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The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has added clarity to an existing Order that a non-veterinarian stop practising veterinary medicine.
The College initiated contempt proceedings against Jill Thompson and her business Pup Star due to the continued provision of animal dentistry in spite of the March 2014 order to stop practising veterinary medicine. The College and Ms. Thompson reached an agreement was incorporated into a Judgment that also awarded the College $5,000. The Judgment states:
THIS COURT ORDERS that the Responding Parties, Jill Thompson, personally, and Jill Thompson, carrying on business as Pup Star, refrain from engaging in the practice of veterinary medicine, including refraining from scaling or polishing of the teeth of an animal, and performing dental hygiene on an animal (other than brushing, flossing and spraying a non-clinical breath spray) and, for greater certainty, that they will not engage in any activity other than brushing and flossing an animal’s teeth in a similar manner that a human being brushes and flosses his or her own teeth, and that they will refrain from holding themselves out as engaging in the practice of veterinary medicine as defined herein.
THIS COURT ORDERS that the Responding Parties, Jill Thompson, personally, and Jill Thompson, carrying on business as Pup Star, pay to the College of Veterinarians of Ontario the costs of this motion fixed in the amount of $5,000.00 within eight (8) months of the date of this Order.
“The College is pleased that the Judgment has added additional clarity to remove any ambiguity surrounding the types of dental services for animals which can be provided by someone other than a licensed veterinarian or experienced delegate. It clearly states that anything outside of brushing, flossing and breath spray is considered animal dentistry and is an aspect of veterinary medicine,” said College Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Jan Robinson.
Consistent with its Position Statement on Veterinary Dentistry, the College has long taken the position that veterinary dentistry includes cleaning animals’ teeth (other than simple brushing) and that only veterinarians may practise veterinary dentistry. Expert evidence supported the College’s position that permitting non-veterinarians to provide veterinary dentistry including dental hygiene creates serious risks to animals.
The College acts in the public interest and has been granted the authority, by statute, to obtain Orders preventing non-veterinarians from practising veterinary medicine. In the event that a member of the public is of the view that a non-veterinarian is practising veterinary medicine, they are invited to contact the College at inquiries@cvo.org.
The College of Veterinarians of Ontario exists to protect and serve the public interest through the regulation of the practice of veterinary medicine. Accordingly, veterinarians are licensed, facilities are accredited, standards and policies are developed and maintained, and an investigations and resolutions process is available. The College licenses approximately 4,500 veterinarians and accredits over 2,100 facilities in Ontario.
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Media Contact:
Kim Huson
College of Veterinarians of Ontario
519-824-5600/1-800-424-2856 ext. 2245
