In November, Colorado voters can expect a ballot measure that advocates say will help address the state’s veterinarian shortage. But opponents of the measure believe it endangers pets more than it helps.

There There are about 3,800 veterinarians serving 2.5 million dogs and cats in the stateand this does not include horses and farm animals. A recent survey of Colorado veterinarians by the Animal-Human Policy Center at Colorado State University found that 70% are turning away animals weekly because their practices are overwhelmed.

At the Dumb Friends League, there is a shortage of veterinarians at the CSU Spur Veterinary Hospital. The organization told CBS Colorado that it is seeing the impact in real time and is having to turn away patients every day due to insufficient resources.

“At 8 a.m. we’re turning away customers…this team of three customer service reps has to spend the rest of the day telling people that we can’t see them and that we can’t direct them anywhere,” Dr. Apryl Steele, CEO and President of the Dumb Friends League.

The organization says the shortage is due to several factors, including limited capacity to train veterinary professionals.

That’s why they support Proposition 129, which would create a veterinary professional associate, or VPA, a position that would include the duties of both a veterinarian and a veterinary technician.

The position requires a master’s degree and registration with the State Board of Veterinary Medicine. Under this position, VPAs would be permitted to practice veterinary medicine, but only under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. The training would include an online course and an internship

Proponents say that under this oversight, a VPA would be able to prescribe, diagnose, treat and even perform surgeries.

“I don’t want a doctor to operate on me, I don’t want someone who isn’t a veterinarian to operate on anyone’s pet,” said Dr. Sara Mark, a licensed veterinarian and owner of Southwest Veterinary Hospital for more than three decades.

Mark believes this suggestion is irresponsible and that allowing a VPA to perform surgical procedures on pets with minimal training is reckless.

“It would lower the standard of care,” Mark said.

She argues that graduates of the program would lack the training and legal authority to perform surgeries and prescribe medications, and questions the ethical implications of offering lower standards of care to economically disadvantaged people.

“I think that’s a false equivalence. They suggest that these individuals who have difficulty affording veterinary care then seek out someone who is not trained…So how is it moral and ethical to say that these people and their pets deserve it?” Lower standard of care?” said Mark.

Currently, CSU is working on developing a program that would support the position with a master’s degree. If passed, Proposition 129 would then allow VPAs to work in veterinary hospitals.

In Colorado, according to the USDA, there is a shortage of veterinarians who can care for livestock such as cattle, particularly in rural areas.

Mark states that the ballot does not provide help for animals in rural areas, but Steele argues that urban pets also need care.

“We see the animals suffering every day because the community cannot meet the needs. We need to do something about it, and this is a sure way to get experts to help with these outcomes,” Steele said.

Currently, veterinarians in Colorado are required to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), which is typically a four-year degree program after earning a four-year bachelor’s degree, while veterinary technicians must earn an associate’s degree.

The initiative on the ballot was funded by All Pets Deserve Care, which is reportedly investing $1.2 million thanks to contributions from the Dumb Friends League (about $1 million) and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has.

As for “Keep Our Pets Safe,” the committee hoping to defeat the initiative reported receiving about $1 million from the American Veterinary Medical Association.