Medical Care Must Not Be Withheld - Clarifying the Legal Authority of Veterinarians in Türkiye
False claims suggesting that veterinarians lack authority to treat stray animals risk undermining animal welfare, public health, and legally protected medical practice risk normalising the denial of medical care to animals who are already among the most vulnerable in society.
Dog Desk Animal Action considers it essential to clarify the legal and ethical reality.
The Law Is Clear Veterinarians Have Full Authority to Treat Stray Animals
The authority and responsibilities of private veterinarians in Türkiye are clearly and unambiguously defined under Law No. 6343 (on the Practice of the Veterinary Profession) and Law No. 5996 (on Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed).
Under these laws, veterinarians working in private clinics, polyclinics, and animal hospitals are authorised to provide healthcare services to all animals, without distinction between owned and stray animals.
There is no administrative decision, circular, or regulation currently in force that lawfully removes or restricts this authority.
Furthermore, Article 7 of Law No. 5199 on the Protection of Animals explicitly states:
“Medical and surgical interventions on animals, whether owned or stray, shall only be performed by veterinarians.”
This provision exists precisely to prevent unqualified intervention and suffering. It is also a core ethical obligation arising from veterinary training and professional standards.
Municipal Responsibility Does Not Override Medical Rights
Much of the current confusion stems from deliberate or negligent misinterpretation of provisions relating to municipal responsibilities for stray animals under Law No. 5199.
These provisions regulate what municipalities must do within their own areas of responsibility. They do not restrict, prohibit, or supersede the independent professional activities of veterinarians.
Any attempt to use municipal obligations as a justification to block or discourage veterinarians from treating stray animals is legally baseless and represents a serious distortion of the law.
What Is at Stake Is Not Bureaucracy It Is Life
Dog Desk Animal Action firmly reiterates the following principles:
The veterinary profession is grounded in universal medical values, ethical responsibility, animal welfare, and the protection of public and environmental health.
Veterinarians must retain the right and duty to determine appropriate treatment based on medical necessity and professional judgement. This responsibility cannot be overridden by administrative interpretations or informal pressure.
Any attempt to restrict access to healthcare for stray animals through bureaucracy, fear, or misinformation is unacceptable, unlawful, and ethically indefensible.
Stray animals are not administrative inconveniences. They are living beings with the right to medical care. Veterinarians are not criminals for treating them. On the contrary, they are often the last line of defence between suffering and survival.
Protecting the independence of veterinarians is inseparable from protecting animal welfare, public health, and the rule of law. Any narrative that seeks to criminalise care or discourage treatment must be challenged clearly, publicly, and without compromise.