Can I end the relationship with a client?

Can I stop providing veterinary services to a client?

Veterinarians are not obliged to continue to provide veterinary services to a client as long as the animal’s welfare is not compromised. You can therefore end their relationship with a client as long as this decision doesn’t put the animal’s immediate welfare at risk of harm. 

This does not stop veterinarians from ceasing to provide services for animals that require ongoing care provided that either there is a clear plan to transfer care to a new clinic or the owner has a reasonable amount of time to find a new clinic before further care will be required (what is reasonable will depend on factors like the animal’s condition and the availability of alternative veterinary care).

The explanatory notes to section 7 of the Veterinary services chapter of the Code say:

Over and above any legal obligation that might exist, veterinarians have an ethical obligation to provide an emergency service in order to protect the welfare of animals whether those animals are under the veterinarian’s care or not.

So, even if a clinic stopped providing services to a client, they would still be expected to provide emergency care if confronted with an emergency situation. Note that emergency care does not have to be full service and could be limited to first aid (or, in some situations, euthanasia). Clinics are also entitled to refer the client to their regular (in this case, new) vet, if they have one.

An exception to the emergency care requirement would be in instances where personal safety is at risk. We recognise and expect that staff health and safety comes first.

If you decide to end the relationship with a client, we recommend notifying the client of this decision, preferably in writing. 

Here is an example letter: