Colorado and its pets are suffering from a veterinarian shortage.
Wait times are long at some clinics. And the Colorado Sun reports that many veterinary clinics are overcrowded, forcing people to adopt out dogs and cats in need of care.
On Election Day, Colorado voters will be asked to weigh possible solutions. Proposition 129 would create a new class of veterinarians called veterinary professional personnel (VPAs).
VPAs require less training than traditional veterinarians to achieve certification. If voters approve the plan, Colorado could have more specialists available to treat pets.
To understand the proposal and the pros and cons, ITN’s Brad Turner spoke with John Geller. He is a former emergency veterinarian based in Fort Collins and a graduate of Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine. (He is also the founder of the Street Dog Coalition, a nonprofit that provides pet care to people experiencing homelessness.) Although John has researched the issue, he has not taken a position on Proposition 129. Not yet.
