A California Assembly committee killed a bill yesterday that would have allowed California groomers to scale pets’ teeth for “cosmetic purposes.” Assembly Bill 2304 would have exempted from the scope of veterinary medicine the “service whereby a person utilizes nonmotorized instruments to remove calculus, soft deposits, plaque or stains from an exposed area of a household pet’s tooth above the gum line, provided that the service is performed exclusively for cosmetic purposes and the person performing the service first obtains written permission from the person requesting the service.” On Tuesday, April 18, 2012, the California Assembly Committee on Business, Professions and Consumer Protection unanimously voted against the bill 6-0. Earlier this month, the California Veterinary Medical Board sent a letter to Assemblymember Mary Hayashi, chair of the Committee on Business, Professions and Consumer Protection, opposing the bill on the grounds that it was too broad and would “allow anyone, anytime using any instruments to open a business scaling tartar off the teeth of animals.” The CVMB supports the practice of dental scaling by unlicensed individuals, provided a veterinarian, or in some cases a veterinary technician, oversees the procedure. <HOME>
