Technical advice is our interpretation of how professional standards apply in a particular situation. It is designed to help veterinarians deal with common issues in practice, using their professional judgement to apply the advice to their own situation. It represents our best efforts at the time of publication but standards and expectations change over time and particular care should be used when reading old advice.

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).

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. 

After your recent visit and conversations with our team on [add date] it has become apparent to us that our veterinarian-client relationship with you is not working effectively and, as a result, is not in the best interests of your animals’ health and welfare and not in keeping with our philosophy of providing quality care. 

We have decided that, for this reason, we will no longer provide veterinary services to you.

We strongly recommend that you find a new veterinary clinic as soon as you can to ensure that your animals continue to get the best possible routine and emergency care. Once you find a new veterinary clinic, we would be happy to transfer your animals’ records to them.

We are sorry to give this bad news but we feel that this is the best outcome for everyone.

Updates

Informed consent

Can I end the relationship with a client?

Microchipping minefields

The Hub

Policy on Registration

Policy on Limited Registration

Policy on Provisional Registration

Policy on Specialist Registration

Policy on registration under the Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Act

Policy on qualifications and post nominal titles for inclusion on the Register of Veterinarians

Registration policies

Policy on Competence and Competence Assessment

Policy on the management of health impaired veterinarians

Regulatory functions

Policy on the collection and handling of personal information

Information Security Policy

Policy on the management of conflicts of interest

Governance Policies

Policies

Policy on English Competence and English Tests

Policy on Recency of Practice

Policy on the use of titles

Registration standards

Competency Standards and Performance Indicators for Veterinarians

Introduction

Summary: The 7 principles

1. Animal welfare

2. Client relationships

3. Professional relationships

4. Professional integrity

5. Veterinary services

6. Veterinary medicines

7. Legislative requirements

Glossary

Code of Professional Conduct

Statement: Authorisation of Xylazine for use by non-veterinarians

Prohibiting the use of Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials

Authorisation During Major Disruptive Events and Emergencies

Health Practitioners Undertaking Surgical Procedures on Animals

Compounding Veterinary Medicines

Discretionary Use of Human and Veterinary Medicines by Veterinarians

Cattle Disbudding and Dehorning by Non-Veterinarians

Authorisation of Dry Cow Therapy

Manufacturing Veterinary Medicines

Certification of fitness for transport of livestock

Induction of Calving in Cattle

Authorisation of adult cat and dog vaccinations for administration by veterinary nurses during the current veterinary workforce shortage

Statements

Guidance for authorisation of controlled drugs in veterinary medicine

Guidance on AI Transcription and Client Privacy: Protecting Personal Information in the Digital Age

Delegating procedures on cats and dogs to veterinary nurses and technicians

Can a veterinarian send expired RVMs to charities offshore

Health practitioners undertaking non-surgical procedures on animals

Reclassification of fentanyl, tramadol, zopiclone and zolpidem

Veterinary supervision

Flystrike table

Dry Cow Antibiotic Therapy

Recent changes to penicillin withholding periods

Remote Veterinary Care (Telehealth and Telemedicine)

Anaesthetic Monitoring

Dealing with cases of suspected or actual animal abuse and family violence

Social media

Veterinarians' role in Maintaining New Zealand's Biosecurity

Non-consented human medicines used by veterinarians

Mentoring Guidelines

Meat Processing in New Zealand

Guidance

Untitled

Client relationships

Technical advice

Guidance on Critical Reasoning, Team Learning and Safety-focused practices in Veterinary Clinics

Communicating emergency care, after hours services to clients

Pregnancy in the Veterinary Workplace

Emergency services advice for new practices

Handling complaints

Accredited employer work visa

Opening vet clinics on Easter Sunday

Practice guidance

Guidance on completing your Annual Practising Certificate (APC) application

Process guidance

Professional standards and guidance

Case study: What happens when a veterinarian falls short of the expected standard?