By admin 
A ballot measure to create a new position for working in animal shelters and veterinary clinics appears likely to pass, based on Tuesday night’s preliminary results.
From Tuesday 11 p.m., Proposition 129 won with 52 percent in favor and 48 percent against. The position would be the first of its kind in the country.
Currently, Colorado veterinary practices are staffed by veterinarians, who have at least eight years of training, and veterinary technicians, who have a two-year associate degree.
The measure would create a new middle position between the two, called a veterinary professional associate, or VPA. The position would require a master’s degree in veterinary clinical care and would require the ability to diagnose animals, perform routine surgeries, and order and perform tests and procedures under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.
Under current Colorado law, only veterinarians can perform these duties.
The measure divided vets and hindered many voters when it came time to vote.
“I was thinking about the medical professions… We have physician assistants, we have nurse practitioners who are sort of a middle ground between doctors and nurses, so I felt like that made sense for vets and vet techs as well,” said a Denver voter. named Angela, who declined to give her last name for privacy reasons.
Other voters said this position felt ambiguous.
“They (vets and vet techs) are already professionals. Why add another layer to the onion? To me, that just wasn’t right,” said voter Jack Stevens.
A coalition of animal welfare organizations and some veterinarians argued that the measure would alleviate Colorado’s severe veterinary shortage and reduce the cost of veterinary care. Opponents, including the professional associations representing veterinarians and veterinary technicians, warned that VPAs would be allowed to do more than their training merited.
“There is no evidence that the role of the VPA will reduce the costs of veterinary care,” says veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Bolser. “Instead, pet owners will pay the same for a less well-trained individual trying to diagnose and perform surgery… We don’t want animals to suffer from substandard care.”
Advocates argued that the vet shortage has a particularly large impact on animal shelters, rescues and nonprofit vet clinics. A Colorado State University research among veterinarians found that 70 percent turn away animals due to staff shortages. Advocates said 20 percent of Coloradans live in a “vet desert.”
“Animals across the state suffer from a lack of veterinary resources, especially in rural and underserved communities,” said Dr. Apryl Steele, CEO of the Dumb Friends League.
The issue was Colorado’s fifth most expensive ballot measure this year. The measure’s backers, All Pets Deserve Vet Care, have raised nearly $1.5 million and spent $1.3 million through Oct. 28 with their top donations from the Dumb Friends League and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals . Gov. Jared Polis contributed $2,500 to the campaign.
The coalition opposing the measure, Keep Our Pets Safe, has raised and spent about $1.5 million, with the American Veterinary Medical Association as the largest donor.
If the measure is passed, what now?
The Associated Press had Prop. 129 had not yet been officially called late on Tuesday evening, but the lead seems fairly insurmountable.
The proposal would establish a new state license for this intermediate position in the veterinary field. The state Board of Veterinary Medicine would adopt rules surrounding the specific qualifications and tests required.
Colorado State University is already in the process of setting one up master’s program in veterinary clinical care. It plans to graduate the first class of veterinary professionals in 2027, regardless of whether the initiative is effective.
The program is intended for veterinarians who wish to continue their training, those who have qualified for veterinary school but have not been accepted by a program, as well as immigrants who have been a licensed veterinarian in their home country.
It would require five semesters of specialized training specific to cats and dogs, culminating in an internship providing routine veterinary care in a practice under the close supervision of a veterinarian. The program requires a similar number of preclinical surgical training hours as veterinarians and three times as many training hours as dental-surgical training, according to CSU.
The measure would create a nationally recognized organization for the certification of veterinary professionals to issue certifications once they pass a national exam.
- The proposed ballot measure would create a position to alleviate animal care shortages and costs, but faces opposition from veterinarian groups
- Colorado is facing a serious shortage of veterinarians and veterinary technicians; some solutions may be near