Are they allowed to do that?

There are many people offering complementary and fertility services for your pet, including myself at "The paw-works" here in Cambridgeshire. But do you know if they are operating legally? Do you understand what is and is not permitted? The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 outlines what a non-veterinary professional can and can’t do to an animal, The 3 main areas of the act that you need to be aware of are-

1) Only a vet can carry out a surgical procedure. Basically, anything that involves cutting or puncturing your pet including drawing of blood and stapling wounds. Microchipping is permitted by a Lay Micro chipper with a DEFRA approved certification.

2) Only a vet can prescribe a drug. Unless you can buy it off the shelf at the pet shop, you should never give any medication or allow anybody else to give medication to your pet, this includes human drugs (even off the shelf ones) and medication that has been given by your vet for another one of your pets or for a different condition to the one it was prescribed for.

3) Only a vet can diagnose a condition. During an ultrasound scan I am permitted to confirm pregnancy (pregnancy is not classed as a medical condition) I am not permitted to tell you if I see anything else, even though I am aware of several conditions I may see during a scan however I must always refer you to your vet without passing an opinion.

Always ensure that any complementary or fertility practitioner you use acts within the law, check qualifications, training and membership of professional bodies if you are in any doubt or you are concerned about any service offered always consult trading standards.