Statement of Position
Veterinarians, veterinary associations, animal control agencies, and animal welfare organizations have a common bond in the preservation of the life, health, and general well-being of animals of all species.

Veterinary medical associations, animal control agencies, and animal welfare organizations should promote responsible pet ownership and proper, humane care of animals through published literature and individual counseling by their members and staff.

Recommendations to Veterinarians and Veterinary Associations
It is recommended that veterinarians and veterinary associations participate in the activities of animal control and animal welfare organizations. This can best be accomplished through membership and active participation in animal control and animal welfare organizations and by offering advice, professional services, and veterinary skills to these organizations and/or their representatives.

Professional skills and services should be offered to animal control and animal welfare organizations at the local, state, and national levels to ensure a coordinated effort and maintain communication. When offering professional services to such organizations, a veterinarian's or veterinary association's recommendations, decisions, and actions must conform to accepted standards of veterinary practice and the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Veterinarians and veterinary associations must decide for themselves whether to cooperate with animal control and animal welfare organizations to provide special plans and/or services, such as health examinations, surgery, immunizations, and/or advice on matters such as sanitation and disease and parasite control. The scope of professional services and detailed contractual arrangements to provide these services must be worked out in advance to the mutual satisfaction of the animal control or animal welfare organization and the veterinarian or veterinary association concerned. Such plans and professional services, when agreed upon, must give the veterinarian responsibility for making medical recommendations in accord with patient needs. In addition, contractual agreements should be consistently adhered to and reviewed on a regular basis.

When a veterinarian is presented with an animal for evaluation and care, the veterinarian must confer with the responsible agent of the animal control or animal welfare organization and explain the diagnosis, recommend optional methods of treatment, if any, offer a prognosis, and discuss anticipated costs of treatment. The two parties should consult periodically on the progress of each case to preclude misunderstandings as to the extent of care, or the fees to be incurred. Fees for services should be determined by the veterinarian and the animal control or animal welfare organization as negotiable items. Veterinarians must not render less than their usual high quality services, regardless of the fee charged.