VCPR and Telemedicine Rules in Vermont
Vermont's VCPR statute requires that the veterinarian has recently seen and is personally acquainted with the keeping and care of the animal through an examination, or through medically appropriate and timely premises visits.
Whether the examination may happen remotely, the statute never says — no telehealth or telemedicine term appears in § 2433.
What is explicit is that dispensing, prescribing, and issuing a Veterinary Feed Directive all require a valid VCPR first.
The provision was added in 2017 and has not been amended since.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The veterinarian must have recently seen and be personally acquainted with the keeping and care of the animals by virtue of an examination of the animals or by medically appropriate and timely visits to the premises where the animals are kept; the text never says whether the examination itself may be conducted remotely.
Not addressed — the statute is silent on electronic means one way or the other, and no telehealth, telemedicine, electronic or remote term appears anywhere in § 2433. Separately, the Board of Veterinary Medicine's "Telehealth Registrations and Licensing" lets out-of-state-licensed veterinarians register to deliver telehealth to Vermont residents — that is a licensure/registration mechanism, not a codified path to forming the VCPR itself, and the underlying rule text was not located.
Not addressed in § 2433. Subsection (b) ties the existence of a VCPR to the authority to dispense prescription drugs, issue a Veterinary Feed Directive, or authorize pharmacist dispensing once one exists, but the statute says nothing about whether telemedicine may maintain a relationship already formed.
Not stated in the sources read.
Only a licensed veterinarian with a valid VCPR may authorize the dispensing of veterinary prescription drugs, issue a valid veterinary feed directive, authorize drug distributors to deliver veterinary prescription drugs to a specific client, or prescribe, order, or otherwise authorize a pharmacist to dispense veterinary prescription drugs to a specific client.
No controlled-substance-specific carve-out was found. Subsection (d) ties prescriptions from veterinarians generally to Vermont's prescription drug cost-containment statutes in 18 V.S.A. chapter 91, with nothing separate for controlled substances.
Added 2017, No. 48, § 17 — no later amendment found.
The text is silent on modality — State statute.
26 V.S.A. § 2433
What actually establishes the relationship
Vermont sets a three-part test, and the second element is the one a telemedicine plan turns on — though it doesn't address modality at all, it simply names an examination or premises visits.
The veterinarian must have assumed responsibility for medical judgments with the client's agreement, must have sufficient knowledge of the animal to make at least a general or preliminary diagnosis, and must be available for follow-up in the event of an adverse reaction or a failed treatment regimen.
The sufficient-knowledge element names two routes: the veterinarian has recently seen and is personally acquainted with the keeping and care of the animals through an examination, or through medically appropriate and timely visits to the premises — the text never says what kind of contact an examination must be, and attaches no fixed deadline like a twelve-month clock to either route.
A practice building an intake policy can document which of the two routes each client file rests on, but the statute alone will not say whether that examination may happen remotely.
“The veterinarian has sufficient knowledge of those animals to initiate at least a general or preliminary diagnosis of the medical condition of the animals. This means that the veterinarian has recently seen and is personally acquainted with the keeping and care of the animals by virtue of an examination of the animals or by medically appropriate and timely visits to the premises where the animals are kept”
The statute never answers the telemedicine question
No telehealth, telemedicine, electronic or remote term appears anywhere in § 2433 — the absence is verifiable on the face of the text.
That silence is a real answer about the statute and an open question about the law: nothing in § 2433(a)(2) authorizes establishing the relationship over video, and nothing forbids it either, because the sufficient-knowledge element only names an examination or premises visits without specifying what kind of contact an examination must be.
A separate program worth naming so it isn't confused with this question: the Vermont Board of Veterinary Medicine offers telehealth registration letting a veterinarian licensed elsewhere register to deliver telehealth to Vermont residents — a licensure mechanism, not a rule saying the VCPR can be formed remotely, and the underlying rule text was not located for this page.
The statute does not address maintaining an existing VCPR by telemedicine
Section 2433(a) is written purely as a test for whether a VCPR exists; it does not separately describe what a veterinarian may do, or by what means, once one has been established.
Subsection (b) confirms that a valid VCPR is the gate for dispensing prescription drugs, issuing a Veterinary Feed Directive, authorizing distributor delivery, or authorizing pharmacist dispensing, but it does not say whether those things — or ordinary follow-up care — may be conducted by telemedicine once the relationship already exists.
A practice cannot point to statutory text either permitting or barring telemedicine-based maintenance in Vermont; the question is genuinely open on this record.
“Only a licensed veterinarian with a valid VCPR may: (1) authorize the dispensing of veterinary prescription drugs; (2) issue a valid veterinary feed directive; (3) authorize drug distributors to deliver veterinary prescription drugs to a specific client; or (4) prescribe, order, or otherwise authorize a pharmacist to dispense veterinary prescription drugs to a specific client.”
Prescribing, dispensing, and Veterinary Feed Directives all require a valid VCPR first
Subsection (b) is the operative gate: dispensing veterinary prescription drugs, issuing a Veterinary Feed Directive, authorizing a distributor to deliver prescription drugs to a client, and authorizing a pharmacist to dispense are all conditioned on a valid VCPR existing first.
Subsection (d) adds that prescriptions from veterinarians are subject to Vermont's own prescription drug cost-containment statutes in 18 V.S.A. chapter 91, but no controlled-substance-specific carve-out or limit appears anywhere in this section.
A practice manager auditing prescribing workflow in Vermont has one bright line to check: was there a valid VCPR before the prescription, dispensing, or VFD.
“Prescriptions from veterinarians are subject to Vermont prescription drug cost containment statutes set forth in 18 V.S.A. chapter 91.”
A VCPR cannot be formed just to move drug volume
Vermont adds a clause not present in every state's statute: establishing a VCPR for the sole purpose of selling drugs, or increasing sales of a particular brand, is not a valid or ethical reason for having one.
That is a direct statement about the purpose the relationship has to serve, and it sits in the same section as the establishment test rather than in a separate ethics rule — worth flagging for any practice whose telehealth or dispensing program could be read as VCPR-for-volume.
“Establishment of a VCPR for the sole purpose of the sale of drugs or increased sales of a particular brand of drug product is not a valid or ethical reason for having a VCPR.”
There are two VCPRs, and the federal one does not move
What This Page Does — and Doesn’t — Cover
This page describes Vermont’s own text — 26 V.S.A. § 2433 as read for this series, current as of September 2026, with the provision itself last changed Added 2017, No. 48, § 17 — no later amendment found. It does not cover licensure, scope of practice, or the terms of a specific prescription, and it is not a compliance sign-off for a telemedicine service.
VCPR and telemedicine rules are the fastest-moving area this site covers — nine states changed theirs between 2024 and 2026, and bills are live in others. Confirm the current text with the board before you build an intake policy, a prescribing workflow or a remote-care service on it, and read the federal note above alongside it rather than instead of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Vermont veterinarian establish a VCPR over video?
Vermont's statute does not answer that. 26 V.S.A. § 2433(a)(2) requires that the veterinarian has recently seen and is personally acquainted with the keeping and care of the animal through an examination or through medically appropriate and timely premises visits, and the section never says whether the examination may be conducted remotely.
The silence neither permits nor prohibits a video-established relationship.
Separately, telehealth registration for out-of-state veterinarians is a licensure mechanism, not proof the VCPR itself can be formed remotely.
Confirm with the Vermont Board of Veterinary Medicine before building any remote-first intake on it.
Can telemedicine maintain a Vermont VCPR once it already exists?
The statute does not say.
Section 2433 sets a test for when a VCPR exists and lists what a valid VCPR authorizes — dispensing, issuing a Veterinary Feed Directive, and prescribing — but it never addresses whether those things, or routine follow-up, may be done by telemedicine once the relationship is already formed.
That is an open question on this text, not a yes or a no. Check with the board before relying on either answer.
What can a Vermont veterinarian do by telehealth with no VCPR at all?
This page's sources do not address that question for Vermont specifically — 26 V.S.A. § 2433 sets the establishment test and the prescribing gate but does not separately describe any teleadvice, teletriage, or emergency telehealth carve-out.
Do not assume a general allowance exists; confirm directly with the Vermont Board of Veterinary Medicine before offering any telehealth service without an established VCPR.
Does satisfying Vermont's VCPR rule make a practice federally compliant?
No, and this is the trap.
The federal VCPR at 21 CFR 530.3(i) is a separate relationship governing extralabel drug use and Veterinary Feed Directives, it requires that the veterinarian has recently seen the animal or visited the premises, and the FDA has said it cannot be met solely through telemedicine.
It applies regardless of what Vermont permits.
Extralabel use is routine, so this is not an edge case.
Check both.
When did Vermont's VCPR statute last change?
26 V.S.A. § 2433 was added by 2017, No. 48, § 17, and no later amendment to the statute itself was found in the sources read for this page.
This page did not review the Board of Veterinary Medicine's telehealth registration rules, which could supplement the statute separately.
Confirm the current text directly with the Vermont Board of Veterinary Medicine before relying on it.
More Vermont VCPR & Telemedicine Resources
Sourced from Vermont’s own statute or board rule (see the citations above). Verified September 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice — confirm current rules with the Vermont board before relying on them.