Wisconsin could allow techs to administer rabies vaccines

MADISON, WIS.— A bill that would allow certified veterinary technicians to administer rabies vaccinations under the direct supervision of licensed veterinarians awaits the blessing from Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle.

Leslie Grendahl, executive director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association, believes Wisconsin A.B. 217 will get the rubber stamp following Senate passage that spurred little debate.

If signed into law, Wisconsin joins 13 other states in allowing technicians to administer rabies vaccines.

The bill still upholds rabies vaccination requirements at specified intervals. In late October 2005, an amendment was added to the bill's language requiring a veterinarian be physically present at the location where the vaccine is administered by a veterinary technician.

"We felt the technician had both the background and training to do so," Grendahl says.

In related state legislative news: Castration will become a protected veterinary procedure for dogs, cats and horses. Current Wisconsin law allows castration of a multitude of species without obtaining a veterinary license.

As an approved amendment to the original legislation, pigs, sheep, goats or cattle will still be allowed as a lay procedure.

See Table 1 for a look at the states that have addressed technician vaccination administration.

Table 1. States that allow CVTs to administer rabies vaccines*