SB 18-239

Senate Bill 18-239, titled "Animal Chiropractic Education and Reporting Requirements," changes Colorado's rules for animal chiropractors. It allows licensed chiropractors who complete specific training on diseases to treat animals without needing a veterinarian’s approval first. The bill also requires these chiropractors to report any suspected illnesses in their animal patients to the state and the animal’s regular vet. This affects both veterinarians and animal chiropractors, ensuring better communication about animal health issues. Since the status is "signed," this means the bill has been approved by lawmakers and signed into law by the governor, making these changes official.

Official Summary

Under current law, a licensed chiropractor must obtain a veterinary medical clearance from a licensed veterinarian before performing an animal chiropractic act that falls within the chiropractor's scope of practice on an animal patient. Section 2 of the bill removes the veterinary medical clearance requirement for licensed chiropractors who have successfully completed 9 hours of course work related to contagious, infectious, and zoonotic diseases. Section 2 also requires that continuing education requirements for renewed registration in animal chiropractic include a 2-hour course on Colorado incidence rates for contagious, infectious, and zoonotic diseases. Finally, section 2 requires a licensed chiropractor performing animal chiropractic to notify the state veterinarian and an animal patient's licensed veterinarian if the licensed chiropractor suspects that the animal patient has a disease, including if he or she suspects the animal patient has one of a list of diseases that the state veterinarian has determined to require reporting. Section 1 adds a definition of 'licensed veterinarian' to mean a veterinarian licensed under the 'Colorado Veterinary Practice Act', adds a definition of 'equid', and amends the definition of 'animal chiropractic' to refer to performing chiropractic adjustment of dogs and equids, where current law defines it as performing chiropractic adjustment of dogs and horses.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

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