Frequently asked questions for animal owners
This page has answers to common questions we get from animal owners. It can be a helpful place to start if you have questions or concerns. If you can't find an answer to your question here, you can always contact us .
On this page:
Emergencies and after hours
Veterinarian - client relationship
Dry Cow Antibiotic Therapy (DCAT)
- Responsible use of Dry Cow Antibiotic Treatments in New Zealand for dairy companies and farmers
COVID-19 and the veterinarian shortage
Emergencies and after hours
What are my obligations as an animal owner?
As the owner of an animal, you have a duty under the Animal Welfare Act to meet their physical, health and behavioural needs. This includes taking action quickly when your animal is unwell.
We strongly recommend that all owners sign up with a local veterinary practice. As well as providing access to regular health checks and care, the practice will ensure that you can access 24 hour emergency care for your animal. Veterinarians are only expected to have emergency care arrangements for their clients. By signing up to a clinic, you are making sure you have access to help when you need it.
Does my vet have to provide an emergency after hours service?
Veterinarians are expected to provide emergency care for their clients, including outside normal working hours. More information about this is available here.
Veterinarians may choose to respond to any emergency call but they are only required to respond to calls from their own clients. If you are not a client of a veterinary practice, the practice can refer you to the emergency service provided by your own veterinarian.
Veterinarians are not required to attend non-emergencies after hours, and if they decide that something is not an emergency, they may advise you to wait until normal opening hours.
In emergencies, when animals cannot wait until normal opening hours, we expect veterinarians to act to ensure the animal’s pain and suffering is managed.
What counts as an emergency?
A veterinary emergency is defined as:
Any sudden, unforeseen injury, illness or complication in an animal, demanding immediate or early veterinary treatment to save life or to provide timely relief from unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress.
We expect veterinarians to use their professional judgement to decide whether a situation is an emergency or not.
After hours care may be limited and you should not necessarily expect the same level of care your animal would receive during the day.
You will need to pay for any veterinary care your animal needs. If you cannot pay for emergency care at the time of your consultation, your veterinarian will still provide the minimum necessary care to deal with any pain and suffering. In extreme cases, this may mean euthanising the animal.
In emergency cases, where the animal cannot wait to be seen during normal opening hours, we expect veterinarians to act to ensure the animal’s pain and suffering is managed, even for non-clients. In the first instance, a veterinarian may ask non-clients to contact their normal veterinarian. If this is not possible for any reason, we expect that the veterinarian receiving the call will help.
Emergency care may be limited and you should not necessarily expect the same level of care your animal would receive during the day. You will need to pay for any veterinary care your animal needs. If you cannot pay for emergency care at the time of your consultation, your veterinarian will still provide the minimum necessary care to deal with any pain and suffering. In extreme cases, this may mean euthanasing the animal.
Can non-veterinarian staff provide emergency care?
Emergency care provided by a practice may involve the services of appropriately trained people who are not veterinarians (for example technicians and veterinary nurses). A veterinarian must be readily available to provide clinical care and undertake the work legally required to be completed by a veterinarian. Emergency calls and initial assessments may be handled by non-veterinarians.
How long should I expect to wait for an emergency service?
Wait times can vary depending on the circumstances. There is a shortage of veterinarians and this means that emergency veterinary services are under more pressure and wait times are likely to be longer than usual.
Busy clinics may have to prioritise care based on urgency, in the same way that this is done in hospital accident and emergency centres. This means you may have to wait a long time if there are other, more urgent, cases. It can be difficult to wait when you’re worried about your animal but you can trust that your veterinarians are trained to make these decisions.
In quieter and more rural areas, there may be fewer veterinarians and clinics, meaning longer wait times.
In areas where there are dedicated emergency after hours veterinary clinics, your normal clinic may close down after hours and refer you to the dedicated clinic. While this may mean longer waits, we believe that the benefits offered by dedicated emergency clinics (such as better staffing and facilities) outweigh this issue.
Can my vet ask me to travel for after hours emergency care?
In general, yes, it is reasonable to expect to have to travel further for emergency care, after hours than you would during the day.
More information about travelling for emergency care, after hours is available here.
What if my veterinarian says they are unable to attend my emergency?
We expect veterinarians to use their professional judgement to decide whether a situation is an emergency or not. Veterinarians are not required to attend non-emergencies after hours and, if they decide that something is not an emergency, they may advise you to wait until normal opening hours. This can be frustrating when you’re worried about your animal but you can trust that your veterinarian is trained to make these decisions.
We recognise that there will be times when a veterinarian on duty will not be able to attend every emergency in a reasonable time. When extraordinary circumstances prevent a veterinarian on duty from being able to attend an emergency, they must assist the caller or arrange for someone else to assist the caller to access an alternative veterinary service.
What if the veterinarian says they are not competent to treat the type of animal I have?
We strongly recommend that all owners sign up with a local veterinary practice. As well as providing access to regular health checks and care, the practice will ensure you have access to appropriate and competent 24-7 emergency care for your animal.
Veterinarians normally limit the species or type of animal they treat. This is a VCNZ requirement and relates to the veterinarian's chosen field of practice and their current competence. This means that, if you contact a veterinarian for the first time during an emergency, there is a chance that they will not have the knowledge or skills to help your animal. In these cases, we expect them to try to help you find appropriate care elsewhere and, if that is not possible, do what they can to help, recognising that this may be limited.
Veterinarian - client relationship
Who counts as a client?
A client of a veterinarian is a person (or organisation) that uses or has used the professional services of that veterinarian.
Whether a person is a current client of a veterinarian will depend on factors like when they last visited and how often they visit. For example, a companion animal veterinary practice may consider that someone is not a client if they haven’t had any contact with them in more than a year.
We strongly recommend that all owners ensure that they are signed up with a local veterinary practice. As well as providing regular health checks and care, the practice will ensure you have access to appropriate and competent 24-7 emergency care for your animal. Veterinarians are only expected to have emergency care arrangements for their clients. By signing up to a clinic, you are making sure you have access to help when you need it.
Can a veterinarian or veterinary practice refuse to see my animal?
Yes. There is no expectation that veterinarians must accept new clients. Sometimes refusing new clients is necessary to ensure that resources are not overstretched and good care can be given to existing clients.
Can my current veterinarian decide not to treat my animals?
Yes. There is no obligation on veterinarians to continue to provide services to existing clients or to provide them with a requested treatment. Veterinarians can end their relationship with a client as long as this doesn’t put an animal’s welfare at immediate risk. Where an animal needs ongoing care, we consider that ending the relationship and giving a client a reasonable amount of time to find a new veterinarian is acceptable.
Veterinary medicines
Can my veterinarian prescribe medicines without seeing my animal?
Veterinarians can only authorise (prescribe) medicines after a veterinary consultation. A consultation means that the veterinarian has to see the animal.
In unusual situations, such as the COVID-19 lockdowns, we may temporarily allow veterinarians to prescribe medicines without seeing an animal (for example, using video calling instead).
How much medication can my vet give out before they have to see the animal again?
This depends on the circumstances. The amount of a medication that can be given out without seeing an animal again is restricted to manage risks to animals and people. The following maximums apply before a veterinarian would be required to see the animal(s) again:
- For prescription medicines (human medicines used on animals), a maximum of three months’ supply
- For restricted veterinary medicines for companion animals other than horses (including commonly used antibiotics), a maximum of six months’ supply
- For restricted veterinary medicines for production animals and horses (including commonly used antibiotics), 12 months’ supply.
- For critically important antibiotics (specific antibiotics that are classified as critically important for human health), a maximum of four months’ supply
These are absolute maximums and veterinarians may need to prescribe for shorter periods depending on the situation.
Responsible use of Dry Cow Antibiotic Treatments in New Zealand for dairy companies and farmers
The way veterinarians authorise dry cow antibiotics is changing. As a New Zealand dairy farmer, you already know how important dry-off management is for setting up production for next season. This new approach will continue to support your focus on low somatic cell counts (SCC), mastitis prevention, and milk yield and quality, while protecting the effectiveness of antibiotics for the future.
When does this start? Your vet will start working with you at your next dry-off consultation.
The Veterinary Council of New Zealand (Vet Council)[i] and Dairy Cattle Veterinarians (DCV)[ii] have updated the approach to dry cow antibiotic authorisation, after working with veterinarians and consulting with dairy industry stakeholders. This supports the New Zealand Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan and encourages a stronger focus on prevention and long-term udder health.
Why this matters
Protecting antibiotics that work
Using antibiotics in healthy cows unnecessarily increases the risk of bacteria becoming resistant to them, making mastitis harder and more expensive to treat. Treating only the cows that need antibiotics helps protect their effectiveness for the future.
Protecting our markets and reputation
New Zealand’s open, transparent food systems underpin global confidence in our dairy exports. Responsible antibiotic use, supported by selective dry cow therapy and udder health planning, helps preserve that trust and maintain our premium market positioning.
Protecting community and environmental health
Antibiotics are essential medicines — for your cows, your children and grandchildren, and your community. When antibiotics are used in healthy cows unnecessarily, bacteria may develop resistance and put animal, human and environmental health at risk.
Why veterinarians believe this is important
Veterinarians want the same outcome as farmers: healthy cows with less underlying diseases, fewer mastitis cases, and lower reliance on antibiotics.
There is compelling evidence (research and on-farm) that selective DCAT works and maintains SCC outcomes.
A stronger focus on prevention, good record keeping, and individualised udder health plans means fewer cows need antibiotics at dry‑off. This protects antibiotic effectiveness for the future, improves long‑term herd health, and supports better outcomes for cows, farmers, and the dairy industry.
What is selective dry cow treatment?
Selective dry cow treatment means treating only the cows that need antibiotics at dry-off (those that show evidence of infection), moving away from routinely treating the whole herd. Decisions are based on each cow’s actual infection status, using herd test data and mastitis records. The great news is that most farms are already on this journey.
Cows that are healthy at dry-off do not benefit from dry cow antibiotics. For these cows, an internal teat sealant (ITS) provides effective protection against new infection during the dry period, without using antibiotics.
Your vet will use your herd test records and mastitis history to identify which cows are likely to be infected and genuinely need treatment. This evidence-based approach means antibiotics are used where they work and resources are not spent treating cows that don’t need them.
What this means for your farm
To prepare for the 2027 dry-off season:
Step 1 — Keep good records
Continue regular herd testing through the season. Record all clinical mastitis cases and note which cows received treatment during lactation.
Step 2 — Target an optimal Bulk Milk Somatic Cell Count (BMSCC) - work with your vet to develop an Udder Health Plan
Your vet will work with you to develop an individualised udder health plan for your farm to keep your BMSCC in an optimal range, including:
• A review of your herd test results
• Identifying which cows need dry cow antibiotics and which will benefit from teat sealant only
• Developing a mastitis management plan for your farm.
Step 3 — Follow the plan and monitor results
Apply treatments as recommended, implement the management improvements in your udder health plan, and monitor for any mastitis cases over the dry period.
Learn more and get support
Your veterinarian is your first point of contact. Talk to them before your next dry-off to develop an udder health plan tailored to your herd.
Additional resources:
• Vet Council website: vetcouncil.org.nz
• DairyNZ SmartSAMM Technote 14 — Drying Off: dairynz.co.nz/animal/cow-health/mastitis/
Questions? Contact your veterinarian or visit the Vet Council website for more information.
[i] The Veterinary Council of New Zealand (Vet Council)
The Veterinary Council of New Zealand is the independent regulatory body for veterinarians. It sets professional standards and requirements to ensure veterinarians practise safely, responsibly, and in the best interests of animal health, farmers, and the wider community. These standards apply when veterinarians authorise and prescribe antibiotics for dairy cattle.
[ii] Dairy Cattle Veterinarians (DCV)
Dairy Cattle Veterinarians is New Zealand’s largest professional group representing veterinarians who work with dairy farmers. DCV supports best‑practice herd health, mastitis prevention, and responsible antibiotic use, and works closely with the Vet Council and industry partners to help veterinarians and farmers achieve healthy cows and sustainable dairy systems.
COVID-19 and the veterinarian shortage
Will the impact of COVID-19 or the shortage of veterinarians affect the service I receive?
Currently, there aren’t enough veterinarians to meet New Zealand’s needs. This means that clients should expect that some of the non-urgent services may be delayed.
While this can be frustrating, it is necessary to allow veterinarians to better manage the workflow and to prioritise urgent and emergency situations.
Will I be asked for a Vaccine Pass when I visit?
Veterinary businesses are not legally required to check Vaccine Passes. This means that, like many other businesses, they have to make their own decision on what is right for their business in order to keep their staff, customers and patients safe.
Different clinics may make different decisions depending on factors like the community they serve, the risk of exposure to COVID-19, the vaccination status of staff and the type of work the veterinarians undertake.
Many clinics are offering non-contact services for clients who choose not to present a Vaccine Pass. Veterinary teams have had a lot of experience successfully delivering non-contact care under the recent lockdowns and are still able to provide animals the care they need.
Can my veterinarian ask to see my Vaccine Pass? What about in an emergency?
Yes, your veterinarian can ask to see your vaccine pass and choose not to allow entry to the premises for those who choose not to show it.
There are no legal restrictions on your veterinary clinic requiring visitors to show Vaccine Passes. Veterinarians are not required to accept new clients or to keep seeing existing clients.
In emergency situations, we expect that clinics will have a plan in place to ensure animals can receive urgent care, even if the owners choose not to show a Vaccine Pass. The arrangements they make may involve contactless drop-off of the animal, which would still meet our requirements.
Will I be able to choose which veterinarian I want to go to?
You are free to choose which veterinary business you use.
Currently, veterinary services are being stretched as a result of increased demand for veterinary services and fewer available veterinarians. This means that in some situations veterinary clinics are electing to limit the number of new clients they will accept.
We recommend you try to book well in advance for routine procedures and, if you haven’t already, contact your intended clinic to introduce yourself and enrol with them.