Good-Morning Doctor Khuly, yes there somethings we can do ourselfs. But do not worry, we need our Pet Doctors. I was raise on a ranch, you name it we had it. even as a Kid, I helped our Vet. so I learned a lot from him,, in the summer I work with him. He was a cool guy, I wanted to learn, so he was ready to teach me. But I need my Pet Doctors, we and our Pet Kids are Blessed to have, wonderful Doctors like you.

Thanks for covering this. :) I have to admit, when I emailed you the link, I didn't know that was "one among many" such sites. Though, I can't say I am surprised, especially the economy being what it is.

So, am I correct that the "ethereal cruelty line" is crossed simply when the DIY procedure causes undue suffering? Or is there other criteria as well?

I'm surprised that you mention kitchen table surgeries being legal as long as you're not crossing the cruelty line, such as surgery without anesthesia...I mean, without the proper license, you can't even obtain drugs used for anesthesia, can you?

Also, with a DIY vetting discussion, I am finding it hard to resist temptation to bring up the dreaded topic of folks trying DIY euthanasia. I know that you have covered the topic on Dolittler as something not recommended, since it's certainly not a procedure that you want to get wrong, and Jo(e) Sixpack isn't going to have access to the drugs vets use to accomplish the task. But, with the following quote from your post in mind:

"Is the procedure being accomplished with the sufficient skill and attention to detail that ensures the animal is not being subjected to significant harm in the process?"

Are there instances where a DIY euthanasia would not cross the cruelty line and be thus legal? In this case, I would assume that "significant harm" would be causing unnecessary pain/discomfort, since death is the, for lack of a better word, goal, of euthanasia, whereas with other procedures death could be considered the ultimate in significant harm.

I don't even want to know what some people are doing to their critters.

I've been trained to do simple things at home (sub-q fluids, check BG, sub-q injections), but I should hope that I'd never attempt anything more complicated.

IMHO it seems like it completely depends on the client and their skill level (not to mention having an extra set of hands to hold the critter). Surely a human health care professional would be able to administer something like an IM injection.

As for things like skin scrapings or bloodwork, would a lab accept a sample from an individual as opposed to a clinic?

I received lots of mail on this topic when I uniformly condemned the practice in a post a couple of years past. However I did relent as, there are some cases where shooting an animal or using a home-made CO2 chamber are best-- but only because veterinary care is too far away and because suffering/stress would be prolonged if vet care were strictly required. So too does it go for some DIY vet work.

As to what constitutes significant harm relative to what a veterinary provider would offer, it's historically been up to the courts. Which means it comes down to what we as a culture consider animal cruelty. And that's been a shifting landscape for sure. An example:

Ten or twenty years ago a hunting dog could be held down for stitches for a laceration. Today, those who undertake such a procedure with no anesthetics (some of which I have heard can be obtained through feed stores) risk cruelty charges. But Crazy Glue and a bandage? Legal. And sometimes appropriate.

I used to try to make my own Heartgard.

My understanding is Heartgard is ivermectin. 25 cents worth of ivermectin may become $35 worth of Heartgard.

I am treating a dog for mange. 14 ounces of highly diluted ivermectin is $52 and that is still a liquid form.

There is now a generic for Heartgard and it is still expensive.

From what I have read ivermectin loses potency without proper storage so maybe that is why it is so expensive. A consumer could perhaps not buy a bottle and expect it to last a year.

I've done quite a bit a home with all my rescue and foster, plus aging cats, and I write about it in order to encourage people to consider caring for their pet at home--under the supervision of a veterinarian or medical professional! I've been fortunate to have a house call veterinarian who believes in common sense and doesn't see any reason I can't do the basic stuff so she can go off to her next call, and has taught me quite a bit. There's a big difference between reading an article on the internet and trying it at home, and taking that article to your veterinarian to get their opinion and guidance before you risk endangering your pet.

I think that in most cases people should not be taking matters into their own hands. There is a difference between a trained veterinarian, such as my dad, drawing my cat's blood or doing a skin scrape and some random pet-owner with 0 experience in any medicine doing that. It may be their legal right, but it isn't usually morally right.

JimHousw's comment reminds me of the pet first aid class taught by the local shelter.

The promotion stated it was sponsored by the Red Cross and the shelter, which is the "largest" animal welfare group in the state.

I arrived, and the class was "taught" by a shelter volunteer who had taken the class herself. No professional experience.

The Red Cross angle was a book was passed out with Red Cross in the title.

We have a well known vet school within a half hour, I imagine they could find all the free and low priced professional assistance if they cared to try.

The public and volunteers should not tolerate obedience classes and pet first aid classes which turn into fundraisers run by poorly trained volunteers. So called non profits get away with a lot.