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Certification

The Animal TCM Acupuncturist will have completed one or more of the following:

1. Certificate/Diploma/Course in Canine TCM Acupressure/Acupuncture/Herbology
2. Certificate/Diploma/Course in Equine TCM Acupressure/Acupuncture/Herbology
3. Certification in TCM Animal Acupuncture through the American Board of Animal Acupuncture

Approved Training Programs:

1. Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture
2. College of Integrative Veterinary Therapy
3. Chi Institute
4. Equinology
5. Other programs as may be determined by the Board

Education Standards

All Animal TCM Acupuncturists:

1. Are currently or have previously been licensed/registered to practice Acupuncture and/or TCM in a province or territory of Canada.
2. Have completed one or more certificates/diplomas/courses in animal TCM and/or Acupuncture/Acupressure/Herbology

The Code of Ethics for Animal Acupuncturists sets out guidelines for ethical Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture practice. The Code is based on a set of core values, which Animal Acupuncturists must uphold in their relationships with their patients, clients, members of their own profession, other health care providers, and the public. Animal Acupuncturists are professionals who act in a manner that enhances the reputation of, and inspires public confidence in, the profession. They have a responsibility to follow this code of ethics, and to keep informed about the laws and developments in professional standards that affect ethical animal healthcare practice.

Responsibility to Patient and Client:

1. Animal Acupuncturists hold the health and well-being of their patient as a primary responsibility.
2. Animal Acupuncturists provide care within their scope of practice to assist their patient to achieve optimum health at all stages in life.

3. Animal Acupuncturists establish and promote health care environments that are conducive to safe, competent, ethical practice and to the health and well-being of the patient and others in the setting.

4. Animal Acupuncturists ensure that the patient is under the care of a veterinarian and can be referred to a veterinarian when indicated.

5. Animal Acupuncturists strive to ensure that the client receives and understands complete and accurate information about treatment of the animal in their care.

6. Animal Acupuncturists ensure that care is authorized by informed consent and practice within relevant law governing consent and choice.

7. Animal Acupuncturists protect patient and client confidentiality, and the confidentiality of health care information for animals.

8. Animal Acupuncturists are respectful of the client values, dignity, and choices.

Responsibility to Society

1. Animal Acupuncturists address institutional, social and political factors influencing health and health care in ways that are consistent with their professional role and responsibilities.
2. Animal Acupuncturists represent their qualifications honestly, clearly and in a way that is not misleading to the public, other professionals and to their clients.

3. Animal Acupuncturists provide information to the public about TCM and acupuncture that is fair, accurate, and objective.

4. Animal Acupuncturists engaged in clinical, administrative, research, or educational endeavors have professional responsibilities and accountabilities toward safeguarding the quality of care animals receive. 

Responsibility to Integrity and Professional Conduct

1. Animal Acupuncturists respect and value the knowledge and skills of other health care providers and cooperate with others to the benefit of their patients.

2. Animal Acupuncturists share their knowledge with members of the health team, for the benefit of the patient.
3. Animal Acupuncturists acquire new skills and knowledge in their area of practice on a continuing basis, as necessary for the provision of safe, competent and ethical care. 

4. Animal Acupuncturists act in a manner that is respectful of other Animal Acupuncturists as well as the practice of TCM and acupuncture.

Animal TCM Acupuncturists must complete a minimum of 30 continuing education hours within the past 3 years, 10 of which need to be animal specific. Each registrant must provide verification in the form of documentation or other proof if requested to do so by the Board.

Continuing Education activities include:

1. Attending seminars or courses related to Animal TCM and Acupuncture/Acupressure/Herbology
2. Attending seminars or courses related to Human TCM and Acupuncture/Acupressure/Herbology
3. Attending workshops, conferences or clinics related to human or animal health, TCM or Acupuncture/Acupressure/Herbology
4. Attending workshops, conferences or clinics related to business 
5. Attending workshops, conferences or clinics related to veterinary medicine

1. For the purposes of this document, the following definitions apply:

‘Patient’ pertains to the animal intended to receive treatment.

‘Client’ pertains to the owner of the animal, or an authorized agent acting on behalf of the animal's owner, who is in communication with the practitioner and is responsible for approving specific treatment undertaken on the patient.

‘TCM’ refers to the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture for the promotion, maintenance and restoration of function and health, in addition to prevention, assessment and treatment of disease, disorder, condition or imbalance, based on traditional, modern and evolving Chinese Medicine theory or principles.  TCM integrates strategies and modalities based on a classical framework while incorporating current medical and scientific research and techniques. Primary traditional, modern and evolving Chinese medicine therapies include but are not limited to: acupuncture, moxibustion and suction cup, manipulative therapy (Tui Na & Gua Sha), electro-physical therapies, prescribing, compounding and dispensing various substances including Chinese herbal medicine, and Chinese dietary therapy.

‘Acupuncture’ is a complete system of medicine based on Traditional Chinese Medicine principles and modern scientific and physiologic systems.  It is used to assess, diagnose and treat.  Acupuncture is administered to promote, maintain, restore or improve health, to prevent disorder, imbalance or disease, to alleviate pain, to facilitate healing, to increase mobility or to restore function and quality of life.  It refers to the stimulation of specific points, identified by anatomical and physiological standards, as well as by manual inspection and palpation. Stimulation of points elicits a predictable physiological response including neurophysiological responses in the muscles, spinal cord and brain, as well as biochemical and hormonal responses in the body.  These responses either change the body’s experience of symptoms, especially pain, or trigger the release of substances which influence the body’s internal regulation.  This includes the administration of manual, mechanical, thermal and electrical stimulation; administration of wet needling, administration of oxygen/ozone therapies, venipuncture-based therapies and TCM diagnostics.

‘Registry’ refers to the “Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners of Canada (RAAHP-Canada)”.

2. Reserved Titles

The following titles are reserved for use by an Animal TCM Acupuncturist on the general register who meets the criteria outlined in the Animal TCM Acupuncturist Reserved Use of Title policy:

1. Registered Animal TCM Acupuncturist
2. Registered Animal TCM Practitioner
3. Registered Animal Acupuncture Practitioner
4. Registered Animal Acupuncturist

Animal Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture and/or Herbology) is the prevention, assessment and treatment of a disease, condition, disorder or imbalance, to promote, maintain and restore health, wellness and function. It is based on TCM theories and principles as well as modern scientific and physiologic systems. 

The following guidelines reflect the minimum standard of practice required by all Animal TCM Acupuncturists.  These ensure Animal TCM Acupuncturists practice within their skillset and do so competently.  Providing professional and competent services is dependent on appropriate training, knowledge and skills.

1. Assessment, Diagnosis, Treatment Principles and Practice
2. Clinical Records
3. Privacy & Confidentiality
4. Collaborative Practice
5. Informed Consent
6. Advertising
7. Electro-physical Agents
8. Delegation
9. Tui Na
10. TCM, Acupuncture & Herbology
11. Infection Control
12. Conflict of Interest
13. Liability Insurance

1. Assessment, Diagnosis, Treatment Principles and Practice
The Animal TCM Acupuncturist demonstrates competence and proficiency in the areas of assessment, diagnosis, treatment and provision of care. The practitioner provides high quality, patient-centred care and does so with high ethical standards.

Expectation: The Animal TCM Acupuncturist will:

• Select and utilize appropriate tools and assessment methods to evaluate the patient’s condition
• Use a combination of empirical evidence and professional judgement to support their decision making
• Make decisions about whether the patient would benefit from the treatment proposed based on known risks and benefits, likelihood of outcome and individual patient situations.
• Carry out all treatments safely and ethically, and competently manage both expected and  unexpected outcomes of treatment. 
• Provide only those services which are clinically relevant and for which consent from the client has been obtained.
• Follow-up and reassess patient as required to determine whether adjustments in treatment plan should be considered.

2. Clinical Records

The Animal TCM Acupuncturist maintains records on every patient that are clear, concise and legible. Patient records provide all relevant information pertinent to the patient’s treatment and meet all requirements set by the Registry. All information in a patient chart is obtained for the purpose of providing care/treatment to the patient. 

Expectation: 

• Charts must be written in English or French
• Maintain charts that are legible, complete and include all pertinent information related to the care of the patient, such that another Animal TCM Acupuncturist could readily provide continuation of care. 
• Chart must be maintained in a format that is reasonably accessible and can be easily copied or printed. 
• All charts will include an assessment/intake form, chief complaint, history of said complaint, relevant findings, TCM diagnosis, treatment plan & recommendations, consent for treatment signed by the client or designated representative, date of each treatment session, as well as notation of any relevant communication with the client or other healthcare practitioner involved the patient’s care. 
• Maintain all patient records in a secure and confidential manner, including the use of passwords, physical locks and secure storage facility. 
• Retain records for a minimum of 5 years from the date of last encounter with the patient.

3. Privacy & Confidentiality

The Animal TCM Acupuncturist ensures the privacy and confidentiality of the patient and the client at all times. All health, financial, personal and professional information is protected at all times.

Expectation:

• All information provided in the context of the client - patient - practitioner relationship is protected and kept confidential.
• All records that contain the personal, health or financial information of the client or patient is held and stored securely at all times. 
• The release of any information obtained in the context of the client-patient-practitioner relationship may only be released with a signed consent form from the client or their representative, or in the case of suspected abuse.

4. Collaborative Practice:

The Animal TCM Acupuncturist works with the animal owner and strives to communicate, collaborate and work effectively with other healthcare team members and providers to ensure that the animal receives comprehensive and appropriate care.

Expectations:

• Work with health care team members and other care providers to ensure comprehensive and appropriate care, in the animal’s best interest. 
• Communicate care plan effectively with animal owner to optimize compliance with care and following of agreed upon treatment plan.
• Refer to other healthcare providers when indicated while maintaining care in a complimentary fashion where indicated. 

5. Consent:

The Animal TCM Acupuncturist obtains informed, ongoing, enthusiastic consent of the animal owner for all treatment and care provided to the animal.

Expectations:

• Provide adequate information in clear and understandable language so the animal owner is comfortable and capable of providing informed consent. Maintain effective and comprehensive communication with the animal owner at all times to ensure ongoing consent. 
• Obtain written consent for initial treatment and follow with documented consent - orally, written or implied by the owner’s words, actions or written instruction. 

6. Advertising

The Animal TCM Acupuncturist ensures that all advertising is accurate and truthful and shall not be misleading to or misinform the public. 

Expectations:

• Ensure that advertising does not imply or guarantee outcomes. 
• Avoid making statements that compare, disparage or overstate other practitioners’ practices. 

7. Electrophysical Agents:

The Animal TCM Acupuncturist ensures that the use of any electro physical agents is done safely and appropriately.

Expectations:

• Follow all of the manufactures requirements for safe use and handling, as well as ensure recommended maintenance of devices is performed. 
• Apply the use of electro physical agents in an appropriate manner and be aware of any cautions or contraindications for its use. 
• Chart appropriate details of treatment with elector physical device, such as type of device, frequency/dosage, time and area(s) treated.
• Practice infection control protocols 

8. Delegation

The Animal TCM acupuncturist delegates appropriate activities to an assistant and provides supervision for those activities.

Expectations:

Takes responsibility for all activities delegated to an assistant.

Obtains owners consent for delegation of any service. 

Advise the animal owner of the role(s) that the assistant will provide and that they will be supervised.

Maintain ongoing communication with the assistant in order to monitor and evaluate the delivery of services.

Assess skills and knowledge of assistant and only delegate tasks that they are competent to perform.

Ensure the assistant is readily identifiable (i.e. name tags, etc.)

9. Tui Na

The Animal TCM Acupuncturist uses Tui Na medical massage when they can demonstrate they are qualified to do so safely and effectively. 

Expectations:

Demonstrates proficiency in performing Tui Na medical medical massage and uses professional judgement in assessing appropriateness of the techniques utilized.

Select appropriate measures of assessment to evaluate the patient’s physical and behavioural status using objective as well as subjective measures. 

Use professional judgement based on TCM foundational principles and critical analysis of signs and symptoms to make an informed TCM diagnosis. 

Apply appropriate techniques taking into consideration the physical as well as behavioural status of the patient. 

10. TCM, Acupuncture & Herbology

The Animal TCM Acupuncturist demonstrates proficiency in the assessment and diagnosis of an animal and chooses appropriate interventions to deliver quality, patient-centered services.  

Expectation:

Use critical thinking, professional judgement and problem solving to assess and interpret findings in order to make an appropriate TCM diagnosis. 

Select appropriate measures of assessment to evaluate the patient’s physical and behavioural status using objective as well as subjective measures.

Work with the animal owner to set appropriate goals and manage expectations relative to the condition of the animal.

Apply appropriate techniques taking into consideration the physical as well as behavioural status of the patient.

Monitor progress, re-assess and refer to other animal health care providers when necessary for the best interest of the animal.

When appropriate, collaborate with the owner to create and execute a discharge plan. 

11.  Infection Control

The Animal TCM Acupuncturist remains current with infection prevention and control measures to support the health, safety, and wellbeing of the animal, owner, other health care providers, themselves, and other animals/people.

Expectation:

• Use appropriate infection control measures and monitor their use
• Apply their knowledge, skills, and judgement to conduct ongoing assessments of the degree of current risks of infection and transmission, with the goal of minimizing the risks and taking into consideration: (1) type of intervention planned or conducted, (2) the health condition of the animal being assessed or treated, (3) the degree of infection risk present in the practice environment, (4) current infection control measures, and (5) the health and immunization status of all people and other animals in the practice environment
• Familiarizes with documented infection prevention control protocols available in clinical settings. 
• Have appropriate written infection prevention and control protocols in the practice setting.

12. Conflict of Interest

The Animal TCM Acupuncturist recognizes and manages situations that may result in real, potential, or perceived conflict of interest, resulting in a breach of an obligation to the Animal TCM Acupuncturist professional ethics with the effect or intention of advancing one’s own interest in a way that is detrimental to the animal.

Expectation:

• Ensure that all decisions regarding the animal will be made in the animal’s best interest and with the animal owner’s full knowledge
• Provide only those professional services where there is a demonstrated need
• Avoid activities or situations where professional judgement could be compromised for personal gain

13. Liability Insurance

The Animal TCM Acupuncturist will hold liability insurance to provide financial reimbursement for animal owners whose animal has been harmed as a result of malpractice or negligence by a professional.

Expectation:

• Update liability insurance coverage annually

Certification

Acceptable animal chiropractic certification for the treatment of small and large animals may be granted by one of three accredited internationally recognized certifying bodies including:

• American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA, est. 1989),
• International Veterinary Chiropractic Association (IVCA),
• College of Animal Chiropractors (CoAC).

These certifying bodies require that applicants have successfully completed an approved post-graduate training program (minimum 210 hours), and are licensed Doctors of Chiropractic in good standing with a Canadian human College of Chiropractors before sitting the AVCA, IVCA or the CoAC certification exam. Certification by these organizations requires a passing grade of both written and practical examination on both small and large animals.

The certification examination process includes the following steps:

• Successfully pass the approved program exit examination.
• Sit the written certification examination.
• Sit the clinical (practical) certification examination.
• Pass both the written and clinical (practical) examinations.
• Applicants must hold a current/active (good standing) chiropractic licence.
• Applicants receive a 3-year certification based on fulfilment of all requirements.

All certified animal chiropractors are required to maintain annual licensing as Doctors of Chiropractic in good standing with a Canadian/Provincial human College of Chiropractors and to complete 30 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) every 3 years. The CPD must be relevant to the animal chiropractor and needs approval by the certifying body (AVCA/IVCA/CoAC).

Approved Training Programs

The approved training programs from accredited colleges/organizations consist of a minimum of 210 hours of post-graduate education to licensed Doctors of Chiropractic and Veterinarians only.

There are a number of accredited training programs available that have been approved by the AVCA, IVCA, or the CoAC, in the US, Europe and one in Canada.

The recommended 210-hour curriculum consists of:

• Anatomy (20) - This lecture and lab course should include multiple learning opportunities for the student using live animals, models and dissection.

• Biomechanics and Gait (6) - The objective of this course is to understand the biomechanics of the spine and extremities, to become familiar with the normal and abnormal gait patterns as they apply to the practice of chiropractic.

• Neurology (20) - This course shall include basic neuroanatomy and neurophysiology topics. It should address advanced concepts that include such topics as tracts, plasticity, transneuro degeneration. Particular emphasis will be placed on applied functional neurology and the chiropractic patient.

• Vertebral Subluxation Complex (3) - This course should present the current hypothesis, and theories of chiropractic. This course should also include the discussion of the current research and validation of chiropractic.

• Ethics and Legality (2) - To prepare the student to be able to deal with the everyday legal issues regarding the practice of animal chiropractic.

• Research and Current Topics (4) - To present current research and topics as they apply to chiropractic.

• Chiropractic Techniques Lecture (20) - This class will show the basic techniques that can be used to adjust the cervical, thoracic, lumbopelvic and extremities.

• Chiropractic Technique Lab (90) - This will be a hands-on learning experience that will provide the student the opportunity to practice and master the techniques taught in the lecture. Both large and small animals should be available.

• Philosophy (4) - To introduce the student to the philosophical basis of chiropractic. This course should provide the rationale and purpose of the chiropractic adjustment. It should include the history of the manipulation, the discovery of chiropractic, and the fundamental concepts of chiropractic philosophy.

• Case Management and Case Studies (6) - The intent of this course is to take all of the didactic information into a clinical setting to teach the student total chiropractic case management. Emphasis will be placed on the use of case studies to bring together all applications into the diagnosis and case management of the patient’s condition.

• Pathology (6) - This course will review the common veterinary medical pathologies. Emphasis should be placed on when animals can benefit from adjustment and when adjustments are contraindicated.

• Radiology (6) - To familiarize the student with the radiographic views used in the veterinary profession. The student should learn the normal variations, congenital anomalies of the animal skeleton and soft tissues. Radiographic observation should be correlated with the clinical findings.

• Rehab (4) - To introduce the student to alternative techniques and modalities that can be used to support the adjustment.

• Foot (3) - To include the anatomy and biomechanics of the foot.

• Saddle Fit (2) - To familiarizes the student with proper saddle fit, the signs of improper saddle fit and how improper saddle fit can influence the chiropractic patient.

• Zoonotic Diseases (2) - To familiarize the student with the clinical presentations and precautions needed to be taken regarding zoonotic diseases.

• Differential Diagnosis (3)

Animal Chiropractors are committed to act with integrity and to practice in a safe, competent, accountable, and responsible manner during the provision of services.

Animal Chiropractors recognize their responsibility to society and strive for excellence in their professional activities. 

Responsibilities to the client and patient:

1. Animal Chiropractors shall consider the well-being of the patient as their primary concern, while respecting the client’s wishes and values. Do no harm.
2. Animal Chiropractors will show concern for the patient and will involve the client in decisions relevant to their animal’s care. 
3. Animal Chiropractors will respect the dignity of both colleagues and clients by being truthful, honouring confidences and acting with compassion. 
4. Animal Chiropractors must communicate openly, honestly, and respectfully with their clients at all times.
5. Animal Chiropractors must respect the client’s rights to be informed about the effects of treatment and inherent risks.  Registrants shall provide thorough information to facilitate the client’s understanding of the patient’s condition and proposed treatment plan to enable the client to make informed decisions regarding the plan.
6. Animal Chiropractors must give clients the opportunity to consent or decline treatment or alterations to the patient’s treatment program.
7. Animal Chiropractors must know their scope of practice and recognize their limitations. Registrants shall request consultation with or refer the patient and client to their veterinarian or other allied animal health care professional when, in the opinion of the Practitioner, such action is in the best interest of the patient.
8. Animal Chiropractors will collaborate with other recognized healthcare practitioners toward the ideal of teamwork, in which the rights of the patient, client and the profession are respected equally.
9. Animal Chiropractors must not treat patients when the diagnosis or clinical condition indicates that the commencement or continuation of therapy is contra-indicated or unnecessary.
10. Animal Chiropractors must respect the confidentiality, privacy, and security of all patient and client information. Such information shall not be communicated to any person without the consent of the client or delegate except where required by law.
11. Animal Chiropractors shall assume full responsibility for all the care they provide or delegate to personnel under their supervision (i.e., student or apprentice).
12. Animal Chiropractors must maintain records in accordance with professional standards.
13. Animal Chiropractors will not take physical, mental, social, or financial advantage 

Integrity & Conduct:

1. Animal Chiropractors must comply with all the laws and regulations pertaining to all aspects of the practice.
2. Animal Chiropractors must not misrepresent their credentials, as recognized by their respective professional associations.
3. Animal Chiropractors must maintain upmost integrity with respect to business practice standards and not compromise professional judgment and integrity with motives of profit and personal advancement.
4. Animal Chiropractors are professionally and morally responsible to report incompetent, unsafe, illegal, or unethical practice by any animal health care 

Responsibilities to Professional Conduct:

1. Animal Chiropractors must be aware of the provisions outlined in RAAHP Canada Bylaws and Standards of Practice.
2. Animal Chiropractors shall commit to lifelong learning and excellence in practice.
3. Animal Chiropractors shall commit to maintaining and enhancing the reputation and standing of their profession and must conduct themselves in a manner as to inspire public trust and merit the respect of society for the profession and its registrants.
4. Animal Chiropractors will practice the profession to the best of their ability and will continue to educate themselves to improve clinical competence and assure the confidence and respect of the client.
5. Animal Chiropractors will, in the public interest, preserve, protect, and communicate the expertise of the profession in legislative, public education and research matters.

All certified animal chiropractors are required to complete 30 hours of continuing professional development/continuing education (CPD/CE) every 3 years. The CPD/CE must be relevant to the animal chiropractor and needs approval by the certifying body (AVCA/IVCA/CoAC). 

Each RAAHP Canada registrant must submit their CPD/CE details with their annual registration renewal form and fee.  Each registrant must provide verification in the form of documentation or other proof if requested to do so by RAAHP Canada.

Definitions

Animal Chiropractic means the animal health profession in which a person provides, for the purposes of promotion, maintenance and restoration of health, the services of:

1. Assessment of the spine or other joints of the animal body and the associated tissue, and the nervous system,
2. Treatment of nervous system, muscular and skeletal diseases, disorders and conditions through manipulation or adjustment of the spine or other joints of the animal body by hand or by using devices directly related to the manipulation or adjustment, or
3. Advice and counselling of the animal owner/authorized agent on matters related to the spine or other joints of the animal body and the associated tissue, the nervous system and the overall health of the individual animal.

Registry means the multi-disciplinary body, the “Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners of Canada (RAAHP Canada)”.

Patient means the animal intended to receive treatment.

Client means the owner of the animal, or an authorized agent acting on behalf of the animal owner, who is in communication with the practitioner and is responsible for approving specific treatment undertaken on the animal patient.

Reserved Titles

The following titles are reserved for exclusive use by registrants:

1. The titles “Registered Animal Chiropractor” and “Doctor” are reserved for exclusive use by animal chiropractors certified by a Canadian/Provincial human College of Chiropractors and at least one of the animal chiropractic certification centres (AVCA/IVCA/CoAC).

2. This section does not prohibit a person using 
   1. The title “Doctor” in a manner authorized by another enactment that regulates an animal health profession, or
   2. An academic or educational designation that the person is entitled to use.

3. A registered animal chiropractor must report the unauthorized us of the title “Registered Animal Chiropractor” to the Registry.

A Registrant may practice animal chiropractic on small and large animals, including, but not limited to, the following activities:

A registrant in the course of practicing animal chiropractic may do any of the following:

1. 1. make a diagnosis identifying, as the cause of signs or symptoms of an animal, a disease, disorder or condition of the spine or other joints of the animal body and the associated tissue, and the nervous system;
   2. move a joint of the spine beyond the limits the animal body can voluntarily achieve but within the anatomical range of motion using a high velocity, low thrust;
   3. put an instrument, a device or a finger into the external ear canal for the purpose of assessing the ear and auditory systems;
   4. put a finger beyond the anal verge for the purpose of manipulating the coccyx;
   5. issue an instruction or authorization for a veterinarian to apply, to a named animal,
      1. electromagnetism for the purpose of magnetic resonance imaging, or
      2. X-rays for diagnostic or imaging purposes, including X-rays for the purpose of computerized axial tomography.

Therapeutic and diagnostic procedures taught in the core curriculum, postgraduate curriculum or continuing education division of a program accredited by the animal chiropractic certification centres. 

Other therapeutic and diagnostic procedures as approved by the multi-disciplinary body, the “Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners of Canada (RAAHP Canada)”.

An animal chiropractor may use adjunctive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that are in the public domain such as:

a) electrotherapies including therapeutic ultrasound 

b) therapeutic taping 

c) orthotics and braces 

d) light therapy 

e) hot and cold therapy 

f) hydrotherapy 

g) thermography 

h) Surface EMG 

i) Exercise, nutritional and lifestyle counselling

The purpose of these guidelines is to assist Registrants in maintaining proper standards of professional conduct and professional ethics and to be aware of limits and conditions for the practice of animal chiropractic. 

These guidelines set out minimum standards of practice to ensure that animal chiropractors practice in a competent manner that upholds the integrity of the profession. 

Animal chiropractors are required to comply with all standards of practice and applicable legislation relating to animal chiropractic.

STANDARDS, LIMITS AND CONDITIONS OF PRACTICE

1. Patient & Client Rights

2. Clinical Records

3. Informed Consent

4. Consultation and Examination

5. Provision of Care

6. Professional Fees

7. Licensing

8. Liability Insurance

9. Approval of Techniques and Modalities

10. Scope of Practice

11. Collaborative Practice

12. Personal & Professional Conduct & Conflict of Interest

13. Public relations and Advertising

14. Delegation of Care

15. Infection Control

16. Referrals

17. Sexual Harassment

1. Patient & Client Rights

• An animal chiropractor will recognize the right of clients to select professional health care, separate or complementary to animal chiropractic care.

• An animal chiropractor should never abandon a patient without due regard for the patient’s welfare and must give sufficient notice of withdrawal to permit the client to secure another practitioner. 

• Except where necessary to safeguard society or when required by law, an animal chiropractor may only divulge confidential information (whether derived from the patient/client or any other source) with the permission of the client, or the person(s) responsible for the patient.

2. Clinical Records

• An animal chiropractor will keep a clinical record for each patient, showing the patient’s name, owner/client’s name, address, breed, species, sex, date of birth, the dates seen, an adequate history and particulars of physical examinations, investigations ordered and the results of same, the findings from imaging, the diagnosis made, and the treatment prescribed. Clinical records must be accurate, legible and comprehensive. 

• Animal chiropractors shall maintain separate appointment books and separate health and financial records.

• An animal chiropractor who uses an electronic health record must ensure that the system has additional safeguards to protect the confidentiality and security of information. 

• All records must be kept for a period of not less than 16 years from the date of the last recorded entry.

3. Informed Consent

• Consent to the chiropractic care of animals must be fully informed and voluntarily given by the client and animal chiropractors are required to comply with all standards of practice and applicable legislation relating to animal chiropractic.

• Before commencing examination or treatment of a patient, an animal chiropractor will obtain the client’s informed consent. Client consent should be appropriately updated and recorded in the patient record. 

• Some indications for revisiting informed consent include:

• changes to the treatment plan
• changes to patient symptoms and diagnosis
• changes to patient’s health status
• prolonged absence from care

4. Consultation and Examination

• An animal chiropractor must not exaggerate or minimize the gravity of a patient’s condition, and will ensure that the client, or the person(s) responsible for the patient, has sufficient knowledge of that condition to make decisions regarding the patient’s best interests.

• An animal chiropractor will not guarantee a cure, either verbally or in writing, and at most, will offer only an estimate as to length of time or number of visits required for treatment of the patient’s condition.

• Before the commencement of treatment, an animal chiropractor will advise the client of findings and recommendations in a professional and responsible manner.

• Before any chiropractic techniques are used, an animal chiropractor must conduct a direct physical examination of the patient’s area of complaint.

• Treatment plans should be individualized and based on expected healing patterns and natural history for the type of diagnosis. 

5. Provision of Care

• An animal chiropractor will ensure that patients enjoy the benefits of a clean, comfortable office and treatment area. 

6. Professional Fees

• An animal chiropractor must consider the welfare of the patient above all else, and will not let expectations of remuneration, or any lack thereof, affect the quality of service rendered to the patient.

• When determining fees to the patient, an animal chiropractor will consider the professional service rendered and the client's ability to pay.

• An animal chiropractor will discuss fees with clients when appropriate, and always when proposed fees exceed those customarily charged.

• An animal chiropractor should not engage in advance payment contracts for care, or charge membership/initiation fees, even if a treatment plan is in place; they should ensure that fees are only charged for services already provided.

• Billing discounts, specials, and promotions should not be used as a marketing strategy, to gain new patients or for increasing referrals; discount due to hardship can be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• An animal chiropractor may participate in community fundraising with a registered charity by:

• donating services,
• donating fees for services, or
• donating products.

7. Licensing

• An animal chiropractor must maintain annual licensing as a Doctor of Chiropractic in good standing with a Canadian/Provincial human College of Chiropractors in order to maintain certification with the animal chiropractic certification body (AVCA/IVCA/CoAC).

8. Liability Insurance

• An animal chiropractor must maintain professional liability insurance that covers the treatment of animals. 

• Currently, the Canadian Chiropractic Protective Association (CCPA) provides professional liability coverage for Doctors of Chiropractic in jurisdictions where animal chiropractic is permitted. Coverage provides up to $1,000,000 in liability protection. A $1,000 deductible is required in the event of a claim.

• The CCPA currently provides professional liability coverage for Doctors of Chiropractic treating animals in the following provinces:
  • • Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and P.E.I.

• An animal chiropractor must ensure that the client is fully informed about the animal chiropractor’s insurance coverage.

9. Approval of Techniques and Modalities

• Accepted therapeutic and diagnostic procedures are those taught in core curriculum or continuing education division of a program accredited by the animal chiropractic certification body (AVCA/IVCA/CoAC).

10. Scope of Practice

• Registrants may practice animal chiropractic on small and large animals, including, but not limited to, the following activities:

• Animal chiropractors, in the course of practicing animal chiropractic, may do any of the following:

• • make a diagnosis identifying, as the cause of signs or symptoms of an animal, a disease, disorder or condition of the spine or other joints of the animal body and the associated tissue, and the nervous system;

• • move a joint of the spine beyond the limits the animal body can voluntarily achieve but within the anatomical range of motion using a high velocity, low thrust;

• • put an instrument, a device or a finger into the external ear canal for the purpose of assessing the ear and auditory systems;

• • put a finger beyond the anal verge for the purpose of manipulating the coccyx;

• • issue an instruction or authorization for a veterinarian to apply, to a named animal,

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. electromagnetism for the purpose of magnetic resonance imaging, or
            2. X-rays for diagnostic or imaging purposes, including X-rays for the purpose of computerized axial tomography.

• Therapeutic and diagnostic procedures taught in the core curriculum, postgraduate curriculum or continuing education division of a program accredited by the animal chiropractic certification body (AVCA/IVCA/CoAC). 

• Other therapeutic and diagnostic procedures as approved by the multi-disciplinary body, the “Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners of Canada (RAAHP Canada)”.

• An animal chiropractor may use adjunctive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that are in the public domain such as:

• electrotherapies including therapeutic ultrasound 
• therapeutic taping 
• orthotics and braces 
• light therapy 
• hot and cold therapy 
• hydrotherapy 
• thermography 
• Surface EMG 
• Exercise, nutritional and lifestyle counselling

11. Collaborative Practice

• A chiropractor will recognize professional limitations and, when indicated, will recommend other opinions and services to clients.

• When diagnosis or treatment is difficult or obscure, or when the client requests it, an animal chiropractor will request the opinion of an appropriate animal chiropractor, animal health practitioner, or veterinarian who is acceptable to the patient. Having requested the opinion, the animal chiropractor may make available any relevant information and will clearly indicate whether the colleague is to assume the continuing care of the patient during this illness.

• When a colleague requests an opinion, an animal chiropractor will report findings and recommendations in detail and may outline the opinion to the client. After providing such an opinion, a chiropractor will continue care of the patient only at the specific request of the attending chiropractor, animal health practitioner, or veterinarian, and with the consent of the client.

• Appropriate coordination and consultation between animal chiropractors and veterinarians in the chiropractic care of animals must be ensured.

• Team-based care is an emerging reality in Canada’s animal health care environment. Animal chiropractors recognize that referring elements of practice to another professional with overlapping scopes of practice can be beneficial to patients.

• Animal chiropractors work with a variety of other animal health practitioners in integrated teams to support and, when appropriate, co-manage the patient and respect the client’s choice of care.

• Animal chiropractors recognize the skills and competencies offered by other members of the team and do not disparage other animal health care practitioners registered by RAAHP Canada or veterinarians.

• Animal chiropractors welcome questions, challenges and suggestions from their clients and respond respectfully and thoughtfully to ensure that the client has the opportunity to play an active role in the patient’s care.

12. Personal & Professional Conduct & Conflict of Interest

• An animal chiropractor will report unethical conduct or incompetence on the part of a registrant to the Registry and to such other authorities as may be appropriate.

• An animal chiropractor will ensure that, at all times, their conduct merits the respect of the public for members of the profession.

• An animal chiropractor will protect their professional reputation by avoiding all situations that could lead to a conflict of interest.

• An animal chiropractor will not request or accept cash or other consideration for referring patients/clients to another health care provider.

• An animal chiropractor will not offer any cash or other consideration to any person for the procuring of patients.

13. Public Relations and Advertising

• When communicating with the public, an animal chiropractor

• • must not indicate a level of competence greater than that actually held, according to accepted standards,

• • may list academic degrees (such as Bachelor of Science, Masters, or PhD) behind their name, provided the degrees were obtained from an accredited institution, and may indicate the number of years they have been in practice,

• • must not advertise health benefits of their services when there is not acceptable evidence that these benefits can be achieved.

• Animal chiropractors may use testimonials in marketing activity provided

• they obtain written permission to use a testimonial from the client providing it, and
• all testimonials are truthful, accurate, in good taste.

• An animal chiropractor must not solicit a patient’s participation in multi-level marketing or in any way participate with a client in such marketing. For the purposes of this section, multi- level marketing is defined as a plan for the distribution of products whereby participants earn money by supplying products to other participants in the same plan, who in turn, make their money by supplying the same products to other participants.

• An animal chiropractor must not use web-based group coupon campaigns to market and sell animal chiropractic services. 

14. Delegation of Care

• An animal chiropractor may delegate an aspect of practice.

• Delegation occurs when an animal chiropractor asks an assistant employed or contracted to work at the same clinic to perform an aspect of animal chiropractic practice.

• The animal chiropractor must be satisfied that the assistant to whom the aspect of practice is delegated is competent to perform the aspect of practice safely.

• When delegating an aspect of animal chiropractic practice involving patient assessment or treatment, the animal chiropractor remains responsible for the patient’s chiropractic health and must directly supervise the assistant’s performance of the aspect of practice.

• An aspect of practice involving patient assessment or treatment may be part of the animal chiropractor’s overall assessment or treatment of the patient. It does not include turning the patient over to an assistant for care at one or more subsequent appointments where the patient does not see the chiropractor.

• Whenever an animal chiropractor delegates any aspect of practice, the animal chiropractor remains ultimately responsible for the patient’s chiropractic care.

15. Infection Control

• Animal chiropractors comply with infection prevention and control measures to support the health and safety of the animal/patient and client/owner, other health care providers, him/herself, and other animals/people.

• The animal chiropractor will:

• Use appropriate infection control measures and monitor their use.

• Apply their knowledge, skills, and judgement to conduct ongoing assessments of the degree of current risks of infection and transmission, with the goal of minimizing the risks and taking into consideration: 

1. type of intervention planned or conducted, 
2. the health condition of the animal being assessed or treated,
3. the degree of infection risk present in the practice environment, 
4. current infection control measures,
5. the health and immunization status of all people and other animals in the practice environment

• Ensure that there are appropriate written infection prevention and control protocols in their practice setting

• Where animals are provided with chiropractic care in the same office as humans, the animal chiropractor must maintain a separate portion of the office devoted to animal chiropractic. 

• Maintenance of separate office space is a minimum requirement for health and sanitation reasons, particularly considering the various communicable diseases common to humans and animals.

16. Referrals

• Animal chiropractors recognize when to refer non-MSK conditions and red or yellow flags to a veterinarian or another animal health practitioner.

• Animal chiropractors should inform veterinarians and other animal health practitioners of red and yellow flags and co-morbidities, after obtaining patient informed consent to contact other providers.

17. Sexual Harassment

• Sexual harassment is any unwanted sexual conduct directed toward anyone, including clients, associates, other professionals and office staff.

• Sexual harassment is always unethical and unprofessional.

• Examples of sexually harassing verbal behaviour which does not need to be specifically directed at the victim to constitute sexual harassment, include:

• • idle chatter of a sexual nature and graphic sexual descriptions,

• • offensive and risqué jokes or jesting and kidding about sex or gender- specific traits,

• • suggestive or insulting sounds such as whistling, wolf-calls or kissing sounds,

• • comments of a sexual nature about weight, body shape, size or figure,

• • pseudo-medical advice with sexual overtones,

• • staged whispers or mimicking of a sexual nature about such things as the way a person walks, talks or sits,

• • innuendoes or taunting,

• • rough and vulgar humour or language,

• • gender-based insults or sexist remarks,

• • comments about a person’s looks, dress, appearance or sexual habits,

• • inquiries or comments about an individual’s sex life or relationship with a sex partner, or

• • telephone calls with sexual overtones.

Certification

The Animal Herbal Therapist will have completed education in human herbal medicine, consisting of:

1. at least 2000 hours of educational training in western herbal medicine,
2. at least 500 hours of supervised clinical experience in the field of western herbal medicine.

Followed by further training in animal herbal medicine, including:

1. additional training in animal anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology.
2. at least 200 hours of educational training in animal herbal medicine.
3. at least 50 hours of supervised clinical experience in the field of animal herbal medicine.
4. if trained in additional paradigms which are applicable to the further assessment and evaluation for their tradition, including: nutrition, nutritional supplementation and vitamin therapy, Bach flower remedies: the Animal Herbal Therapist will need to show evidence of certification.
5. Peer Review Interview: the registration committee will schedule either an in-person or video call, set up by the Registry to evaluate requirements and competence as an animal herbal therapist.

Animal Herbal Therapist Registrants are required to:

Certification in Human Herbal Medicine:

1. Diploma in Herbal Medicine (Dipl.HM), or
2. Diploma in Phytotherapy (DipP), or
3. Batchelor of Science in Herbal Medicine (BSC Herbal Medicine), or
4. Masters Degree in Herbal Medicine (MSC Herbal Medicine)

Approved Human Herbal Medicine Training Programs:

1. Diploma of Herbal Medicine – Pacific Rim College, Canada
2. Clinical Herbal Therapy Diploma – Dominion Herbal College, Canada
3. Clinical Herbal Diploma – Wild Rose College, Canada
4. Master of Science in Clinical Herbal Medicine – Maryland University of Integrative Health, USA
5. Bachelor of Science in Clinical Herbalism – Lincoln University, UK
6. Diploma of Herbal Medicine – Heartwood, UK
7. Other programs may be evaluated and deemed eligible for approval on a case by case basis

Certification in Animal Herbal Medicine:

1. Certificate in Animal Herbal Medicine, or
2. Certificate in Animal Phytotherapy

Approved Animal Herbal Medicine Training Programs:

1. Certification in Small Animal Herbology - College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies (CIVT), Australia (online)
2. Professional Certificate of Equine Herbal Medicine - National College of Traditional Medicine (NCTM) for Equine and Companion Animals, Australia (online)
3. Professional Certificate of Companion Pets in Herbal Medicine - National College of Traditional Medicine (NCTM) for Equine and Companion Animals, Australia (online)
4. Other programs may be evaluated and deemed eligible for approval on a case by case basis

Education Standards:

All Animal Herbal Therapists will have:

1. Completed certification in animal/veterinary herbal medicine.
2. And are currently or have previously been registered with an herbalist association in a province or territory of Canada.

Animal Herbal Therapists are committed to act with integrity and to practice in a safe, competent, accountable and responsible manner while offering support and herbal expertise. Animal Herbal Therapists recognize their responsibility to society and strive for excellence in their professional activities.

Responsibilities to the Client and Patient:

1. Animal Herbal Therapists shall consider the well-being of the patient as their primary concern, while respecting the client’s wishes and values. 
2. Animal Herbal Therapists must communicate openly, honestly, and respectfully with their client at all times.
3. Animal Herbal Therapists must respect the client’s rights to be informed about the effects of treatment and inherent risks.  Animal Herbal Therapists shall provide thorough information to facilitate the client’s understanding of the patient’s condition and proposed treatment plan to enable the client to make informed decisions regarding the plan.
4. Animal Herbal Therapists must give clients the opportunity to consent or decline treatment or alterations to the patient’s treatment program.
5. Animal Herbal Therapists must know their scope of practice and recognize their limitations. Animal Herbal Therapists shall request consultation with or refer the patient and client to their veterinarian or other allied animal health care professional when, in the opinion of the Animal Herbal Therapists, such action is in the best interest of the patient.
6. Animal Herbal Therapists must not treat patients when the diagnosis or clinical condition indicates that the commencement or continuation of physiotherapy is contra-indicated or unnecessary.
7. Animal Herbal Therapists must respect the confidentiality, privacy, and security of all patient / client information. Such information shall not be communicated to any person without the consent of the client or authorized agent except where required by law.
8. Animal Herbal Therapists shall assume full responsibility for all the care they provide or delegate to personnel under their supervision.
9. Animal Herbal Therapists must maintain records in accordance with professional standards.

Responsibility to Society:

1. Animal Herbal Therapists must comply with all the laws and regulations pertaining to all aspects of the practice of herbal therapy.
2. Animal Herbal Therapists must not misrepresent their credentials.
3. Animal Herbal Therapists must maintain upmost integrity with respect to business practice standards and not compromise professional judgment and integrity with motives of profit and personal advancement.
4. Animal Herbal Therapists are professionally and morally responsible for addressing any incompetent, unsafe, illegal, or unethical practice by any animal health care provider.
5. Animal Herbal Therapists shall recognize their responsibility to improve standards of animal health care through education of colleagues, students and the public.

Responsibilities to the Profession

1. Animal Herbal Therapists must be aware of the provisions outlined in the Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners Canada Bylaws and Standards of Practice.
2. Herbal Therapists must commit to maintaining and enhancing the reputation and standing of the Animal Herbal Medicine profession and must conduct themselves in a manner as to inspire public trust and merit the respect of society for the profession and its registrants.
3. Animal Herbal Therapists shall contribute to the development of the profession of animal herbal medicine by sharing relevant information, mentoring, and supporting or engaging in research activity.
4. Animal Herbal Therapists shall commit to lifelong learning and excellence in practice. 

Registrants must complete a minimum of 40 hours of continuing education (CE) annually, of which 10 hours needs to be animal specific.  Each registrant must provide verification in the form of documentation or other proof if requested to do so by the Board.

Continuing Education activities involve:

• Attending seminars or courses related to Animal Herbal Medicine
• Attending seminars or courses related to Human Herbal Medicine
• Attending workshops, conferences or clinics related to Human or Animal Health, and/or Herbal Medicine
• Attending workshops, conferences, or clinics related to business

1. Definitions

   Animal Herbal Medicine means the animal health profession in which a person provides, for the purposes of promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health primarily through the services of: 

   1. internal and external use of herbal medicines (derived from plants, fungi and algae, or parts thereof), which may or may not include other natural health products. 

   Animal Herbal Therapist is a person who exercises skill or judgment to provide a service related to:

   i) the preservation or improvement of the health of an animal, or

   ii) the care of animals including those who are injured, sick, disabled or infirm.

   Registry means the multi-disciplinary body, the “Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners of Canada (RAAHP Canada)”.

   Patient means the animal intended to receive treatment.

   Client means the owner of the animal, or an authorized agent acting on behalf of the animal owner, who is in communication with the practitioner and is responsible for approving specific treatment undertaken on the animal patient.

   Reserved Titles

   The following titles are reserved for exclusive use by registrants:

   1. Registered Animal Herbal Therapist
   2. Registered Animal Clinical Herbalist
   3. Registered Animal Medical Herbalist
   4. Registered Animal Chartered Herbalist

“Animal herbal therapy” / “Animal herbal medicine” /

“Animal herbal medicine” is the promotion, maintenance and restoration of health primarily through the internal and external use of herbal medicines (derived from plants, fungi and algae, or parts thereof), which may or may not include other natural health products. 

An animal herbal therapist is a person who exercises skill or judgment to provide a service related to:

(a) the preservation or improvement of the health of an animal, or

(b) the care of animals including those who are injured, sick, disabled or infirm.

Standards of Practice for Animal Herbal Therapists

The purpose of these guidelines is to set out minimum standards of practice to ensure that registrants do not practice in an incompetent manner. These standards are designed to reflect the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to provide the professional services in a competent manner.

1. Patient Assessment, Diagnosis, Interventions and Evidence-Informed Practice
2. Clinical Records
3. Privacy and Confidentiality
4. Collaborative Practice
5. Consent and Disclosure of Treatment Risks
6. Advertising
7. Assignment of Task to a Student or Non-Registrant
8. Infection Control
9. Conflict of Interest
10. Liability Insurance Requirements
11. Use of Title and Credentials
12. Fees and Billing

1. Patient Assessment, Diagnosis, Interventions and Evidence-Informed Practice

Standard: 

The Animal Herbal Practitioner demonstrates proficiency in the assessment and diagnosis of an animal and proficiency in choosing and using interventions to deliver quality patient-centered services.

Expectation: The Animal Herbal Practitioner will:

• Select appropriate assessment tools and apply appropriate assessment procedures to evaluate the patient’s health condition using investigative measures as available
• Use critical thinking, problem solving and professional judgement to interpret the assessment findings and make an informed herbal therapy diagnosis
• Work with the animal owner to set realistic goals and to develop a treatment plan to work toward those goals
• Apply interventions safely and effectively
• Deliver only services that are clinically indicated and only services that the animal herbal therapist is competently able to provide
• Assign appropriate tasks to assistants with the owner’s consent
• Monitor progress and re-assess to adjust the treatment plan as needed
• Make appropriate referrals to other animal health care providers when necessary for the best interest of the animal and its recovery
• Collaborate with the animal owner to create and execute a discharge plan

2. Clinical Records:

Standard:

The Animal Herbal Practitioner maintains documents/records that are accurate, legible, and complete, written in a timely manner, and in compliance with applicable registry requirements. The records will contain all of the information created and recorded for the purpose of providing animal herbal therapy services.

Expectation: Animal Herbal Practitioner will:

• Maintain legible, accurate, complete (including date, signature, unique patient identification, etc.), permanent, and timely records related to any and all aspects of patient care such that the whole record (or any component of it) can be easily read, retrieved, copied, or printed
• Include sufficient detail that another animal herbal therapist could take over treatment and maintain continuity of care
• Use only abbreviations which are generally recognizable to all health professionals in the animal herbal therapist’s place of practice
• Include the following in the clinical record regarding the assessment / treatment of the animal:  

1. • Owner’s consent
   • patient’s identity (name, date of birth, unique identifier)
   • history of present complaint
   • relevant medical history
   • current prescribed medications and/or supplements
   • assessment findings
   • treatment plan and goals
   • dates of each treatment session in chronological order
   • details of treatment provided and patient responses to treatment (including results of reassessments)
   • details of education given to the animal owner, advice provided and communication with the owner or regarding the patient

• Secure all patient information contained in the patient record through the use of physical, technical, and / or electronic security mechanisms (i.e. passwords, encryption, locked offices/file cabinets) to protect the privacy of the patient (and owner) information
• Maintain complete and accurate financial records for every service provided or product sold. The financial records will include identification of the service provider, the date of service, fee for service, date the payment was received, and balance owing
• Retain records for at least 10 years from the date of the last patient encounter

3. Privacy and Confidentiality:

Standard:

The Animal Herbal Practitioner respects the animal owner’s right to privacy and confidentiality of their and their animal’s information including health, financial and other information by practicing in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Expectation: Animal Herbal Practitioner will:

• Always protect the animal and owner’s privacy and information
• Maintain security of all patient documentation/records at all times (i.e. during data collection, storage, transfer and disposal)
• Obtain and document the animal owner’s consent prior to disclosing any information regarding the patient

4. Collaborative Practice:

Standard:

The Animal Herbal Practitioner promotes collaborative practice with the animal owner and with other animal health care team members to ensure that the plan of care addresses the needs of, and is in the best interest of, the patient.

Expectation: The Animal Herbal Practitioner will:

• Work collaboratively with animal owners and other animal health care providers to promote integrated care
• Work with the animal owner to create a plan of care and help the owner to understand their role in the plan as well as to make informed decisions about the care of their animal
• Consult with and refer to other appropriate animal health care providers when the patient’s needs and goals are best addressed by another provider
• Provide concurrent treatment of the same condition with other animal health care providers when the treatments are complimentary
• Communicate effectively and use conflict resolution strategies when necessary to resolve or accept differences and optimize effective team collaboration

5. Consent and Disclosure:

Standard:

The Animal Herbal Practitioner obtains the animal owner’s ongoing informed consent for the delivery of herbal therapy services to the animal.

Expectation: The Animal Herbal Practitioner will:

• Provide ongoing communication with the animal owner to give the information (nature, purpose and risks of treatment, alternative treatments, and consequences of refusing to consent to treatment) needed to make an informed choice about how to proceed with their animal’s care
• Ensure that the animal owner has the competence to consent to treatment (based on whether the patient demonstrates that he/she has understood the information provided)
• Update consent if the treatment plan is altered
• Obtain consent in one of several ways: orally, written, or implied from the patient’s words, writing, and/or actions
• Document in the patient record that informed consent (or refusal to consent) has occurred

6. Advertising:

Standard:

The Animal Herbal Practitioner advertises in a way that is truthful, accurate, verifiable, understandable and not misleading to the public.

Expectation:  The Animal Herbal Practitioner will:

• Make reasonable efforts to confirm that all advertising of animal herbal therapy services is truthful, accurate, verifiable and understandable
• Take responsibility for any advertisement done on their behalf
• Ensure that advertisements only contain information about services for the conditions that the animal herbal therapist is competent to treat, and do not state or imply a guarantee of treatment results
• Refrain from making comparative or superlative statements or imply that the animal herbal therapist’s services are better than those of other animal herbal therapists

7. Assignment of Task to a student or non-registrant:

Standard:

The Animal Herbal Practitioner takes responsibility and is accountable for the services provided by personnel working under his/her supervision.

Expectation: The Animal Herbal Practitioner will:

• Inform the animal owner of the role of the non-registrant and that the services provided by the non-registrant will be supervised by the herbal therapist
• Establish and maintain ongoing communication with the non-registrant
• Assess the knowledge of the non-registrant and only assign tasks that the non-registrant is competent to perform
• Monitor and evaluate the delivery of services by the non-registrant
• Refrain from assigning restricted activities or any activity that requires continuous clinical judgement (i.e. the interpretation of referrals or of assessment findings, or the determination of treatment procedures, goals, planning or modification of treatment plans)
• Ensure that the non-registrant is readily identifiable (i.e. name tags, etc.)

8. Infection Control:

Standard:

The Animal Herbal Practitioner complies with infection prevention and control measures to support the health and safety of the animal and owner, other health care providers, him/herself, and other animals/people.

Expectation: The Animal Herbal Practitioner will:

• Use appropriate infection control measures and monitor their use
• Apply his / her knowledge, skills, and judgement to conduct ongoing assessments of the degree of current risks of infection and transmission, with the goal of minimizing the risks and taking into consideration: (1) type of intervention planned or conducted, (2) the health condition of the animal being assessed or treated, (3) the degree of infection risk present in the practice environment, (4) current infection control measures, and (5) the health and immunization status of all people and other animals in the practice environment
• Ensure that there are appropriate written infection prevention and control protocols in their practice setting

9. Conflict of Interest:

Standard:

The Animal Herbal Practitioner recognizes and manages situations that may result in real, potential, or perceived conflict of interest, resulting in a breach of an obligation to the Animal Herbal Therapist’s professional ethics with the effect or intention of advancing one’s own interest in a way that is detrimental to the animal.

Expectation: The Animal Herbal Practitioner will:

• Ensure that all decisions regarding the animal will be made in the animal’s best interest and with the animal owner’s full knowledge
• Provide professional services only in situations where there is a demonstrated need for the service
• Refrain from participating in any activity in which professional judgment could be compromised or for personal gain

10. Liability Insurance Requirements:

Standard: 

The Animal Herbal Practitioner holds liability insurance that would provide financial compensation for animal owners whose animal has been harmed as a result of malpractice or negligence by a professional.

Expectation: Animal Herbal Practitioner will:

• ensure that their liability insurance is up to date annually

11. Use of Title and Credentials:

Standard:

The Animal Herbal Practitioner uses his / her title, credentials, and other designations to clearly identify him / herself to animal owners, other animal health care providers, and the public.

Expectation: The Animal Herbal Practitioner will:

• Register with the Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners of Canada when using their title
• Report the unauthorized use of the title of ‘Animal Herbal Therapist’, ‘Animal Clinical Herbalist’, ‘Animal Medical Herbalist’, ‘Animal Chartered Herbalist’
• Communicate additional educational achievements by writing in a clear and complete manner as to be understood by the public
• Convey professional association memberships as such as they are not credentials

12. Fees and Billing

Standard:

The Animal Herbal Practitioner ensures that the fees charged for services are transparent and justifiable to enable the animal owner to make informed choices.

Expectation: The Animal Herbal Practitioner will:

• Provide a fee schedule, prior to initiating services, that includes transparent and accurate information about billing policies and all potential charges
• Be accountable for any fee, billing or account that uses their name
• Ensure that any fee or billing that uses their name is an accurate reflection of the services and/or products provided
• Confirm that processes are in place to resolve issues arising from billing disputes

Certification in Animal Homeopathy requires: 

Completion of:

Human Homeopathic Certification – Diploma of Classical Homeopathy (DCH) or similar

Completion of the College of Animal Homeopathic Medicine program or similar which includes:

1. Animal Sciences (anatomy, physiology, pathology)
2. Animal Homeopathy

Approved Training Programs

Western College of Homeopathic Medicine (Calgary) 

Canadian College of Homeopathic Medicine (Toronto)

Ontario College of Homeopathic Medicine (Toronto)

Montreal Institute of Classical Homeopathy (Montreal)

College of Animal Homeopathic Medicine (Vancouver)  

Education Standards:

All Animal Homeopathic Practitioners are:

1. Certified in animal/veterinary homeopathic medicine.
2. Are currently registered with a homeopathic association in a province or territory of Canada.

Animal Homeopathic Practitioners are committed to the highest standards of conduct and to practice in a safe, competent, and responsible manner in providing services.

Animal Homeopathic Practitioners are accountable to our patients, clients and professional associations in the practice of animal homeopathy. 

Responsibilities to the Patient and Client

1. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners always consider the well-being of the patient.
2. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners recognize his/her professional limitations and, when indicated, recommend to the client that the patient see a veterinarian that additional opinions and services be obtained.
3. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners treat patients and clients with kindness, respect, dignity and freedom from prejudice. 
4. Animal Homeopathic Practitioner respect decisions made by the client in regards to the care of the patient.
5. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners acknowledge that a client has the right to accept or reject any practitioner and any recommendations made.
6. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners uphold the confidentiality of the practitioner/client relationship.

Responsibilities to society

1. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners practice the art and science of animal homeopathy to the best of his/her ability.
2. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners undertake continuing personal and professional development to enhance his/her standards of practice.

Responsibilities to the Profession

1. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners conduct his/her activities (practice, research, publications, teaching) with honour and integrity in order to merit the respect of colleagues and the public.
2. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners report research findings and clinical experience methodically, honestly and without distortion.
3. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners acknowledge and clearly reference the ideas and materials of others.
4. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners do not disparage nor speak disrespectfully of any fellow practitioner. 
5. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners, when he/she has good reason to believe that a fellow animal homeopath has acted irresponsibly or has any complaint whatsoever about him/her, should first attempt to discuss said issue with the homeopath concerned, observing full confidentiality. 
6. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners support and assist each other in study and practice.
7. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners strive to improve the standards and availability of animal homeopathic care in the community.
8. Animal Homeopathic Practitioners promote public education in animal homeopathy and the nature of professional animal homeopathic practice.

Registrants must complete a minimum of 12 Continuing Education Credits (CEU’s) per year and provide verifications in the form of documentation or other proof.   

Continuing Education activities involve:

• Attending seminars or courses related to Human or Animal Homeopathy 
• Attending workshops, conferences or clinics related Human or Animal Homeopathy or Veterinary Medicine
• Homeopathic teaching at a school or college
• Homeopathic conference or seminar presentation
• Supervising or mentoring a homeopath
• Homeopathic research
• Published review of a homeopathic book or seminar (at least 1,000 words)
• Published article in a professional journal (at least 3,000 words)
• Being mentored by a professional homeopath or animal homeopath

Definitions

Animal Homeopathy means the animal health profession in which a person provides, for the purposes of promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health primarily through the services of: 

1. stimulating an animal’s natural healing ability.
2. treating the patient as a whole, not only the disease 

Animal Homeopathic Practitioner is a person who exercises skill or judgment to provide a service related to:

i) the preservation or improvement of the health of an animal, or

ii) the care of animals including those who are injured, sick, disabled or infirm.

Registry means the multi-disciplinary body, the “Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners of Canada (RAAHP Canada)”.

Patient means the animal intended to receive treatment.

Client means the owner of the animal, or an authorized agent acting on behalf of the animal owner, who is in communication with the practitioner and is responsible for approving specific treatment undertaken on the animal patient.

Reserved Titles

The following titles are reserved for exclusive use by registrants:

1. Registered Animal Homeopathic Practitioner
2. Registered Animal Homeopath

Homeopathy is based on natural laws, principles and practices of health and healing as described by Doctor Samuel Hahnemann and others, including: 

• Recognizing the vital force as the fundamental basis of health and healing; 
• Selecting homeopathic remedies based on holistic and individualizing considerations and by applying the Law of Similars; 
• Employing potentized remedies prepared according to the homeopathic pharmacopeia; 
• Following the Hippocratic principle “First, do no harm”.  

The purpose of these guidelines is to set out minimum standards of practice to ensure that registrants do not practice in an incompetent manner. These standards are designed to reflect the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to provide professional services in a competent manner.

1. Patient Rights
2. Informed Consent
3. Privacy and Confidentiality
4. Clinical records and Record Keeping
5. Professional Fees
6. Appointments and Scheduling
7. Client Communications
8. Practice Coverage
9. Office Maintenance
10. Marketing and Advertising
11. Testimonials
12. Professional Consultation or Referral
13. Collaborative Practice
14. Withdrawing from Patient Care
15. Liability Insurance Requirements
16. Use of Occupational Title and Credentials

1.  Patient Rights

• In meeting responsibilities to the patient as set out in the Code of Ethics, the Animal Homeopath must provide homeopathic care without regard to that client’s race, national or ethnic origin, colour, gender, sexual orientation, marital or family status, disability, age, religion, or political belief
• An Animal Homeopath must recognize the right of clients to select veterinary or professional health care which may be separate or complementary to homeopathic care.
• An Animal Homeopath must  

• not abandon a patient/client without due regard for the patient’s welfare, and 
• give sufficient notice of withdrawal to permit the client to secure another   practitioner.

2. Informed Consent 

Consent to homeopathic care 

• An Animal Homeopath must not provide homeopathic care to a patient without the client’s informed consent.
• A client gives informed consent to homeopathic care if each of the following occur:  

• the client is capable of making a decision about whether to give or refuse consent to the proposed care
• the consent relates to the proposed care 
• the consent is given voluntarily, and is not obtained by fraud or misrepresentation 
• the Animal Homeopath gives the client the information a reasonable person would require to understand the proposed care and to make an informed decision 
• the client has an opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from the Animal Homeopath about the proposed care.

• A client’s consent to homeopathic care may be expressed orally or in writing or may be inferred from conduct. 
• An Animal Homeopath should document a client’s informed consent in the clinical notes, or by asking a client to sign a consent form. 
• If an Animal Homeopath asks a client to sign a consent form, that form must include the following: 

• the patient’s name, the client’s name and signature
• the date that consent was given
• a brief description of the homeopathic care
• the name of the Animal Homeopath responsible for providing that care
• any other relevant information communicated to the client

3. Privacy and Confidentiality

An Animal Homeopath must;

• collect, use and disclose a patient’s/client’s personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA);  
• establish a Privacy Policy for his or her practice, and ensure clients are made aware of that Policy. 
• Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, an Animal Homeopath must only disclose a client’s personal information 
• with the permission of the client,  

• as permitted under PIPA, or 
• as required by law. 

Disclosure required by law 

• An Animal Homeopath may be required to disclose a client’s personal information to the authorities in one of the following situations: 

• as an expressed statutory duty to report to the authorities if the Animal Homeopath has reason to believe that a patient or client has been, or is likely to be, physically harmed, abused (sexually or otherwise), or exploited (sexually or otherwise), or is otherwise in need of protection
• as an implied duty to report to the authorities if the Animal Homeopath has information indicating that a patient has been abused or neglected
• as a common law duty to report to the authorities or warn a third party if the Animal Homeopath believes that that third party is facing an imminent risk of serious harm
• as may be directed in a court order. 

4. Clinical Records and Record Keeping 

Content of clinical records

• An Animal Homeopath must take clinical notes - at the same time that he or she is listening to the client - that are clear and coherent. 
• An Animal Homeopath must ensure the following information is recorded in a patient’s clinical record from an initial visit to any follow-up visits:  

• whenever possible, all pertinent information for the case at the time of the patient’s visit or consultation
• all clinically related advice, recommendations, and referrals
• clinically related telephone inquiries, consultations or emails 

• These standards apply to both paper records and electronic records.

Retention of clinical records: 

• An Animal Homeopath should keep and maintain clinical records for at least seven years from the date of the last communication with the client.
• When a record is to be discarded, an Animal Homeopath must ensure the record is shredded or others cannot access the information in the record. 

Client access to a patient’s records and their personal information: 

• While a clinical record belongs to the Animal Homeopath who created the record, because a client is entitled to access his or her animal’s information in that record, the Animal Homeopath may charge a client a reasonable amount for copying of the clinical record. 

Preventing loss of clinical records 

• An Animal Homeopath must take reasonable steps to prevent the loss of a clinical record by adopting one of the following methods: 

• the use of physical security measures (such as: locked filing cabinets and/or room, and alarm systems technologies)
• use of electronic security tools (such as: passwords, encryption, firewalls)
• organizational controls (such as: security clearances, restricted access to information, appropriate destruction of outdated information)

• In addition, the Animal Homeopath must ensure staff are  

• aware of the need to protect a client’s personal information, and
• trained in the safeguards used for that purpose.   

Consultation with clients

• In general, an Animal Homeopath must;  

• listen in an open and unbiased manner to what the client has to say, and
• be able to ask the client questions in a manner that is non-judgmental, open-ended, and phrased in an empathetic, supportive and non-invasive manner

• Although an Animal Homeopath must make clinical judgments, they must not be judgmental.
• The Animal Homeopath must be aware of the dangers of imposing his or her own beliefs, values, and attitudes on a client and of the importance of respect for the client’s beliefs, values and attitudes both personal and cultural. 

5. Professional Fees 

Information about fees  

• Before providing homeopathic care for which fees will be charged, the Animal Homeopath must inform the client of the amount of the anticipated fee, the likely amount of any additional fees, and obtain the client’s consent to pay those fees.
• Upon request, the Animal Homeopath will supply clients with the information they require in order to exercise their entitlement to any employment, insurance or extended health benefit, including giving the client the Animal Homeopaths full name and credentials, address and phone number, date, type of service provided and the amount paid by the client.

Determining fees 

• When determining the fee to charge a client, an Animal Homeopath must consider the professional service rendered and the client’s ability to pay
• An Animal Homeopath may advertise and provide complimentary or reduced-fee consultations, and use a sliding-scale fee schedule for people with limited or fixed income. 
• The quality of service rendered to the patient will always be to the highest ability of the practitioner regardless of the fee being paid. 

General rules 

• An Animal Homeopath must not offer any cash or other incentive to any person for the procuring of patients.
• An Animal Homeopath may make a billing arrangement with a client covering a specific number of office visits, provided the billing arrangement is wholly at the option of the client and is not a condition of the Animal Homeopath providing care.  

Contents of a payment agreement

• If an Animal Homeopath establishes formal, written payment agreement with a client, the Animal Homeopath must  

• ensure the client has a clear understanding of the billing and collection practices, and the consequences of failing to pay the bill in a timely fashion
• the payment agreement form is separate from the informed consent form 

Donated services, fees or products

• An Animal Homeopath may participate in community fundraising with a registered charity by donating services, donating fees for services, or donating products
• When donating homeopathic products or services, an Animal Homeopath must  

• comply with all standards of the BCAH Animal division, including these Standards
• consider all donated services as being “paid in full”.

• An Animal Homeopath must not bill third-party payers for donated homeopathic products or services or provide documentation to the client in support of the billing of third party payers for donated homeopathic products or services.

6. Appointments and Scheduling

• An Animal Homeopath should consider the following criteria when booking office appointments: 

• to allow the Animal Homeopath to maintain a realistic schedule that minimizes long waiting times for patients/clients
• that allocate extra time for a patient’s initial visit
• that allow sufficient time during the day for non-life threatening emergency appointments or acute consultations. 

• An Animal Homeopath should document missed or cancelled appointments.
• When appropriate, at the end of each session, the Animal Homeopath should schedule the next follow up appointment.

7. Client Communications

• An Animal Homeopath must respond to communications from clients within a reasonable amount of time.
• Where possible, they should give a client an indication of approximately when their call or email will be returned, or when they may be directed to a suitable alternative resource.
• An Animal Homeopath must provide appropriate contact information and direction to emergency services in the event they are not available or able to return a call. 
• An Animal Homeopath must document clinically related information provided during a client’s communication in the patient’s record.
• An Animal Homeopath must ensure office staff;

• are advised as to which calls or emails should be referred to the Animal Homeopath immediately and to document all telephone calls, and
• have a list of emergency telephone numbers readily available. 

• An Animal Homeopath should ensure that confidentiality is always maintained through any communication with clients.

8. Practice Coverage

General rules 

• An Animal Homeopath must: 

• make reasonable and appropriate arrangements for practice coverage for those times when they will be unavailable for an extended period of time
• inform all active clients of the coverage arrangements by means such as email, voicemail or phone call, as appropriate
• provide the covering homeopath with information on patients with anticipated problems and document this in the patient’s record.  

• A covering Animal Homeopath must advise the attending Animal Homeopath about a patient’s course of treatment during the coverage and document this in the patient’s record.  

Coverage Agreements 

• If the attending Animal Homeopath and the covering Animal Homeopath enter into a coverage arrangement, that agreement should contain an understanding as to which                                            of them bills the client and the client should be informed of this by the attending Animal Homeopath

9. Office Maintenance

• An Animal Homeopath must make reasonable efforts to: 

• ensure that patients/clients enjoy the benefits of a clean, comfortable office
• ensure a reception area is comfortable, with sufficient seating, and 
• ensure that the building and parking lot for clients and staff are adequately lighted and free of potential hazards.

• An Animal Homeopath must ensure that staff are trained in emergency exit procedures in cases of fire or other disasters.

10. Marketing and Advertising

General rules

• An Animal Homeopath must ensure that any marketing or advertising undertaken by or for the practitioner is not: 

• false
• inaccurate
• unverifiable
• misleading
• misrepresenting the effectiveness of any treatment
• undignified, offensive or in bad taste, or 
• contrary to the ethical standards of the profession

• An Animal Homeopath must not in any marketing or advertising, claim to cure any disease, condition or ailment or imply that he or she can do so. 
• An Animal Homeopath may state that he or she is a member of the BCAH Animal Division but must not represent him or herself as speaking on behalf of the Association without prior approval.  
• An Animal Homeopath must submit to the Association for approval prior to printing and publishing any press release or articles for publication that make reference to the Association. 

11. Testimonials

• An Animal Homeopath may use testimonials in marketing activity provided                                                  

• the Animal Homeopathic Practitioner obtains written permission to use a testimonial from the client, and
• the testimonial is truthful, accurate, and in good taste.

12. Professional Consultation or Referral

• The Code of Ethics provides that an Animal Homeopath must “recognize his/her professional limitations and, when indicated, recommend to the client that additional opinions and services be obtained.”
• Without limiting the generality of the forgoing, an Animal Homeopath must  

• recommend a client seek veterinary medical attention when a medical examination, diagnosis, treatment, testing or imaging is required, or in the case of a possible emergency, and
• encourage the client to maintain a relationship with their veterinarian

• When homeopathic treatment is difficult or the path forward to health is not clear to the Animal Homeopath, or when the client so requests, an Animal Homeopath will seek the opinion of another Animal Homeopath or Animal Health Care Practitioner acceptable to the client. 
• Because it is reasonable to expect additional fees for the opinion or services of another Animal Homeopath or Animal Health Care Practitioner, the referring Animal Homeopath should ensure the client understands and agrees to such additional fees as may apply
• Having requested the opinion, the Animal Homeopath

• may make available to the other Animal Homeopath or Animal Health Care Practitioner any relevant patient information, and
• must clearly indicate whether the colleague is to assume the continuing care of the patient during this illness.

• When a colleague requests an opinion, an Animal Homeopath  

• will report findings and recommendations in detail to the colleague, and
• may outline that opinion to the client.

13. Collaborative Practice

The Animal Homeopath promotes collaborative practice with the client and with other animal health care team members to ensure that the plan of care addresses the needs of, and is in the best interest of, the patient.

The Animal Homeopath will:

• Work collaboratively with clients and other animal health care providers to promote integrated care
• Work with the client to create a plan of care and help the owner to understand their role in the plan as well as to make informed decisions about the care of their animal
• Consult with and refer to other appropriate animal health care providers when the patient’s needs and goals are best addressed by another provider
• Provide concurrent treatment of the same condition with other animal health care providers when the treatments are complementary
• Communicate effectively and use conflict resolution strategies when necessary to resolve or accept differences and optimize effective team collaboration

14. Withdrawing from Patient Care

• An Animal Homeopath is justified in withdrawing care to a patient in any of the following circumstances: 

• when a client refuses to follow advice and treatment
• when a client refuses to pay their bills
• if the Animal Homeopath feels threatened or harassed by the client
• if the Animal Homeopath is restricting their practice to a particular type of problem or to office visits only. 

15. Liability Insurance Requirements

• Each Animal Homeopath must at all times maintain professional liability insurance coverage in the amount of at least $1,000,000 per claim or per occurrence, in a form that is satisfactory to the BCAH

16. Use of Occupational Titles and Credentials

• An Animal Homeopath;  

• may use the occupational title “Animal Homeopath” when identifying him or herself to the public, but
• must not use the title Veterinary Homeopath unless they are also a registrant of College of Veterinarians of BC  

• If a client, student or anyone else refers to the Animal Homeopath as a Doctor or Veterinarian, they should promptly offer a correction, unless the Animal Homeopath is also a registrant of the College of Veterinarians of BC or other Medical College and thus entitled to use those occupational titles. 

Certification

The Animal Massage Professional will have completed:

1. A certificate or diploma in Equine Animal Massage requiring a minimum of 201 hours of training, including:

1. 1. didactic and hands on training, with a minimum of 100 hours being hands-on practice. 
   2. externship or professionally supervised practice consisting of a minimum of 60 hours.

OR

2. A certificate or diploma in Canine Animal Massage requiring a minimum of 251 hours of training, including:
   1. didactic and hands-on training, with a minimum of 80 hours being hands-on practice.
   2. externship or professionally supervised practice consisting of a minimum of 60 hours.

AND

3. Certification must require a passing grade of both written and practical examinations

Approved Training Programs:

• BC College of Equine Therapy
• Northwest School of Animal Massage
• Kheiron College of Equine Therapy
• Canadian Institute of Equine and Canine Bodyworks
• Natural Touch Therapy Institute
• The D’Arcy Lane Institute Equine Program
• Rocky Mountain School of Animal Acupressure and Massage
• National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure & Massage (NBCAAM)
• International Association of Animal Massage and Bodywork & Association of Canine Water Therapy. (IAAMB)(ACWT) and
• International Equine Body Worker Association and its Small Animal Division (IEBWA)

Education Standards:

All Animal Massage Professionals will have:

1. Completed certification in animal massage.
2. And are currently or previously been registered with an animal massage association in a province or territory of Canada, or an internationally recognized association, such as NBCAAM or IAAMB/ACWT.

Animal Massage Professionals are committed to act with integrity and to practice in a safe, competent, accountable and responsible manner during the provision of services. Animal Massage Professionals recognize their responsibility to society and strive for excellence in their professional activities.

Responsibilities to the client and patient:

1. Animal Massage Professionals shall consider the well-being of the patient as their primary concern, while respecting the client’s wishes and values.
2. Animal Massage Professionals must communicate openly, honestly, and respectfully with their client at all times.
3. Animal Massage Professionals must respect the client’s rights to be informed about the effects of treatment and inherent risks. Animal Massage Professionals shall provide thorough information to facilitate the client’s understanding of the patient’s condition and proposed treatment plan to enable the owner to make informed decisions regarding the plan.
4. Animal Massage Professionals must give clients the opportunity to consent or decline treatment or alterations to the patient’s treatment program.
5. Animal Massage Professionals must know their scope of practice and recognize their limitations. Animal Massage Professionals shall request consultation with or refer the patient and client to their veterinarian or other allied animal health care professional when, in the opinion of the Animal Massage Professional, such action is in the best interest of the patient.
6. Animal Massage Professionals must not treat patients when the diagnosis or clinical condition indicates that the commencement or continuation of Animal Massage work is contra-indicated or unnecessary.
7. Animal Massage Professionals must respect the confidentiality, privacy, and security of all patient / client information. Such information shall not be communicated to any person without the consent of the client or surrogate except where required by law.
8. Animal Massage Professionals shall assume full responsibility for all the care they provide or delegate to personnel under their supervision.
9. Animal Massage Professionals must maintain records in accordance with professional standards.
10. Animal Massage Professionals maintain high standards of professionalism including respect, courtesy, candor and good faith in all aspects of their practice including interactions with other animal healthcare providers and the public.

Responsibility to Society

1. Animal Massage Professionals must comply with all the laws and regulations pertaining to all aspects of the practice. 
2. Animal Massage Professionals must not misrepresent their credentials.
3. Animal Massage Professionals must maintain upmost integrity with respect to business practice standards and not compromise professional judgment and integrity with motives of profit and personal advancement.
4. Animal Massage Professionals are professionally and morally responsible for addressing any incompetent, unsafe, illegal, or unethical practice by any animal health care provider.
5. Animal Massage Professionals shall recognize their responsibility to improve standards of animal health care through education of colleagues, students and the public.

Responsibilities to the Profession

1. Animal Massage Professionals must be aware of the provisions outlined in the Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners Canada Bylaws and Standards of Practice.
2. Animal Massage Professionals must commit to maintaining and enhancing the reputation and standing of the Animal Massage profession and must conduct themselves in a manner as to inspire public trust and merit the respect of society for the profession and its regulated members.
3. Animal Massage Professionals shall contribute to the development of the profession by sharing relevant information, mentoring, and supporting or engaging in research activity.
4. Animal Massage Professionals shall commit to lifelong learning and excellence in practice.

Registrants must complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education (CE) every three years.  Each registrant must submit their CE details with their annual registration renewal form and fee.  Each registrant must provide verification in the form of documentation or other proof if requested to do so by the Board.

Continuing Education activities involve:

• Attending seminars or courses related to Animal Massage
• Attending workshops, conferences or clinics related to Animal Health, Behaviour, Training, and Animal Massage
• Attending workshops, conferences, or clinics related to business

1. In this regulation:

Animal Massage/ Animal Massage Therapy / Equine Massage Therapy / Canine Massage Therapy

Animal Massage is a system of manual therapy that utilizes manual palpation methods to assess soft tissue structures and joints, their symmetries, tissue health and tone.  Visual observations and hands-on evaluations furthermore take into account postures, movements, and abilities. Massage includes a range of different techniques —including sports massage, soft tissue mobilization, stretching, range of motion and positioning exercises, as well as “focal” point work (stress and trigger points) and myofascial release. Massage therapy is often used to treat muscle pain, injury, and stiffness and to help manage health conditions or enhance wellness.

Registry means the “Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners of Canada (RAAHP-Canada)”.

Patient means the animal intended to receive treatment.

Client means the owner of the animal, or an authorized agent acting on behalf of the animal owner, who is in communication with the practitioner and is responsible for approving specific treatment undertaken on the animal patient.

2. Reserved Titles

The following titles may be used by registrants according to the legislation within each respective province or territory:

1. Registered Animal Massage Professional;
2. Registered Equine Massage Professional;
3. Registered Canine Massage Professional;
4. Registered Animal Massage Therapist;
5. Registered Equine Massage Therapist;
6. Registered Canine Massage Therapist;
7. Registered Animal Massage Practitioner;
8. Registered Equine Massage Practitioner;
9. Registered Canine Massage Practitioner;
10. Registered Animal Massage Specialist;
11. Registered Equine Massage Specialist;
12. Registered Canine Massage Specialist.

An Animal Massage Professional exercises skill or judgment to provide a service related to:

1. the preservation or improvement of the health of an animal, or

2. the care of animals including those who may be injured, sick, disabled, or infirm.

“Animal Massage” is a system of manual therapy that utilizes manual palpation methods to assess soft tissue structures and joints, their symmetries, tissue health and tone.  Visual observations and hands-on evaluations furthermore take into account postures, movements, and abilities. Massage includes a range of different techniques —including sports massage, soft tissue mobilization, stretching, range of motion and positioning exercises, as well as “focal” point work (stress and trigger points) and myofascial release. Massage therapy is often used to treat muscle pain, injury, and stiffness and to help manage health conditions or enhance wellness.

The purpose of these guidelines is to set out minimum standards of practice to ensure that registrants do not practice in an incompetent manner. These standards are designed to reflect the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to provide the professional services in a competent manner.

1. Patient Assessment, Interventions and Evidence-Informed
2. Practice
3. Clinical Records
4. Privacy and Confidentiality
5. Collaborative Practice
6. Consent and Disclosure of Treatment Risks
7. Advertising
8. Electro-Physical Agents
9. Assignment of Task to a Student or Non-Registrant
10. Spinal Manipulation
11. Infection Control
12. Conflict of Interest
13. Liability Insurance Requirements
14. Acupuncture and Dry Needling
15. Use of Title and Credentials
16. Fees and Billing

1. Patient Assessment, Interventions and Evidence-Informed Practice

Standard:

The Animal Massage Professional demonstrates proficiency in the assessment of an animal and proficiency in choosing and using interventions to deliver quality patient-centered services.

Expectation: The Animal Massage Professional will:

• Select appropriate assessment tools and apply appropriate assessment procedures to evaluate the patient’s physical status using accepted standards
• Use critical thinking, problem solving and professional judgement to interpret the assessment findings.
• Work with the animal owner to set realistic goals and to develop a treatment plan to work toward those goals
• Apply interventions safely and effectively
• Deliver only services that are clinically indicated and only services that the Animal Massage Professional is competently able to provide and adequately trained in
• The Animal Massage Professional will not diagnose, provide prognosis, or prescribe medications. Upon observation of suspected health concerns, the Animal Massage Professional will recommend that the animal be seen by a registered veterinarian
• Assign appropriate tasks to assistants with the owner’s consent
• Monitor progress and re-assess in order to adjust the treatment plan as needed
• Make appropriate referrals to other animal health care providers when necessary for the best interest of the animal and its recovery
• Collaborate with the animal owner to create and execute a discharge plan

2. Clinical Records: 

Standard:

The Animal Massage Professional maintains documents/records that are accurate, legible, and complete, written in a timely manner, and in compliance with applicable registry requirements. The records will contain all of the information created and recorded for the purpose of providing Animal Massage services.

Expectation: The Animal Massage Professional will:

• Maintain legible, accurate, complete (including date, signature, unique patient identification, etc.), permanent, and timely records related to any and all aspects of patient care such that the whole record (or any component of it) can be easily read, retrieved, copied, or printed
• Include sufficient detail that another Animal Massage Professional could take over treatment and maintain continuity of care
• Use only abbreviations which are generally recognizable to all health professionals in the Animal Massage Professional's place of practice
• Include the following in the clinical record regarding the assessment /treatment of the animal:

• owner’s consent
• patient’s identity (name, date of birth, unique identifier)
• history of present complaint
• relevant medical history
• current prescribed medications and/or supplements
• assessment findings
• therapy plan and goals
• dates of each therapy session in chronological order
• details of therapy provided and patient responses to therapy (including results of reassessments)
• details of education given to the animal owner, advice provided and communication with the owner or regarding the patient

• Secure all patient information contained in the patient record through the use of physical, technical, and / or electronic security mechanisms (i.e. passwords, encryption, locked offices/file cabinets) to protect the privacy of the patient (and owner) information
• Maintain complete and accurate financial records for every service provided or product sold. The financial records will include identification of the service provider, the date of service, fee for service, date the payment was received, and balance owing
• Retain records for at least 10 years from the date of the last patient encounter

3. Privacy and Confidentiality:

Standard:

The Animal Massage Professional respects the animal owner’s right to privacy and confidentiality of their and their animal’s information including health, financial and other information by practicing in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Expectation: The Animal Massage Professional will:

• Protect the animal and owner’s privacy and information at all times
• Maintain security of all patient documentation/records at all times (i.e. during data collection, storage, transfer and disposal)
• Obtain and document the animal owner’s consent prior to disclosing any information regarding the patient

4. Collaborative Practice:

Standard:

The Animal Massage Professional promotes collaborative practice with the animal owner, the veterinarian, and with other animal health care team members to ensure that the plan of care addresses the needs of, and is in the best interest of, the patient.

Expectation: The Animal Massage Professional will:

• Work collaboratively with animal owners, the veterinarian, and other animal health care providers to promote integrated care
• Work with the animal owner to create a plan of care and help the owner to understand their role in the plan as well as to make informed decisions about the care of their animal
• Consult with and refer to the veterinarian and other appropriate animal health care providers when the patient’s needs and goals are best addressed by another provider
• Provide concurrent treatment of the same condition with other animal health care providers when the treatments are complementary
• Communicate effectively and use conflict resolution strategies when necessary to resolve or accept differences and optimize effective team collaboration

5. Consent:

Standard:

The Animal Massage Professional obtains the animal owner’s ongoing informed consent for the delivery of Animal Massage Professional services to the animal.

Expectation: The Animal Massage Professional will:

• Provide ongoing communication with the animal owner to give the information (nature, purpose and risks of therapy, alternative treatments, and consequences of declining therapy) needed to make an informed decision about how to proceed with their animal’s care
• Ensure that the animal owner has the competence to consent to therapy based on whether the patient demonstrates that he/she has understood the information provided)
• Update consent if the therapy plan is altered
• Obtain consent in one of several ways: orally, written, or implied from the patient’s words, writing, and/or actions
• Document in the patient record that informed consent (or refusal to consent) has occurred

6. Advertising:

Standard:

The Animal Massage Professional advertises in a way that is truthful, accurate, verifiable, understandable and not misleading to the public.

Expectation: The Animal Massage Professional will:

• Make reasonable efforts to confirm that all advertising of Animal Massage Professional services is truthful, accurate, verifiable and understandable
• Take responsibility for any advertisement done on their behalf
• Ensure that advertisements only contain information about services for conditions that the Animal Massage Professional is competent to address, and do not state or imply a guarantee of treatment results
• Refrain from making comparative or superlative statements or imply that the Animal Massage Professional's services are better than those of other Animal Massage Professionals.

7. Assignment of Task to a student or non-registrant:

Standard:

The Animal Massage Professional takes responsibility and is accountable for the

services provided by personnel working under his/her supervision.

Expectation: The Animal Massage Professional will:

• Inform the animal owner of the role of the non-registrant and that the services provided by the non-registrant will be supervised by the Animal Massage Professional
• Establish and maintain ongoing communication with the non-registrant
• Assess the knowledge of the non-registrant and only assign tasks that the non-registrant is competent to perform
• Monitor and evaluate the delivery of services by the non-registrant
• Refrain from assigning restricted activities or any activity that requires continuous clinical judgement (i.e. the interpretation of referrals or of assessment findings, or the determination of treatment procedures, goals, planning or modification of treatment plans)
• Ensure that the non-registrant is readily identifiable (i.e. name tags, etc.)

8. Infection Control:

Standard:

The Animal Massage Professional complies with infection prevention and control measures to support the health and safety of the animal and owner, other health care providers, him/herself, and other animals/people.

Expectation: The Animal Massage Professional will:

• Use appropriate infection control measures and monitor their use
• Apply their knowledge, skills, and judgement to conduct ongoing assessments of the degree of current risks of infection and transmission, with the goal of minimizing the risks and taking into consideration: (1) type of intervention planned or conducted, (2) the health condition of the animal being assessed or treated, (3) the degree of infection risk present in the practice environment, (4) current infection control measures, and (5) the health and immunization status of all people and other animals in the practice environment
• Ensure that there are appropriate written infection prevention and control protocols in their practice setting

9. Conflict of Interest:

Standard:

The Animal Massage Professional recognizes and manages situations that may result in real, potential, or perceived conflict of interest, resulting in a breach of an obligation to the Animal Massage Professional's ethics with the effect or intention of advancing one’s own interest in a way that is detrimental to the animal.

Expectation: The Animal Massage Professional will:

• Ensure that all decisions regarding the animal will be made in the animal’s best interest and with the animal owner’s full knowledge
• Provide professional services only in situations where there is a demonstrated need for the service
• Refrain from participating in any activity in which professional judgement could be compromised or for personal gain

10. Liability Insurance Requirements:

Standard:

The Animal Massage Professional holds liability insurance, where available, that would provide financial compensation for animal owners whose animal has been harmed as a result of malpractice or negligence by a professional.

Expectation: The Animal Massage Professional will:

• ensure that their liability insurance is up to date annually

11. Use of Title and Credentials:

Standard:

The Animal Massage Professional uses their title, credentials, and other designations to clearly identify themselves to animal owners, other animal health care providers, and the public.

Expectation: The Animal Massage Professional will:

• Register with the Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners of Canada when using their title
• Report the unauthorized use of the title of ‘Registered Animal Massage Professional’, ‘Registered Equine Massage Professional’, ‘Registered Canine Massage Professional’, ‘Registered Animal Massage Therapist', ‘Registered Equine Massage Therapist', 'Registered Canine Massage Therapist', ‘Registered Animal Massage Practitioner’, ‘Registered Equine Massage Practitioner’, ‘Registered Canine Massage Practitioner’, ‘Registered Animal Massage Specialist’, ‘Registered Equine Massage Specialist’, ‘Registered Canine Massage Specialist’
• Communicate additional educational achievements by writing in a clear and complete manner as to be understood by the public
• Convey professional association memberships as such, as they are not credentials

12. Fees and Billing

Standard:

The Animal Massage Professional ensures that the fees charged for services are transparent and justifiable to enable the animal owner to make informed choices.

Expectation: The Animal Massage Professional will:

• Provide a fee schedule that includes transparent and accurate information about billing policies and all potential charges
• Be accountable for any fee, billing or account that uses their name
• Ensure that any fee or billing that uses their name is an accurate reflection of the services and/or products provided
• Confirm that processes are in place to resolve issues arising from billing disputes

The Animal Physiotherapist will have completed:

1. Diploma in Canine Rehabilitation (Dipl. Canine Rehab), or
2. Diploma in Equine Rehabilitation (Dipl. Equine Rehab), or
3. Certificate in Canine Rehabilitation (CCRT or CCRP), or
4. Certificate in Equine Rehabilitation (CERT or CERP), or
5. Certification in Companion Animal Therapy (CCAT), or
6. Certified in Veterinary Massage and Rehabilitation Therapy (CVMRT), or
7. Master Degree or Diploma in Veterinary or Animal Physiotherapy

Approved Training Programs:

1. Animal Rehabilitation Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, Canada
2. Canine Rehabilitation Institute, USA
3. Animal Rehabilitation Institute, USA
4. University of Tennessee/Northeast Seminars (Canine and Equine Rehabilitation programs), USA
5. The Healing Oasis Wellness Center (USA)
6. The North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine / Northeast Seminars (USA)
7. University of Liverpool, UK (Veterinary Physiotherapy programs)
8. Hartpury University, UK (Veterinary Physiotherapy)
9. Other programs may be evaluated and deemed eligible for approval on a case by case basis

Education Standards:

All Animal Physiotherapists will have:

1. Completed certification in canine or equine rehabilitation, or animal / veterinary physiotherapy.
2. And are currently or have previously been licensed to practice physiotherapy in a province or territory of Canada or a foreign country. 

• Those with foreign qualifications will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

Animal Physiotherapists are committed to act with integrity and to practice in a safe, competent, accountable and responsible manner during the provision of services.

Animal Physiotherapists recognize their responsibility to society and strive for excellence in their professional activities.

Responsibilities to the Client and Patient:

1. Animal Physiotherapists shall consider the well-being of the patient as their primary concern, while respecting the client’s wishes and values. 
2. Animal Physiotherapists must communicate openly, honestly, and respectfully with their client at all times.
3. Animal Physiotherapists must respect the client’s rights to be informed about the effects of treatment and inherent risks.  Animal Physiotherapists shall provide thorough information to facilitate the client’s understanding of the patient’s condition and proposed treatment plan to enable the client to make informed decisions regarding the plan.
4. Animal Physiotherapists must give clients the opportunity to consent or decline treatment or alterations to the patient’s treatment program.
5. Animal Physiotherapists must know their scope of practice and recognize their limitations. Animal Physiotherapists shall request consultation with or refer the patient and client to their veterinarian or other allied animal health care professional when, in the opinion of the Animal Physiotherapist, such action is in the best interest of the patient.
6. Animal Physiotherapists must not treat patients when the diagnosis or clinical condition indicates that the commencement or continuation of physiotherapy is contra-indicated or unnecessary.
7. Animal Physiotherapists must respect the confidentiality, privacy, and security of all patient / client information. Such information shall not be communicated to any person without the consent of the client or surrogate except where required by law.
8. Animal Physiotherapists shall assume full responsibility for all the care they provide or delegate to personnel under their supervision.
9. Animal Physiotherapists must maintain records in accordance with professional standards.

Responsibility to Society:

1. Animal Physiotherapists must comply with all the laws and regulations pertaining to all aspects of the practice of physiotherapy.
2. Animal Physiotherapists must not misrepresent their credentials.
3. Animal Physiotherapists must maintain upmost integrity with respect to business practice standards and not compromise professional judgment and integrity with motives of profit and personal advancement.
4. Animal Physiotherapists are professionally and morally responsible for addressing any incompetent, unsafe, illegal, or unethical practice by any animal health care provider.
5. Animal Physiotherapists shall recognize their responsibility to improve standards of animal health care through education of colleagues, students and the public.

Responsibilities to the Profession

1. Animal Physiotherapists must be aware of the provisions outlined in the Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners Canada Bylaws and Standards of Practice.
2. Animal Physiotherapists must commit to maintaining and enhancing the reputation and standing of the Animal Physiotherapy profession and must conduct themselves in a manner as to inspire public trust and merit the respect of society for the profession and its registrants.
3. Animal Physiotherapists shall contribute to the development of the profession of animal rehabilitation by sharing relevant information, mentoring, and supporting or engaging in research activity.
4. Animal Physiotherapists shall commit to lifelong learning and excellence in practice.

Registrants must complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education, every three years, of which 10 hours needs to be animal specific.  Each registrant must provide verification in the form of documentation or other proof if requested to do so by the Board.

Continuing Education activities involve:

• Attending seminars or courses related to Animal Physiotherapy
• Attending seminars or courses related to Human Physiotherapy
• Attending workshops, conferences or clinics related to Human or Animal Health, Rehabilitation and/or Physiotherapy
• Attending workshops, conferences, or clinics related to business

1. In this regulation:

Registry means the “Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners of Canada (RAAHP-Canada)”.

Patient means the animal intended to receive treatment.

Client means the owner of the animal, or an authorized agent acting on behalf of the animal owner, who is in communication with the practitioner and is responsible for approving specific treatment undertaken on the animal patient.

Animal rehabilitation/ Animal physiotherapy / Animal physical therapy / Animal physio is the assessment of neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, and cardiorespiratory systems of an animal, the physical diagnosis of diseases or disorders associated with physical dysfunction, injury, or pain and the treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention or relief of physical dysfunction, injury, or pain to develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment function and promote mobility.

2. Reserved Titles

The following titles are reserved for exclusive use by registrants:

1. Registered Animal Rehabilitation Therapist
2. Registered Animal Physiotherapist
3. Registered Animal Physical Therapist
4. Registered Animal Physio.

“Animal rehabilitation”/ “Animal physiotherapy” / “Animal physical therapy” / “Animal physio” is the assessment of neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, and cardiorespiratory systems of an animal, the physical diagnosis of diseases or disorders associated with physical dysfunction, injury, or pain and the treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention or relief of physical dysfunction, injury, or pain to develop, maintain, rehabilitate, or augment function and promote mobility.

The purpose of these guidelines is to set out minimum standards of practice to ensure that registrants do not practice in an incompetent manner. These standards are designed to reflect the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to provide professional services in a competent manner.

1. Patient Assessment, Diagnosis, Interventions and Evidence-Informed Practice
2. Clinical Records
3. Privacy and Confidentiality
4. Collaborative Practice
5. Consent and Disclosure of Treatment Risks
6. Advertising
7. Electro-Physical Agents
8. Assignment of Task to a Student or Non-Registrant
9. Spinal Manipulation
10. Infection Control
11. Conflict of Interest
12. Liability Insurance Requirements
13. Acupuncture and Dry Needling
14. Use of Title and Credentials
15. Fees and Billing

1. Patient Assessment, Diagnosis, Interventions and Evidence-Informed Practice

Standard: 

The Animal Physiotherapist demonstrates proficiency in the assessment and diagnosis of an animal and proficiency in choosing and using interventions to deliver quality patient-centered services.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Select appropriate assessment tools and apply appropriate assessment procedures to evaluate the patient’s physical status using standardized measures as available
• Use critical thinking, problem solving and professional judgement to interpret the assessment findings and make an informed physiotherapy diagnosis
• Work with the client to set realistic goals and to develop a treatment plan to work toward those goals
• Apply interventions safely and effectively
• Deliver only services that are clinically indicated and only services that the Animal Physiotherapist is competently able to provide
• Assign appropriate tasks to assistants with the client’s consent
• Monitor progress and re-assess in order to adjust the treatment plan as needed
• Make appropriate referrals to other animal health care providers when necessary for the best interest of the patient and its recovery
• Collaborate with the client to create and execute a discharge plan

2. Clinical Records:

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist maintains documents/records that are accurate, legible, and complete, written in a timely manner, and in compliance with applicable registry requirements. The records will contain all of the information created and recorded for the purpose of providing Animal Physiotherapy services.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Maintain legible, accurate, complete (including date, signature, unique patient identification, etc.), permanent, and timely records related to any and all aspects of patient care such that the whole record (or any component of it) can be easily read, retrieved, copied, or printed
• Include sufficient detail that another Animal Physiotherapist could take over treatment and maintain continuity of care
• Use only abbreviations which are generally recognizable to all health professionals in the Animal Physiotherapist’s place of practice
• Include the following in the clinical record regarding the assessment / treatment of the animal:  

1. • client’s consent
   • patient’s identity (name, date of birth, unique identifier)
   • history of present complaint
   • relevant medical history
   • current prescribed medications and/or supplements
   • assessment findings
   • treatment plan and goals
   • dates of each treatment session in chronological order
   • details of treatment provided and patient responses to treatment (including results of reassessments)
   • details of education given to the client, advice provided and communication with the owner or regarding the patient

• Secure all patient information contained in the patient record through the use of physical, technical, and / or electronic security mechanisms (i.e. passwords, encryption, locked offices/file cabinets) to protect the privacy of the patient (and client) information
• Maintain complete and accurate financial records for every service provided or product sold. The financial records will include identification of the service provider, the date of service, fee for service, date the payment was received, and balance owing
• Retain records for at least 10 years from the date of the last patient encounter

3. Privacy and Confidentiality:

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist respects the client’s right to privacy and confidentiality of their and their animal’s information including health, financial and other information by practicing in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Protect the patient and client’s privacy and information at all times
• Maintain security of all patient documentation/records at all times (i.e. during data collection, storage, transfer and disposal)
• Obtain and document the client’s consent prior to disclosing any information regarding the patient

4. Collaborative Practice:

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist promotes collaborative practice with the client and with other animal health care team members to ensure that the plan of care addresses the needs of, and is in the best interest of, the patient.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Work collaboratively with clients and other animal health care providers to promote integrated care
• Work with the client to create a plan of care and help the owner to understand their role in the plan as well as to make informed decisions about the care of their animal
• Consult with and refer to other appropriate animal health care providers when the patient’s needs and goals are best addressed by another provider
• Provide concurrent treatment of the same condition with other animal health care providers when the treatments are complementary
• Communicate effectively and use conflict resolution strategies when necessary to resolve or accept differences and optimize effective team collaboration

5. Consent:

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist obtains the client’s ongoing informed consent for the delivery of physiotherapy services to the animal.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Provide ongoing communication with the client to give the information (nature, purpose and risks of treatment, alternative treatments, and consequences of refusing to consent to treatment) needed to make an informed choice about how to proceed with their animal’s care
• Ensure that the client has the competence to consent to treatment (based on whether the client demonstrates that he/she has understood the information provided)
• Update consent if the treatment plan is altered
• Obtain consent in one of several ways: orally, written, or implied from the clients’s words, writing, and/or actions
• Document in the patient record that informed consent (or refusal to consent) has occurred

6. Advertising:

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist advertises in a way that is truthful, accurate, verifiable, understandable and not misleading to the public.

Expectation:  The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Make reasonable efforts to confirm that all advertising of animal physiotherapy services is truthful, accurate, verifiable and understandable
• Take responsibility for any advertisement done on their behalf
• Ensure that advertisements only contain information about services for the conditions that the animal physiotherapist is competent to treat, and do not state or imply a guarantee of treatment results
• Refrain from making comparative or superlative statements or imply that the animal physiotherapist’s services are better than those of other animal physiotherapists

7. Electrophysical Agents:

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist ensures that electrophysical agents are applied safely.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Follow manufacturer requirements for ongoing calibration and electrical safety
• Make repairs when indicated
• Test the conductivity of carbon electrodes
• Verify that there are no contraindications of the proposed application of a specific electrophysical agent and be aware of any precautions to the application
• Document an accurate description of the electrophysical agent application including modality, dosage, and specific area treated
• Use infection control procedures

8. Assignment of Task to a student or non-registrant:

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist takes responsibility and is accountable for the services provided by personnel working under his/her supervision.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Inform the client of the role of the non-registrant and that the services provided by the non-registrant will be supervised by the physiotherapist
• Establish and maintain ongoing communication with the non-registrant
• Assess the knowledge of the non-registrant and only assign tasks that the non-registrant is competent to perform
• Monitor and evaluate the delivery of services by the non-registrant
• Refrain from assigning restricted activities (i.e. spinal manipulation) or any activity that requires continuous clinical judgement (i.e. the interpretation of referrals or of assessment findings, or the determination of treatment procedures, goals, planning or modification of treatment plans)
• Ensure that the non-registrant is readily identifiable (i.e. name tags, etc.)

9. Spinal Manipulation:

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist uses spinal manipulation when able to demonstrate that they are qualified to safely and effectively perform spinal manipulation and when the patient assessment findings support its use.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Assess the risks and benefits associated with spinal manipulation and communicate these to the animal owner to obtain informed consent from the client
• Be evaluated on the knowledge, judgement, and practical skills needed to perform the spinal manipulation

10. Infection Control:

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist complies with infection prevention and control measures to support the health and safety of the patient and client, other health care providers, him/herself, and other animals/people.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Use appropriate infection control measures and monitor their use
• Apply his / her knowledge, skills, and judgement to conduct ongoing assessments of the degree of current risks of infection and transmission, with the goal of minimizing the risks and taking into consideration: (1) type of intervention planned or conducted, (2) the health condition of the animal being assessed or treated, (3) the degree of infection risk present in the practice environment, (4) current infection control measures, and (5) the health and immunization status of all people and other animals in the practice environment
• Ensure that there are appropriate written infection prevention and control protocols in their practice setting

11. Conflict of Interest:

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist recognizes and manages situations that may result in real, potential, or perceived conflict of interest, resulting in a breach of an obligation to the Animal Physiotherapist’s professional ethics with the effect or intention of advancing one’s own interest in a way that is detrimental to the animal.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Ensure that all decisions regarding the patient will be made in the patient’s best interest and with the client’s full knowledge
• Provide professional services only in situations where there is a demonstrated need for the service
• Refrain from participating in any activity in which professional judgment could be compromised or for personal gain

12. Liability Insurance Requirements:

Standard: 

The Animal Physiotherapist holds liability insurance that would provide financial compensation for clients whose animal has been harmed as a result of malpractice or negligence by a professional.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• ensure that their liability insurance is up to date annually

13. Acupuncture and Dry Needling:

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist uses acupuncture and / or dry needling when able to demonstrate that they are qualified to safely and effectively perform acupuncture and / or dry needling and when the patient assessment findings support its use.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Use acupuncture or dry needles within the Animal Physiotherapy scope of practice and within the Animal Physiotherapist’s competence
• Obtain informed consent from the client prior to using acupuncture or dry needling techniques with the patient

14. Use of Title and Credentials:

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist uses his / her title, credentials, and other designations to clearly identify him / herself to clients, other animal health care providers, and the public.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Register with the Registry of Allied Animal Health Practitioners of Canada when using their title
• Report the unauthorized use of the title(s) of ‘Animal Rehabilitation Therapist’, ‘Animal Physiotherapist’, ‘Animal Physical Therapist’, ‘Animal Physio’
• Communicate additional educational achievements by writing in a clear and complete manner as to be understood by the public
• Convey professional association memberships as such (i.e. member of Animal Rehabilitation Division) as they are not credentials

15. Fees and Billing

Standard:

The Animal Physiotherapist ensures that the fees charged for services are transparent and justifiable to enable the client to make informed choices.

Expectation: The Animal Physiotherapist will:

• Provide a fee schedule that includes transparent and accurate information about billing policies and all potential charges
• Be accountable for any fee, billing or account that uses their name
• Ensure that any fee or billing that uses their name is an accurate reflection of the services and/or products provided
• Confirm that processes are in place to resolve issues arising from billing disputes