This page includes a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs).  If you do not find the answer to your question, you are invited to submit a question to the College for an answer by using the form below.   

Questions
Advertising Can a veterinarian perform a "Free Vet Check" during a public gathering such as a walkathon? I have been asked to donate to a charity auction. What can I donate? Internet: What are the rules for advertising on the Internet or creating a web site? What is the policy regarding coupon distribution? Animal Abuse Is a veterinarian required to report animal abuse? Animal Shelters/Humane Societies/Pet Stores Am I allowed to spay/neuter an animal that is brought to my clinic by a shelter but currently being fostered by its committed adopter? Can a Humane Society operate a facility? How long do I have to hold an animal after it has been abandoned? If I have treated an animal that was then sold, may I also treat the animals on behalf of the new owner? Is there a regulatory body whose mandate is to ensure that licensed animal shelters/kennels are ensuring that all animals are guarded from communicable illness? Auxiliaries What tasks can be delegated to auxiliaries? Continuing Professional Development Am I required to do 50 hours/year in Continuing Professional Development (CPD)if I am on maternity leave? Do I have to send in Documentation B sheets to the CVO? Do I submit the Professional Practice Profile tool that I printed from the QA Page of the CVO website? Do I write down every article I read when documenting my CPD? Do members need to provide proof of completion of a specific number of Continuing Education (CE) hours in order to renew their licence? Does Committee work count as CPD? Does the CPD Activity Log have to be sent in with my Summary Sheet? I do mentoring, and I work for VSTEP, as well as other volunteer activities. Does this count as CPD? I do regulatory work for a government agency. Does the CPD cycle apply to me? I have been retired for 5 years but maintain my licence. Do I have to do CPD activities? I have financial (or geographical) restraints on how much CE I can attend. Does the CPD cycle apply to me? If I attend a conference for 3 days, do I record the entire conference, or make an entry for each lecture? If I self-identify an area for improvement in my CPD Plan, can Complaints use that information if I have a case brought against me in that area? If I take an online course but dont complete it or get the certificate, can I still count it as CPD? Is reading text books as a CPD activity limited to 3 hours of my total CPD hours? It will be a lot of work to log every time I go on VIN. Do I have to document this for the CPD cycle? Dispensing Can clients return used drugs? Can I dispense a drug pursuant to an oral or written prescription from another veterinarian? Can I dispense a full bottle of (a particular drug) to my small animal client? Can I prescribe a human generic drug? Can veterinarians dispense or prescribe injectable drugs to clients? Do I have the right to purchase medication from an Internet Pharmacy, rather than my veterinarian? I am an associate/locum and I have been asked to dispense a drug to a regular client at the clinic whose animal has received the drug in the past. I have never seen the animal before. Can I dispense the drug? Is a physical examination required before prescribing injectable flea products? Is it professional misconduct to use expired drugs in the practice of veterinary medicine? What is a targeted drug? Is Tramadol a controlled drug and does it have to be tracked in a controlled drug log? What is the policy on dispensing to free-ranging wildlife? Facility Accreditation Am I permitted to make house calls without being accredited as a mobile unit? Are there low-cost programs in Ontario and if so are they legally operated? Can a non-veterinarian own a practice? Can I reschedule the inspection, if there are unforeseen delays in setting up the new facility? Can I see clients from my home for "veterinary advice" e.g.: health/lifestyle/diet/breed selection/behaviour, without having an accredited facility? Do you have any information on starting a new practice? How far ahead do I have to request an inspection? How many veterinary facilities are there in Ontario? I am buying a veterinary facility, does it need to be inspected? Licensing What are the licensing requirements for a veterinary graduate from Canada or the USA? What are the licensing requirements for graduates of veterinary schools outside of Canada and the USA? Medical Records Are digital signatures okay for attaching to documents such as vaccine certificates? Can my technicians sign the narcotic log or does a member have to enter their initials for dispensing of controlled drug? Do I have to obtain the complete medical records for a new client from the previous veterinarian? Do I need to keep track of in-house and external lab tests? How long do we have to keep x-rays for and how do we properly dispose of them? If a client asks for a copy of their veterinary record(s), must I supply them? May the previous veterinarian charge for copying the file? To whom may I release the medical history of an animal? We want to go paperless with our documents: do we have to keep the original when someone signs a document such as an estimate? Who does a medical record belong to? Miscellaneous Are equine dentists legal in Ontario? Are veterinarians required to report owners who have pitbulls? Can the public find out about complaints or disciplinary actions about a veterinarian? I would like someone from CVO to attend and speak at our next regional veterinary meeting. Who should I ask? Is it true that cosmetic surgery is going to be banned in ON? What does my animal need to travel out of the country? What is the College's position on alternative or complementary therapies? PIPEDA What is the College's role in enforcing privacy legislation? Who enforces the privacy legislation? Practice Advice Are there requirements for euthanasia? Does a veterinarian have to perform euthanasia? Are veterinarians allowed to refuse treatment of injured domestic animals found and presented by someone other than the owner? Can a non-veterinarian provide thermography services to clients? Can emergency clinics refuse treatment to animals that have no regular veterinarian or no regular veterinarian at that specific clinic? Can I have a friend as a client? Can we authorize over the phone euthanasia and does a second person need to witness the conversation? Can we withhold a credit for a service that a client has initially paid for, then decided against? Do I have to report a pet biting a human? How long do we have to hold the deceased animal if the owners are not responding on our inquiries of how to deal with the animals body? I have ordered bloodwork and have the results but the owner says they are unable to pay for the costs of the bloodwork now. Am I obligated to report the results? Is there a policy about veterinarians providing services-for example, if the owner cant afford it? Professional Corporations Who can incorporate? Vaccinations Can food animal and equine veterinarians vaccinate companion animals against rabies? Do I have to provide a vaccination certificate after each vaccination or only when they request it? Do I have to vaccinate my animal for rabies every year? I heard we are over-vaccinating for rabies. Is a physical examination required before administering a rabies vaccination? Veterinarian-Client-Patient (VCPR) Relationship Do we need a VCPR for the dispensing of food? If a client is dealing with more than one veterinarian how does this affect the VCPR for each DVM? Is there a letter for termination of the VCPR when a client chooses to have surgery done somewhere else?
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