American Veterinary Medical Association

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is a United States not-for-profit professional association founded in 1863. It represents veterinarians and supports the wider veterinary profession through advocacy, education, scientific publishing, professional resources, policy development, and services for members. The organization began as the United States Veterinary Medical Association after delegates from seven states met in New York. It adopted the name American Veterinary Medical Association in 1889. AVMA's constituency extends across the principal areas in which veterinarians work, including companion-animal practice, livestock and agricultural medicine, public health, food safety, research, academia, wildlife and zoological medicine, government service, and the military. The association states that its membership exceeds 100,000 veterinarians in recent descriptions, while a 2021 account reported more than 97,000 members. Its role is therefore broader than representing private practitioners: it also serves as a professional voice in matters involving animal health, veterinary workforce development, public policy, and the relationship between animal welfare and human uses of animals. The association provides continuing education, professional information, publications, member benefits, and access to discounts on selected personal and professional products and services. Its principal journals include the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) and the American Journal of Veterinary Research (AJVR). Through these publications and other resources, AVMA disseminates clinical, scientific, regulatory, and professional information to veterinarians and related audiences. A major institutional function is veterinary education accreditation. The AVMA Council on Education is the designated accrediting body for veterinary medical schools in the United States, while the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities accredits veterinary technology programs. The accreditation system establishes educational standards intended to support the competence and qualifications of graduates. The association also recognizes veterinary specialty organizations and specialty fields, helping structure advanced professional training and certification across areas such as surgery, anesthesia, dentistry, pathology, behavior, pharmacology, and zoological medicine. AVMA develops policy statements in response to member requests and stakeholder concerns. These policies are generally framed as evidence-informed positions or guidance rather than as laws. They cover animal welfare, veterinary practice, public health, agriculture, research, controlled substances, and other issues affecting animals and the profession. The association has supported legislation intended to remove practical barriers to mobile veterinary care, including the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act of 2014, which clarified controlled-substance registration requirements for veterinarians treating animals away from their primary business locations. The organization has also faced disagreement over some animal-welfare policies. Its position on housing for pregnant sows concluded that no single housing system was demonstrably superior under every condition and welfare criterion. It has declined to take a definitive position for or against foie gras production after considering scientific uncertainty and differing views among members. Its classification of ventilation shutdown plus as acceptable only under constrained circumstances has attracted criticism from veterinarians and animal-welfare organizations, particularly concerning the evidence and methods used to evaluate animal suffering. AVMA is a professional association rather than a commercial consumer brand. Its influence derives from membership, accreditation, scientific and professional publishing, policy advocacy, and participation in national debates about animal health and welfare. The Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) serves as its veterinary-student organization. The association remains active in the United States, with selected accreditation and professional relationships extending into Canada and international veterinary education.

The American Veterinary Medical Association traces its origins to 1863, when 40 delegates representing seven states convened in New York to establish a national veterinary organization. The body was initially called the United States Veterinary Medical Association. Its creation reflected the growing need for professional coordination in veterinary medicine, a field connected not only with animal treatment but also with agriculture, food production, public health, and the prevention of animal disease. The organization was renamed the American Veterinary Medical Association in 1889. During its early development, membership standards became increasingly connected to formal veterinary education. By 1913, the association had approximately 1,650 members, and membership was limited to graduates of accredited veterinary schools. This emphasis on educational standards foreshadowed AVMA's later role in accreditation and professional quality assurance. Over time, veterinary medicine expanded beyond the treatment of individual farm and companion animals. Veterinarians became involved in disease surveillance, food safety, laboratory research, public-health programs, military service, wildlife medicine, academic teaching, and the regulation of animal-related industries. AVMA developed as a national representative organization for this broad profession, publishing information, supporting continuing education, and advocating on legislation affecting veterinary practice and animal health. The association's publishing activities became a central part of its professional role. It publishes the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Journal of Veterinary Research, which provide forums for clinical, scientific, and professional communication. AVMA also produces practice resources and policy materials intended to help veterinarians address clinical, regulatory, ethical, and animal-welfare questions. Education accreditation became another major institutional function. The AVMA Council on Education serves as the designated accrediting body for veterinary medical schools in the United States. A separate AVMA committee, the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities, accredits veterinary technology programs. Through these bodies, the association develops and maintains educational standards for veterinary colleges and technician programs. AVMA materials also identify recognized veterinary specialty organizations and specialty areas, providing a framework for advanced training and board certification. In policy and legislative work, AVMA develops positions in response to member requests, scientific review, and stakeholder interest. Its policy work covers professional practice, animal welfare, agriculture, biomedical research, public health, and controlled substances. The association supported the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act of 2014 after veterinarians faced restrictions on carrying controlled substances when traveling to off-site animal patients. The legislation amended federal controlled-substance law to clarify the practical requirements for mobile veterinary care. Animal-welfare policy has sometimes produced internal and external debate. In 2005, AVMA adopted a position on housing systems for pregnant sows after a multidisciplinary review. The policy did not identify one system as universally preferable under all conditions. AVMA has also considered proposals concerning force-feeding birds for foie gras production but has not taken a formal position for or against the practice, citing limitations in the available science and divergent views among members. Its guidance on ventilation shutdown plus has similarly been criticized by animal-welfare groups and some veterinarians, despite the association's limitation of the method to constrained circumstances. In the twenty-first century, AVMA has continued operating as a large national professional association. A 2021 description reported more than 97,000 members, while other institutional descriptions have referred to a membership of more than 100,000 veterinarians. Its activities continue to combine professional representation, education, publishing, accreditation, policy advocacy, and member services. SAVMA provides an affiliated organization for veterinary students, extending the association's role into the educational pipeline for the profession.

• 2021

  Membership reported above 97,000

  [1]American Veterinary Medical Associationen.wikipedia.org

  A contemporary description reported that AVMA had more than 97,000 members.

• 2014

  Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act supported

  [1]American Veterinary Medical Associationen.wikipedia.org

  AVMA supported federal legislation clarifying veterinarians' ability to carry and dispense controlled substances while treating animals away from their primary business locations.

• 2005

  Pregnant-sow housing policy adopted

  [1]American Veterinary Medical Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Following a multidisciplinary review, AVMA adopted a policy declining to designate one housing system as superior in every circumstance.

• 1913

  Membership reaches approximately 1,650

  [1]American Veterinary Medical Associationen.wikipedia.org

  AVMA had about 1,650 members, with membership restricted to graduates of accredited veterinary schools.

• 1889

  Organization renamed AVMA

  [1]American Veterinary Medical Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The United States Veterinary Medical Association adopted the name American Veterinary Medical Association.

• 1863

  National veterinary association founded

  [1]American Veterinary Medical Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Forty delegates from seven states met in New York and established the United States Veterinary Medical Association, the organization that later became AVMA.

A national professional association and policy advocate for veterinarians, combining membership services, scientific publishing, continuing education, educational accreditation, and representation before policymakers.

• Professional journal

  Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

  JAVMA is AVMA's principal professional journal and a major channel for veterinary clinical, scientific, policy, and practice-related information. It supports communication across companion-animal, livestock, public-health, academic, and other veterinary fields.

• Scientific journal

  American Journal of Veterinary Research

  AJVR is AVMA's research-oriented journal, publishing scientific work relevant to veterinary medicine and animal health. It forms part of the association's broader contribution to evidence-based professional knowledge.

• Educational accreditation

  AVMA Council on Education accreditation

  The Council on Education establishes and evaluates educational standards for veterinary medical colleges. It is the designated accrediting body for veterinary schools in the United States and also has an international accreditation role.

• Educational accreditation

  CVTEA accreditation

  The Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities accredits veterinary technology programs. Its work supports educational consistency and competency preparation for veterinary technicians in the United States and selected programs elsewhere.

• Professional development

  Continuing education and professional resources

  AVMA offers continuing education opportunities, information resources, practice guidance, member programs, and discounts on selected professional and personal services. These offerings support veterinarians throughout their careers rather than functioning as consumer products.

• 2014

  Support for the Veterinary Medicine Mobility ActStrategy

  Background

  Federal controlled-substance requirements had been interpreted as limiting veterinarians' ability to take controlled substances to animal patients outside their principal places of business.

  Action taken

  AVMA advocated for legislation clarifying that veterinarians could use and dispense controlled substances while providing mobile and farm-based care.

  Aftermath

  The act amended the Controlled Substances Act and addressed a regulatory barrier to off-site veterinary treatment.

  Source

• 2005

  Adoption of pregnant-sow housing policyOther

  Background

  AVMA reviewed competing housing systems for pregnant sows through a multidisciplinary process involving different perspectives and areas of expertise.

  Action taken

  The association adopted a policy stating that no single system was clearly superior under all conditions and according to every animal-welfare criterion.

  Aftermath

  The policy became part of AVMA's broader animal-welfare policy framework and reflected its preference for evidence-based conclusions that account for differing production conditions.

  Source

• Constrained-circumstances position on ventilation shutdown plusOther

  Background

  AVMA developed depopulation guidance addressing emergency situations involving large animal populations, including poultry.

  Action taken

  The association classified ventilation shutdown plus as acceptable only under constrained circumstances and limited its recommended use to poultry as an extermination method.

  Aftermath

  Veterinarians and animal-welfare organizations criticized the position, questioning the evidence base and the method's animal-welfare consequences.

  Source

1. 1American Veterinary Medical Associationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2American Veterinary Medical Association official websiteavma.org