Members of the public and physiotherapists occasionally contact the College regarding the topic of animal rehabilitation. The College of Physiotherapists of Alberta receives questions from:
- The public, who have had an animal treated and were told it was “animal physiotherapy.”
- Veterinary practices, asking about involving physiotherapists in the rehabilitation of animals.
- Physiotherapists who want to provide animal rehabilitation.
This article will help readers understand the legislation that applies to the care of animals, the organization with regulatory authority over this area of practice, and use of title considerations for physiotherapists who wish to treat both human and animal patients, and those who wish to exclusively treat animal patients.
What is the legislative framework?
Legislation and regulatory requirements are the foundation for College decisions. The legislation is quite clear on the topic of animal rehabilitation, and there is no room for misinterpretation.
The Health Professions Act is the legislation that applies to the practice of physiotherapy in the province of Alberta. The HPA specifies that a health service “means a service provided to people.” Section 1(1)(p).
Animal services provided in Alberta fall under the Veterinary Profession Act (VPA). The VPA governs all services regarding animals and explicitly states that animal “…does not include a human being.” (VPA, Section1(a)). Whether it is rehabilitation, surgery, prescription of medication or anything else; if it is related to animals, it falls under the VPA.
In this way, the legislation clearly separates regulatory authority for services provided to humans from regulatory authority for services provided to animals.
Who regulates this?
The College of Physiotherapists of Alberta is responsible for the regulation of physiotherapists and physiotherapy practice in Alberta and receives its mandate from the Health Professions Act (HPA). It is part of the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta’s mandate to protect the public and the public interest. As part of this role, the College works to protect the misuse of titles afforded to physiotherapists through the HPA and to prevent misrepresentation of non-physiotherapy services as physiotherapy.
The Alberta Veterinary Medicine Association (ABVMA) is the regulatory body established under the VPA to regulate the practice of veterinary medicine. The ABVMA’s role includes the registration and regulation of veterinarians and veterinary technologists. If a person provides animal rehabilitation and a complaint is brought forward by an animal owner, the ABVMA would respond to the complaint.
Use of Title Considerations
Physiotherapy, physical therapy, and PT are all protected titles under the Health Professions Act (HPA). Since the HPA applies to the provision of services to humans, Alberta physiotherapists cannot use their protected title if providing care to animals.
The College is aware of individuals who are registered physiotherapists who work out of veterinary clinics or under the direction of veterinarians. In this role, they cannot represent themselves or the services they provide as physiotherapy. They are working as a tech or assistant providing animal rehabilitation in accordance with the requirements of the VPA and regulatory requirements of the ABVMA. They are not providing services as a so-called “animal physiotherapist” or “animal PT” and would not be providing “animal physiotherapy” or “animal physical therapy.” To do so would be in direct contradiction to the legislation.
How would someone develop their skills to provide animal rehabilitation services?
It is important to keep in mind that competent practice is an expectation of both the CPTA and the ABVMA. If you are a physiotherapist, you earned your protected title through completion of your entry to practice education and successful completion of an entry to practice examination. Your education took a considerable amount of time in the classroom and more than one thousand practicum hours. As you learned new skills and techniques, you went through a process to become competent before applying them to patient care in your practice.
Competency to provide animal rehabilitation is no different.
Those that practice veterinary medicine went to school for a long time to become capable and competent of treating a wide variety of animals. Physiotherapists expect their knowledge and skills to be recognized by their colleagues and members of the public, but that also means they need to recognize the knowledge and skills of other professionals. Is it reasonable to suggest that someone without background veterinary knowledge would be competent to provide veterinary services without the direction of a veterinarian?
Where should the public or physiotherapists go with any question regarding animal rehabilitation?
Contact the ABVMA regarding any questions or concerns about animal rehabilitation, and regulatory requirements for provision of services to animals.
If you are considering getting into the practice of animal rehabilitation, contact the Practice Advisor to understand the College’s expectations regarding keeping your physiotherapy practice and your animal services separate and distinct.
Contact us at professionalpractice@cpta.ab.ca.
Original: 2022-10-07, Updated: 2026-02-04
Sean FitzGerald, PT, Practice Advisor
