Animal Physical Therapy Coalition - APTC

09/03/2026

This is Dr. Cheryl Waterhouse, Chair of the California Veterinary Medical Board’s Multidisciplinary Advisory Committee. She also serves on the board of her regional veterinary trade association, the Central California Veterinary Medical Association.

Here, she is presenting an advocacy check to the California Veterinary Medical Association’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, Dr. Grant Miller....funds intended to support political advocacy on behalf of the veterinary profession.

Why does this matter?
The CVMB and the CVMA have fundamentally different missions. The CVMB’s responsibility is to protect California consumers and the public. The CVMA’s role is to advocate for the veterinary profession and its economic interests.

When one person holds leadership roles within both organizations, it raises legitimate questions about divided loyalties and conflicts of interest...or, at minimum, the appearance of one. Whose interests are guiding decisions when the needs of the profession and the interests of the public do not align?

When political contributions and regulatory influence are added to that overlap, the public deserves transparency and careful scrutiny.
There is a term for what can happen when the industry’s interests begin influencing the body charged with regulating it: regulatory capture.

Regulatory capture is the process by which a regulatory body becomes dominated or disproportionately influenced by the industry it regulates, resulting in policies or enforcement that advance the industry’s interests rather than the broader public interest.

CCVMA Board Member Dr. Cheryl Waterhouse presents a check from CCVMA to Dr. Grant Miller, who accepted it on behalf of the CVMA PAC. CCVMA is proud to support the CVMA PAC and its advocacy for California’s veterinary profession!

08/26/2026

🎉 Please join us in welcoming Canine PT and Me as the newest member of the Animal Physical Therapy Coalition!

Dedicated to canine rehabilitation and wellness, Canine PT and Me shares our belief that animals deserve access to qualified PT care. And creating common-sense legislation and regulation is the ONLY way forward.

We’re so grateful to have Canine PT and Me standing with us as we continue the fight for what is right! 🐾
Collaboration over competition. 🙌

08/13/2026

A glimpse behind the curtain of animal healthcare politics.

The rules that price families out of animal care were written by one lobby, in its own interest. Eight closed markets, one campaign wallet, and the families, animals, and independent clinics that pay. NAVEC Report No. 5.

08/01/2026

Do you know how policy decisions are made? Let us show you!

This was ELEVEN years ago!

This is the California Veterinary Medical Board's discussion following the 2015 public hearing...during the height of the public outcry over their proposed regulations.

Some VMB members did not bother to attend the public hearing, leaving VMB staff to summarize the public comments for the Board in the interest of "efficiency."

When the people making policy don't hear directly from the people affected by those policies, something important is lost.

As California continues to debate animal physical therapy policy, it's worth looking back at how these discussions unfolded, who was in the room, who wasn't, and how public input reached decision-makers.

History matters.

We'll be breaking this history into shorter, more digestible pieces over the coming weeks.

For those who want the full context, we've posted the entire 1.5 hour discussion here because the CVMB removed the webcast from its previous publicly accessible historical meeting archive.
So now the only other way to obtain it is through a California Public Records Act request.

Watch it. Read the record. Then decide for yourself how we got here. (...keep in mind... this meeting was after about a DECADE of prior discussions!).

07/31/2026

Alright folks...
Re: October 20, 2015 CVMB Regulatory Meeting (which was an important meeting that occurred after their very controversial public hearing that some Board members did not even bother to show up to...).

We just confirmed that the California Veterinary Medical Board (CVMB) will only post meeting agendas, agenda materials, and the official minutes on its website for that meeting. The webcast of this meeting—which contains discussions not reflected in the minutes—was removed from public access.

To obtain a copy, we had to submit a California Public Records Act request.

The Board has provided us with a temporary download link that will only remain active until September 7. After that, the link will be deactivated.

The CVMB has declined to restore the webcast to its website for permanent public access (even after requested), so if you would like a copy, download it now. We have preserved our own copy, but it's important that others do as well.

Many current Board members and staff have never seen this meeting and, like the public, are left to rely on minutes that do not capture the full discussion.

This is an important piece of California veterinary regulatory history, and preserving public access to it matters.

Download the webcast here (available until September 7):

07/28/2026

It’s a huge issue and more people need to understand the power some of these trade associations hold.

Agency capture (more commonly called regulatory capture) occurs when a government agency that is supposed to regulate an industry begins acting primarily in the interests of that industry rather than in the public interest.

This can happen in several ways:

* Close relationships develop between regulators and the industries they oversee.
* Lobbying and political influence shape agency decisions.
* The “revolving door” phenomenon, where officials move between regulatory agencies and industry jobs.
* Agencies become dependent on the industry’s expertise or information, making them less independent.

Example

Imagine a state veterinary board whose mission is to protect the public. If the board consistently adopts policies that primarily benefit established veterinary organizations—even when there is strong evidence that alternative approaches would better serve patients or consumers—critics might argue that the board has been “captured” by the profession it regulates.

Signs that may suggest regulatory capture

* Regulations consistently favor incumbent businesses over competitors.
* The agency resists reforms despite substantial public support or evidence.
* Public meetings or rulemaking appear to give disproportionate weight to industry stakeholders.
* Enforcement is unusually lenient toward the regulated industry while being strict toward outsiders.

America is short 37,000 vets. Two thousand trained veterinarians are begging to work. The gate they must pass is owned by a private club nobody elected — one that has spent fifty years insisting America has too many veterinarians.

07/20/2026

KEY FACTS

Former California Veterinary Medical Board Executive Officer AnneMarie DelMugnio confirmed that, in 2017, California regulations allowed a veterinarian to provide indirect supervision to a veterinary assistant performing delegated animal rehabilitation services.

Then, in 2022, those regulations changed.

Despite assurances during the regulatory process that the changes would not alter existing practice, the final regulations eliminated the veterinarian's discretion to determine the appropriate level of supervision for these services. Instead, they required direct supervision, making previously lawful practice models no longer permissible.

For many practitioners and animal owners, this represented a significant change in access to rehabilitation services. Yet there has been ongoing disagreement about whether the regulations changed the legal landscape.

That is why this issue remains unresolved.

Our goal has never been to diminish veterinary oversight. It has always been to implement a collaborative model that allows veterinarians to exercise their professional judgment while expanding access to qualified rehabilitation care for animals who need it.

We will continue working until California has a fair, evidence-based framework that serves animals, veterinarians, physical therapists, and the families who depend on them.

Shared with Dropbox

07/20/2026

Worth the repost to remember this important history.

At one point, the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) supported a compromise: veterinarians would determine the appropriate level of supervision for patients referred to a qualified animal physical therapist.

However, when it came time to pursue that approach through the legislative process, the CVMA ultimately supported a different position. As a result, years of work with legislators, the California Veterinary Medical Board, and other stakeholders to develop a collaborative solution did not lead to the outcome many of us had worked toward.

History matters because it provides context for where we are today.
More to come. Stay tuned.

The CVMA has recently appointed a new Executive Director—someone with extensive history involving this issue through both the California Veterinary Medical Board and the CVMA.

It will be interesting to see what direction the organization takes moving forward, particularly because the approach taken during this issue was highly controversial. Many physical therapists, veterinarians, and other stakeholders argued that key decisions were based on inaccurate information and misunderstandings about the education, licensure, and role of licensed physical therapists in animal rehabilitation.

Time will tell whether this presents an opportunity for a more collaborative, evidence-based path forward. We hope so!!

07/16/2026

🐴🤝 Welcome, Return to Freedom!

We are honored to welcome Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation to the Animal Physical Therapy Coalition (APTC)!

Return to Freedom is dedicated to preserving the freedom, diversity, and habitat of America's wild horses and burros through sanctuary, education, advocacy, and conservation, while enriching the human spirit through direct experiences with the natural world.

Their mission reflects something we deeply believe at APTC: when we work together, we can create meaningful, lasting change for animals.

We are grateful to have Return to Freedom standing alongside our growing coalition of veterinarians, physical therapists, veterinary technicians, animal welfare organizations, educators, and industry leaders who believe we can accomplish more together than we ever could alone.

Please join us in giving Return to Freedom a warm welcome! We're excited to advocate together for a future where both animals and the professionals who care for them can thrive.

05/21/2026