(a) Nothing in this chapter prohibits any person from:

(1) Practicing veterinary medicine as a bona fide owner of one’s own animals. This exemption applies to the following:

(A) The owner’s bona fide employees.

(B) Any person assisting the owner, provided that the practice is performed gratuitously.

(2) Lay testing of poultry by the whole blood agglutination test. For purposes of this section, “poultry” means flocks of avian species maintained for food production, including, but not limited to, chickens, turkeys, and exotic fowl.

(3) Making any determination as to the status of pregnancy, sterility, or infertility upon livestock, equine, or food animals at the time an animal is being inseminated, providing no charge is made for this determination.

(4) Administering sodium pentobarbital for euthanasia of sick, injured, homeless, or surrendered domestic pets or animals without the presence of a veterinarian when the person is an employee of an animal control shelter and its agencies or humane society and has received proper training in the administration of sodium pentobarbital for these purposes.

(5) Providing the following care to animals lawfully deposited with or impounded by a shelter not registered with the board pursuant to Section 4853:

(A) Administering preventative or prophylactic nonprescription vaccinations to the animal pursuant to protocols written by a veterinarian licensed in this state for the purposes of preventing the spread of communicable diseases, without the presence of a veterinarian when the person has received proper training in the administration of the nonprescription preventative or prophylactic vaccinations.

(B) Administering nonprescription medications to the animal pursuant to protocols written by a veterinarian licensed in this state, for the control or eradication of apparent or anticipated internal or external parasites, including, but not limited to, fleas, ticks, or worms, without the presence of a veterinarian when the person has received proper training in the administration of the nonprescription medications for the control or eradication of those internal or external parasites. A person’s decision to administer these medications shall not be construed to mean the person has made a diagnosis of the animal’s medical condition.

(C) Administering medications prescribed by a veterinarian licensed in the state to the animal without the presence of a veterinarian when the shelter has received a written treatment plan from the licensed veterinarian for that specific animal and has a dispensing protocol in place for the tracking of dispensed prescribed medications and when the person has received proper training in the administration of prescription medications.

(b) For the purposes of paragraph (5) of subdivision (a):

(1) “Proper training” means completing a training curriculum of at least four hours provided by a veterinarian licensed to practice in this state, and includes, but is not limited to, an overview of intake procedures and preventative medicine, recognizing when an animal is required to be seen by a veterinarian, prescription and nonprescription medications, humane animal restraint techniques, vaccination injection methods and procedures, and documentation.

(2) “Shelter” means a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, or humane society shelter that is not registered with the board pursuant to Section 4853.

(c) A shelter providing care to an animal pursuant to this section that is not registered with the board pursuant to Section 4853 shall report to the board any adverse event resulting in significant impairment or death from the care provided, on a form prescribed by the board, including severe injuries, infections, and unintended reactions caused by the incorrect or inappropriate administration of a vaccine or medications.

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 631, Sec. 4. (AB 1535) Effective January 1, 2022.)