Everybody has gone to a doctor’s office and been helped by a nurse before seeing the doctor. While you were there, did you question your nurse about his/her schooling, training or certification before allowing them to assist you? Probably not. Not because you don’t care about the quality of the medical treatment you or your loved one is receiving, but because you know that there are laws and regulations governing nurses.

Did you know that: (1) Your pets do not receive the same courtesy in their medical treatment, (2) Utah is one of only two states in America that does not require an education or certification in order to assist in a veterinary clinic and (3) Any random person could be hired off the streets to handle your pet and administer medications?

As a student in the Veterinary Technology program at Broadview University, it shocked me to learn that no schooling was necessary, and no testing required, to get a job in my chosen field. Everything I am learning — the correct way to handle animals without injuring them, how to recognize diseases and their symptoms, and being able to calculate the delicate amounts of medicine an animal can receive without killing them — is, while necessary to competently take care of pets; however, no prior training in these important skills is required. In fact, many veterinarians in Utah purposely hire uneducated and untrained assistants because they can pay them less than a certified technician.

I know that I am not the only person in Utah who cares about their pets. I believe the reason Utah has been able to continue its lax policy for veterinary assistants is because most people just didn’t know. I write this letter in the hope of educating the animal lovers of Utah and to make more people aware of this grave oversight in the safe care of our beloved animal family members. Together, we can demand higher standards for our pets’ medical treatment.

– Cyndi Day, Springville

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