Colorado is set to pass Proposition 129 with 72% of the vote counted at press time. Proposition 129 establishes a new legally recognized and regulated category of veterinary care providers known as veterinary professional associates (VPAs).

Prior to the passage of the proposal, only licensed veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and veterinary technician specialists were legally permitted to administer veterinary care in Colorado. Once Proposition 129 is passed, the Colorado Board of Veterinary Medicine will have to recognize VPAs, determine what kind of care they can practice, establish the level of supervision required, and specify any additional credentials beyond a master’s degree in nursing veterinary clinic.

Proposition 129 states that VPAs “may perform tasks that fall within the individual’s advanced education and training,” giving the profession a broad scope of practice. The proposal adds that “the full scope of practice may be determined by the state board,” leaving the door open to regulatory capture by the three pre-existing veterinary care providers who may fear competition.

If competition increases, consumers will benefit from an expanded supply of veterinary care providers. Jeffrey Singer, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, rEPORTS that “a shortage of up to 24,000 pet veterinarians is likely to exist by 2030,” which will help to increase spending on pet care by three to four percent in real terms over the next decade. Expanding the pool of pet care professionals to include APV is a simple way to reduce this deficit.

The arguments against the proposition are threefold, according Colorado General Assembly: “The proposal’s education and training requirements are vague,” “there are currently no academic programs for this profession in Colorado,” and “a new and untested profession could increase the risk to animals.”

First, the vagueness of the proposal is more of an advantage than a flaw, allowing more APVs to qualify and practice, as opposed to a version that would impose numerous and difficult requirements for certification.

Second, although there is not yet an academic program for veterinary professional associations in the state, Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is developing a master’s degree in veterinary clinical care that would prepare clinicians to “diagnose animal medical concerns”. “performs routine operations” and “orders and performs tests and procedures,” Singer writes. The first cohort is expected to matriculate in the fall of 2025. In addition, VPAs can earn their degree elsewhere and return to Colorado—for example, the Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine in Tennessee already offers a Master in Veterinary Clinical Care degree.

Finally, if hospitals trust nurses, nurse practitioners, and other non-MD health professionals to care for humans, animal hospitals should be able to follow suit and add VPAs to supplement other pet care professionals.

Although American Veterinary Medical Association opposes associate veterinary professional accreditation, their opposition can safely be attributed to rent-seeking rather than genuine concern for animal welfare. Proposition 129 will reduce Colorado’s shortage of veterinary care providers, lower prices, and increase the quality and affordability of pet care.