From the College of Veterinarians of Córdoba have issued a circular in which they have shared some notes to clinical veterinarians of the province relating to the castration Yet the ID of pets.
In this sense, they remember that Córdoba veterinarians are governed by a series of deontological rules. Thus, among the obligations of registered veterinarians is that the exercise of the profession is carried out in accordance with the regulatory standards established both in the statutes of the College as well as the Veterinary College Organization, as well as the regulations in force.
Among these regulations are, at the national level, the Law 7/2023 of protection of animal rights and welfare and, at the regional level, the Law 11/2003 of protection of animals in Andalusia.
At this point, remember that the definition of identified animal in art 3.h of Law 7/2023 defines it as “one who carries the identification system established by regulation for its species by the competent authorities and that it is registered in the corresponding registry.”
“In Spain, veterinarians are faced with restrictions to castrate a cat, dog or bitch, if There is not previously a Municipal Registry of Companion Animals in operation,” they point out.
These restrictions, they explain, are due to several reasons, mainly related, on the one hand, to regional regulations and the animal data management and, on the other, with Law 7/2023, of March 28, on the protection of the rights and well-being of animals.
ANDALUSIAN REGULATIONS
These restrictions include, in the Autonomous Regulation of Andalusia, the regulations on the castration of pet animals and their registration. This regulation includes several relevant aspects that may influence the possibility of a veterinarian performing the castration of a cat.
For example, the identification and registration obligation. And, according to Andalusian regulations, all dogs, cats and ferrets must be identified by microchip and registered in the Andalusian Registry of Animal Identification (RAIA). “This registry is essential for the control and monitoring of companion animals,” they say.
Furthermore, the regulations state that veterinarians have the Responsibility for ensuring that animals are correctly identified and registered before performing certain procedures, such as castration. “If a cat is not registered with the RAIA, the registered veterinarian would be violating the regulations if he proceeds with the castration,” they point out.
Regarding castration, the Law maintains that it is an important measure for the control of the animal population and the prevention of abandonment, but the Andalusian regulations requires that animals be registered to ensure adequate monitoring of these procedures and of the pet population in general.
In this sense, it establishes that veterinarians must follow the specific regulations established by the Andalusian Council of Official Colleges of Veterinarians. “In our case also by the Official College of Veterinarians of Córdoba and of course, by the guidelines of the Junta de Andalucía or the national regulatory framework. These regulations include additional requirements for performing procedures such as castration“, they indicate.
Therefore, the College of Córdoba concludes that the absence of the Municipal Registry of Pet Animals or an agreement for the management of the Andalusian Council of Official Colleges of Veterinarians of said Municipal Registry, except in the cases contemplated in current regulations, prevents veterinarians from carrying out castrations.
This is due to the need to comply with the legal obligation of identification and registration, in advance. Also with the obligation to ensure health control and monitoring of the animal population, and to guarantee the well-being and protection of companion animals.
“If these requirements are not met, veterinarians could be in risk of incurring legal and professional violations“, they warn from the College, remembering that to carry out castrations it is also necessary that the veterinary center has an operating room approved in accordance with the Regulations for professional practice in Pet Clinics.
