State, providers clash over who should regulate physical therapy for animals

Summary

The PT Board of California spent the morning hearing national federation reports, state examples and rival stakeholder views on whether animal physical therapy should be regulated under the PT board or the Veterinary Medical Board. Presenters described model regulations, training requirements and competing safety concerns; no formal board action was taken.

Board members and stakeholders spent the bulk of a December 12 meeting focused on whether and how physical therapists should be allowed to provide rehabilitation care to animals and which agency should oversee that practice.

Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy task‑force chair Leslie Adrian told the board that seven states now include explicit language or regulatory pathways for animal physical therapy and that the federation’s 2025 revisions to the model practice act expressly recognize animal physical therapy as part of the practice of physical therapy when licensees complete additional education and training. "The preferred term is 'animal physical therapy,'" Adrian said, adding that model rules recommend board‑approved educational competencies, roughly 100 hours of didactic instruction and a supervised clinical component with a final competency assessment.

Speakers described two common…

State, providers clash over who should regulate physical therapy for animals

Summary

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