Oklahoma to establish abuse hotline, contract with veterinarians for inspections

OKLAHOMA CITY — Commercial pet breeders in Oklahoma must now contract with veterinarians for inspections and establish a hotline for animal abuse reporting.

Senate Bill 637, signed into law May 16 and effective immediately, amends the Commercial Pet Breeders Act and permits the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners to contract with veterinarians or a state agency—but not humane society groups or humane society members—to conduct inspections required for the commercial pet breeding license.

The new law also requires commercial pet breeders to establish a toll-free hotline to report animal abuse.