Veterinary Medical Records: What Are Our Responsibilities and What Are the Legal Issues?
Abstract
Certainly, the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) requires records of animals. Adequate veterinary care implies that veterinary medical records should be maintained, but what details are required. April 2003, the USDA proposed to amend the Animal Welfare Act medical records regulations to require that research facilities, dealers and exhibitors maintain medical records as part of their program of adequate veterinary care. The proposed regulations would specifically require a detailed accounting of certain aspects of medical histories.