Guidance on Veterinary Care for Farm Dogs

introduction veterinary clinics dedicated exclusively to production animals may receive requests to attend to farm dogs farm dogs are often treated as part of the farm and can be found on herd/flock health programmes (e g nzfap) small animal services may be provided at the individual veterinarian's discretion the decision of what level of service to provide should consider the veterinarian’s clinical abilities and experience ongoing professional development availability of appropriate facilities and equipment veterinarians may provide an appropriately narrow on farm service, such as vaccinations, and limit on farm examinations to farm dogs with minor conditions when veterinarians provide services for farm dogs in these circumstances, they inherently assume the role of the general veterinary practitioner (gvp) for these animals, thereby establishing a professional responsibility for the animals’ broader ongoing health needs and emergency care, including after hours care as outlined in the code of professional conduct (copc) importantly, the provision of veterinary care for farm dogs is not considered to be a specific and limited veterinary service understanding the context farmers often own multiple dogs and may live a considerable distance from the nearest dedicated companion animal veterinary clinic subsequently, some farmers may be reluctant to bring their dogs to a companion animal clinic for vaccinations or minor concerns when they have access to another veterinarian on the farm the on farm veterinarian is uniquely positioned to observe the dog in its ‘home’ environment in these situations, the on farm veterinarian may provide the gvp services themselves if there are deficits in their service matrix, they are expected to make arrangements with another veterinary clinic equipped with comprehensive companion animal facilities to ensure they meet the obligations set out in the code proactive measures where farm dog health is concerned, there are two main areas it is essential that routine health care is not neglected and that vaccinations, worming programmes and regular examinations are performed it is also crucial to prepare for emergency care in advance rather than attempting to negotiate arrangements during a critical moment, such as when a valuable dog requires urgent surgery in addition, there are non emergent health needs that may require extensive companion animal facilities and knowledge to investigate and treat effectively vaccination run the vaccination run is a significant feature of farm dog practice and can be the origin of conflicts production animal veterinarians may explore options to collaborate with clinics equipped to handle companion animal care several approaches may be considered, including a companion animal (ca) clinic may partner with the production animal (pa) veterinarian to give vaccinations on the farm in a combined vaccination run the ca clinic will then take responsibility for emergency and after hours care the ca clinic may contract the pa veterinarian to perform vaccinations on its behalf the ca clinic may agree to provide comprehensive level care for all dogs vaccinated by the pa veterinarian, as needed this agreement and understanding must be communicated to the clients the ca veterinarian may conduct the on farm vaccination program themselves, and they directly become clients of the ca veterinarian clinical records https //hub vetcouncil org nz/5 veterinary services#section 54 states that veterinarians must maintain clear and accurate clinical records the records must have enough detail that another veterinarian could take over the management of the case at any time farm dogs are not different from other dogs, so they should be recorded as individuals the need for this is even more apparent when veterinary care is transferred to a different clinic note client consent is required for sharing clinical records it is worth considering a method where consent has been given and documented for the sharing of records from the start (i e the companion animal clinic is sent the vaccination records and any minor treatment the production animal veterinarian has given and vice versa), which would stop any delay in obtaining records if needed communication communication and informed consent are fundamentals of professional care the capabilities and responsibilities of the different veterinarians should be clearly communicated to the farm dog owners clients should be provided with clear information and details of where they can to obtain emergency and after hours care for their animal/s veterinary staff if non veterinarians (nurses or technicians) are being used in the care of farm dogs, this should be clearly communicated and consented to by the farm owner in the case of vaccination administration, this must follow the current information in the copc there is a lot of detail in the linked documents that must be read and followed carefully https //hub vetcouncil org nz/nurses administering vaccinations to companion animals the following statement currently (november 2025) also applies https //hub vetcouncil org nz/authorisation of adult cat and dog vaccinations for administration by veterinary nurses during the current veterinary workforce shortage competence and cpd although the pa veterinarians may be restricting the work they do with companion animals, they must be competent if they are performing any companion animal work, including vaccinations they will be in a unique position to identify early issues, and they must be competent enough to know when a dog requires a more comprehensive work up they must also keep up to date with relevant veterinary developments that can be aided by allocating a proportion of their cpd time to this shared clients client information sharing involves two or more veterinarians providing services, advice and/or treatment for a clinical case/s however, this overlapping care requires effective communication between the veterinarians to ensure clarity in who is responsible for responding to adverse events and emergencies it can increase the risk of conflicting or concurrent treatment programmes compromising animal welfare/safety; therefore, communication and collaboration are critical formal agreement the code requires veterinarians to ensure there is an emergency service available for their clients at all times veterinary practices may make arrangements with another veterinarian or veterinary clinic to provide a broader scope of veterinary services and emergency services from a practical sense, it is the veterinary clinic’s responsibility to make these formal arrangements a written agreement is strongly recommended to avoid misunderstandings later other non production animals on the farm this guidance is also applicable to other non production animals that a production veterinarian may be asked to examine when on farm, e g cats or horses the veterinarian must clearly communicate their capabilities, ensure they are competent in doing what is requested, know when to refer to another veterinarian, and ensure there are firm arrangements in place for emergency and after hours care conclusion navigating the provision of care for farm dogs requires thoughtful collaboration and proactive planning veterinarians must anticipate potential challenges and establish clear arrangements that serve both the business interests of veterinary clinics, clients, and, most importantly, the welfare of the animals under their care