4, 2018 making the mandatory standard effective as soon as registrants receive notification. Please follow the link below to read the standard.

Professional Practice Standard: Feline Partial Digit Amputation / Declawing

Equine Dental Services Alert

We have received information that a non-veterinarian is offering non-sedation equine dental services in the Pemberton area in late April. We are in the process of contacting that individual to ascertain whether the services will be offered under the supervision of a veterinarian. 

The CVBC’s position on anyone other than a registrant offering to float horse’s teeth and offering “dental services” is found here. Please refer to additional materials on this website under Public Protection/Unauthorized Practice/Injunctions. If you have any questions, please contact the office.

***4/17/2018 UPDATE***
This individual has agreed not to provide these services.

Practice Standards and Notices

Please familiarize yourself with the recently published Professional Practice Standards below which are enforceable upon notification (unless specified otherwise).

Please refer to the Legislation Standards and Policy page for all Standards, Guidelines, Policies and Notices.

Annual Registration Fees

Fees were due on December 31, 2017. If you have not yet paid, your licence to practise veterinary medicine ceased as of December 31, 2017. Practising without licensure could expose you to risk of complaints, civil action, denial of insurance coverage, unauthorized practise proceedings, and licensure reapplication and penalty fees.