Bill > HB1176

This bill amends existing South Dakota law to clarify that certain equine dental maintenance procedures do not constitute the practice of veterinary medicine. Specifically, the bill adds a new provision to the list of activities that are not considered veterinary practice, explicitly stating that individuals who perform specific dental procedures on horses - such as removing enamel points, smoothing and contouring dental arcades and incisors, and removing deciduous and mobile teeth using handheld or motorized equipment - will not be considered as practicing veterinary medicine. This change effectively allows non-veterinarians, such as professional equine dental technicians, to perform these specific dental maintenance tasks on horses without requiring a veterinary license. The modification uses permissive language (changing "shall" to "may" in the introductory text) and adds the new equine dental procedures as a tenth exemption to the existing list of activities not classified as veterinary medicine, providing clearer legal standing for those who perform these specialized horse dental services.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://sdlegislature.gov/#/Session/Bill/26124