State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > Connecticut > Title20 > Chap384 > Sec20-197

      Sec. 20-197. License required. Practice defined. No person shall practice veterinary medicine, surgery or dentistry until he has obtained a license as provided in section 20-199. A person shall be construed to practice veterinary medicine, surgery or dentistry, within the meaning of this chapter, who holds himself out as being able to diagnose, administer biologics for, treat, operate or prescribe for any animal or bird disease, pain, injury, deformity or physical condition, or who either offers or undertakes, by any means or methods, to diagnose, administer biologics for, treat, operate or prescribe for any animal or bird disease, pain, injury, deformity or physical condition. The euthanizing of animals in accordance with applicable state and federal drug laws by the Connecticut Humane Society, the floating of teeth in horses by persons experienced in that practice and the performance of myofascial trigger point therapy by persons experienced in that practice shall not be deemed to be the practice of veterinary medicine. For the purposes of this section, "floating teeth" means using hand-held rasps to reduce or eliminate sharp or uneven edges on a horse's upper and lower molars to avoid injury to the tongue and cheeks and to improve chewing food, but does not include treating decay or tumors or extracting teeth. For the purposes of this section, "myofascial trigger point therapy" means the use of specific palpation, compression, stretching and corrective exercise for promoting optimum athleticism, and "persons experienced in that practice" means persons who, prior to October 1, 2003, have attended a minimum of two hundred hours of classroom, lecture and hands-on practice in myofascial trigger point therapy, including animal musculoskeletal anatomy and biomechanics, theory and application of animal myofascial trigger point techniques, factors that habituate a presenting condition and corrective exercise.

      (1949 Rev., S. 4600; 1957, P.A. 360, S. 2; P.A. 79-262, S. 1; P.A. 81-57, S. 1, 2; P.A. 86-123, S. 3; P.A. 98-94; P.A. 03-277, S. 1; P.A. 04-109, S. 3; P.A. 05-288, S. 83.)

      History: P.A. 79-262 replaced "and" following "condition" with "or"; P.A. 81-57 excluded the euthanizing of animals from consideration as practice of veterinary medicine; P.A. 86-123 eliminated provision exempting poultry from provisions of section; P.A. 98-94 excluded floating of teeth in horses by persons experienced in that practice from meaning of practice of veterinary medicine; P.A. 03-277 excluded the performance of myofascial trigger point therapy by persons experienced in that practice from the meaning of practicing veterinary medicine and defined "myofascial trigger point therapy" and "persons experienced in that practice"; P.A. 04-109 made technical changes, effective May 21, 2004; P.A. 05-288 made technical changes, effective July 13, 2005.

      Cited. 3 Conn. Cir. Ct. 12.