The next time your pet is injured, it might be harder for you to find care for them as some animal rehab centers could face new hurdles to stay open.
10News was there as Ollie the French bulldog ran to therapy at an Oceanside facility.
"He does acupuncture and cold laser," said Natalie Lindberg, a Registered Veterinary Technician and owner of My Total Dog Canine Fitness and Injury Center.
Ollie also spends about 20 to 30 minutes in a hydrotherapy tank.
"This way he's got a whole program of things to do to accelerate the healing," said Lindberg.
Ollie had a compressed disc in July.
"He went right into surgery," said Lindberg.
Ollie can't use his hind legs on land yet, but with help from water therapy, he's making progress.
"He's got a lot of hip, knee and ankle motion, and his foot motion is starting to come onboard," Lindberg said.
Lindberg has been treating injured dogs since 1987.
"I'm not here promoting the Total Dog; I'm not here condoning the [Veterinary] Medical Board. I'm just here for all the animals in California," Lindberg told 10News.
Unfortunately, this kind of care could stop if the Veterinary Medical Board changes a rule.
"You're really incorporating a huge group of people out there that are already doing this, well-established in the veterinary community doing this, and would go under the bus if this law passes as is," Lindberg said.
The Veterinary Medical Board wants to make it mandatory for a vet to be present during any animal rehabilitation. The change is due to concerns that too many unlicensed people may be offering services that could hurt pets.
Lindberg just wants make sure all animal caregivers like her have a voice throughout this process, and she told 10News, "If something like this wasn't available, what would he do? He would go home, you know?"
The Veterinary Medical Board in Sacramento says they've received hundreds of comments on the proposed regulations.
For more information about the board or petitions, visit http://www.vmb.ca.gov/ or http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/physicaltherapyforanimals
