U.S. Federal – Last month, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Inspector General issued a report on an audit it conducted of the Animal Care unit’s dog breeder inspection practices. Animal Care is the unit of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) that conducts inspection of breeders licensed under the federal Animal Welfare Act. The report redacted important information the Inspector General’s office was concerned could lead to privacy violations, including information that would have better reported the scope of issues identified. Nevertheless, Animal Care will implement five changes to improve efficiencies and effectiveness. The changes are expected to be designed, established, and implemented by November 30, 2025. Click here to review the report.
U.S. Federal – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rule that changed requirements for the importation of dogs into the U.S. went into effect on August 1, 2024. While we have expressed strong support of the regulation’s goal of protecting public health and canine welfare, we have continued to express disappointment that previous exceptions available for dogs that present low risk profiles, such as the import of fully vaccinated, personally-owned pets, service dogs, and dogs from DMRVV-free or low-risk countries, were eliminated. Due to the ongoing concerns of both members of the U.S. House and Senate, and members of the public, CDC announced in mid-December that it will propose revisions and certifications to the requirements for the importation of dogs. A new CDC proposal is expected in the first half of 2025. Click here for more information.
California – Beginning on March 4, 2025, the California Legislature began its “sunset review” of the California Veterinary Medical Board’s (CVMB) regulations. This includes the “owner exemption” to the definition of “practices veterinary medicine, surgery, and dentistry”. As allowed throughout the country, the “owner exemption” currently allows California owners to provide certain levels of care to their animals, including but not limited to basic wound care, ear and teeth care, and birthing assistance. Efforts to eliminate the “owner exemption” are expected as part of this review process. AKC believes that if it were eliminated, even the most basic of care practices for animals would have to always be provided by a veterinarian, which would cause both financial harm to animal owners and be next-to-impossible for owners in communities where veterinary care access is unavailable or limited. Click here to learn more.