Under the Care of a Veterinarian: What we are hearing from the profession

29 May 2026

The Veterinary Council's April 2026 amendments to the Code of Professional Conduct introduced two significant changes: a formal definition of what it means for an animal to be "under the care of a veterinarian", and a three-tier framework for veterinarians who provide a specific and limited range of veterinary services. Both changes are now in effect.

As implementation gets underway, the Council has been receiving feedback from veterinarians and veterinary businesses across a range of practice settings — companion animal, production animal, and equine. This article summarises the key themes emerging from that feedback, explains the Council's position on each, and outlines the practical steps being taken to support compliance.

The Council's overall view is that the changes reinforce expectations that were already in the Code. They make those expectations explicit, transparent, and consistently applied. Where the profession identifies genuine operational difficulties, the Council is committed to working through those collaboratively.

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