Veterinary Services Contract Colombia (Contrato de Servicios Veterinarios)

The Veterinary Services Contract in Colombia is the agreement by which a veterinarian or veterinary clinic (provider) undertakes to provide medical, surgical, diagnostic, or hospitalization services to an animal, for the benefit of its owner or responsible party (client), in exchange for payment of agreed fees or rates. This contract is governed by Ley 576 de 2000 (Código de Ética del Médico Veterinario y del Zootecnista), Ley 1774 de 2016 (which recognizes animals as sentient beings and establishes animal welfare obligations), Decreto 775 de 2017 (regulation of animal welfare), and the norms of the Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA) for animal health in production animals.

In Colombia, the practice of veterinary medicine requires a valid professional license issued by COMVEZCOL (Consejo Profesional de Medicina Veterinaria y de Zootecnia de Colombia) under Ley 576 de 2000. Veterinary clinics must be registered with the ICA for certain procedures and with local Secretarías de Salud in the cities where they operate. Ley 1774 de 2016 introduced important changes in the legal framework by recognizing animals as sentient beings, which means the veterinarian has animal welfare obligations that go beyond the mere mandate of the owner: they cannot perform procedures that cause unnecessary suffering or accede to owner requests that violate animal welfare.

The veterinary services market in Colombia has grown significantly driven by the humanization of pets and the rise of companion animals (dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, reptiles, and ornamental fish) in Colombian households. According to FENALCO (Federación Nacional de Comerciantes), more than 65% of Colombian households in urban areas have at least one pet. This has driven the emergence of specialized veterinary clinics in veterinary oncology, cardiology, neurology, and internal medicine for pets, with high-cost diagnostic equipment (ultrasounds, digital X-rays, endoscopies, CT scans) and complex surgical procedures.

The forms-legal.com template covers the most common veterinary services in Colombia: general and specialist veterinary consultations, surgical procedures (sterilizations, orthopedic surgeries, soft tissue surgeries), veterinary hospitalization (with intensive care), diagnostic services (clinical laboratory, imaging), vaccination and deworming, preventive medicine services, and animal welfare services (grooming). The contract includes the owner's informed consent for high-risk procedures, hospitalization conditions, visitation policy, fees and payment method, and the owner's declaration about the animal's care conditions under Ley 1774 de 2016.

The contract also regulates a critical aspect of the veterinarian-owner relationship: what happens when the animal dies during a procedure or treatment. The veterinarian's liability in Colombia is one of means (not results) for high-risk procedures, but requires prior informed consent where the owner acknowledges the risks inherent to the procedure. Animals have patrimonial value (purchase price or market value of the breed) but also affective value for the owner, and Colombian jurisprudence has recognized in some cases moral damages for the death of a companion animal.

The Veterinary Services Contract in Colombia is necessary in the following cases: when a veterinary clinic performs surgical procedures of any complexity on companion or production animals; when the animal requires hospitalization for more than 24 hours; when costly diagnostic procedures requiring general anesthesia are performed (endoscopy, X-rays under anesthesia); when the owner contracts a preventive medicine or vaccination plan; when specialized veterinary services are provided such as oncology, cardiology, neurology, or assisted reproduction; and when veterinary services are provided to production animals (bovine, porcine, poultry, aquaculture) where the economic value of the animals is significant.

The contract is also essential for independent veterinarians providing home visits or itinerant services in rural areas, and for clinics offering 24-hour emergency veterinary services, where formalizing the owner's consent can be a logistical challenge. A written contract protects both the veterinarian (against claims for unsatisfactory outcomes) and the owner (against unauthorized charges or unagreed treatments).

The Veterinary Services Contract in Colombia must include the following elements to be valid and to comply with animal welfare regulations and veterinary ethics:

**Provider identification and accreditation.** Full name of the veterinarian or company name of the clinic, valid COMVEZCOL professional license number, clinic address, phone, and email. If the clinic has an ICA registration for attending production animals or managing controlled veterinary medications, indicate the ICA registration number.

**Owner or animal custodian identification.** Full name, national ID, address, phone, and email of the animal's owner. Declaration that the owner is the animal's legal custodian and has the authority to make treatment decisions. If the animal is brought by a temporary custodian (dog walker, temporary foster, employee), the owner's authorization for contract signing must be indicated.

**Animal identification and description.** Animal name, species, breed, sex, age (or estimated date of birth), color and markings, microchip or identification tattoo if present, current weight, general health status upon arrival, and photograph of the animal at the time of consultation. For production animals: species, official ICA ear tag or identification number, productive species (beef cattle, dairy, etc.), and approximate economic value of the animal.

**Detailed description of services.** Specification of the service: general consultation, surgical procedure (with description of procedure, access route, anesthesia to be used), hospitalization (estimated duration, care to be provided, medications to be administered), diagnostic (type of test, parameters to evaluate), or preventive medicine plan (vaccines to be administered, antiparasitics, next dates). The description must be understandable to the non-specialist owner.

**Owner's informed consent.** For high-risk procedures (surgeries under general anesthesia, invasive procedures), the owner must declare: (a) having received information about the animal's diagnosis or condition, the proposed procedure, risks and benefits, treatment alternatives, and consequences of not performing the procedure; (b) knowing there is a risk of death or complications inherent to the procedure or the animal's health condition, regardless of the veterinarian's diligence; and (c) expressly authorizing the veterinarian to perform the procedure and make intraoperative emergency decisions if the owner cannot be reached.

**Veterinary clinical record.** Provider obligation to prepare and maintain the animal's clinical record with records of each consultation, procedure, administered medications, laboratory and imaging results, and clinical evolution. The veterinary clinical record belongs to the animal's owner, who may request a copy at any time for follow-up with another veterinarian.

**Animal welfare under Ley 1774 de 2016.** Declaration by the veterinarian that all procedures will be performed under animal welfare standards (the five freedoms of animal welfare: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain and disease, freedom from fear and distress, freedom to express normal behavior), and that the veterinarian will not perform procedures that cause unnecessary suffering even if requested by the owner, in accordance with ethical obligations under Ley 576 de 2000 and Ley 1774 de 2016.

**Fees, budget, and payment method.** Detailed budget of the service (veterinary fees, anesthesia, surgical materials, medications, hospitalization per day, laboratory tests), payment method, required advance deposit before elective procedures, and policy on budgets that change during the procedure (the veterinarian must consult the owner before performing non-budgeted services exceeding X% of the original budget).

**Hospitalization conditions.** If the animal is hospitalized: owner visitation hours, emergency contact phone number, communication protocols with the owner about the animal's progress (at least one daily update), discharge conditions, and procedures in case of the animal's death during hospitalization (how and when the owner is notified, handling of remains, cremation or burial options). forms-legal.com provides this Veterinary Services Contract template for Colombian veterinary clinics and independent veterinarians operating under Ley 576 de 2000 and Ley 1774 de 2016.