Animal Sheltering Board: FAQs
Euthanasia Services
Q: How can I see a copy of the rules?
You can get the rules online on the
Rules and Law page or you may call (505) 476-4795 to request a copy by mail.
Q: Who is subject to the rules? Do I need to get licensed? By when?
The Act requires that all individuals and agencies that euthanize animals will be subject to the Board’s jurisdiction. The individual will need to apply for a license or certificate and renew it every three years.
Q: What kind of training do I need to get a euthanasia technician license?
Euthanasia technicians will need to have taken a Board approved euthanasia technician training course within the past three years. Anyone who has not taken such a course in the past three years will need to take a Board approved course to get a license. You can find information on the approved courses on the
Education page.
Q: What kind of training does my staff need if they do not know how to do euthanasia by injection because our shelter has used other methods?
The staff can take any course available or learn from a private veterinarian, but they will have to take one of the board approved courses to get a license. The Board approved courses are listed on the
Education page of this website
Q: Who will pay for the training?
Each shelter will pay to get its staff trained and to take any necessary courses.
Q: What kind of euthanasia will be allowed by the rules?
The rules allow only euthanasia by injection for cats and dogs, with the exception of field euthanasia by gunshot. The carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide chambers will be allowed for animals other than cats and dogs that present a zoonotic hazard.
Q: Does my shelter need to register with the DEA and the State’s Pharmacy Board? Can my agency register without a veterinarian?
In order to purchase, possess and administer the controlled substances used for euthanasia and pre-euthanasia, a shelter must be registered with the DEA and State Pharmacy Board. The law will allow a shelter to register with the DEA and State based on a licensed euthanasia technician’s authority. Shelters will need to continue to have a consulting pharmacist under contract.
The shelters that have not done euthanasia by injection will likely not be registered with the DEA and the State Pharmacy Board and so will have to make arrangements with a veterinarian if they want to do euthanasia by injection at the shelter. Because it takes at least six weeks to get a DEA registration once filed, it is not too early to start that process.
If your shelter has questions about the DEA and State registrations, call Board member Patricia Feeser, DVM at (505) 400-0208. You may also want to check out the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy website at
www.rld.state.nm.us/Pharmacy.
Complaints
Q: How do I file a complaint with the Board against a shelter? May I just call or send a letter?
The complaint process is set forth in Part 4 of the proposed rules. Because the Board has jurisdiction and enforcement authority only over euthanasia services, the Board will only accept complaints related to euthanasia. The Board’s website provides information about filing complaints and contains an official complaint form.
Spay/Neuter Funds
Q: We hear that funds will be available for spay/neuter programs from the sale of special license plates. How does my shelter or organization get some of that funding?
This past legislative session, the legislature passed and the Governor signed a bill (SB 185) that changed the disbursement of funds generated by the sale of the special “pet care” license plate. Beginning July 1, 2009, $25 from the sale of each such license plate will be allocated to the Board’s Animal Care and Facility Fund for distribution to spay/neuter programs in the counties in which the sale took place.
At this time the Board does not yet have a process for distributing those funds. We will distribute information about the process as soon as the Board determines what the process will be and who will be eligible. A word of caution: we do not except substantial amounts of funds to be raised through the sale of these plates so it is best not to have unrealistic expectations. The legislative analysis for the bill projects that the special plates will generate $1,600 annually. That amount would then distributable to counties in which the plates were sold, which could mean up to 33 counties. It is not likely any county will receive any significant spay/neuter funds from the sale of the special license plates unless sales increase dramatically.