If you’ve ever booked a canine massage session, a hydrotherapy appointment, or a visit from an animal physiotherapist, you’ve probably never stopped to ask: is this actually regulated?

The government has just taken the first real step towards changing that.

What’s happened

On 9 July 2026, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published a White Paper called Our Vision for a Thriving Veterinary Sector. It sets out the biggest overhaul of veterinary law in over 60 years — the current legislation, the Veterinary Surgeons Act, dates back to 1966, when most vet practices were small, farm-focused businesses. A lot has changed since then, and the law has struggled to keep up.

This White Paper follows a public consultation that closed in March, plus a nearly two-year investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority into how veterinary services work for pet owners. Both processes reached a similar conclusion: the system needs modernising, for vets and for the wider team of professionals who support animal care.

Why this matters if you use a massage therapist, physio, or hydrotherapist

There is a real risk for pet owners trying to tell a properly trained therapist from someone who isn’t.

The White Paper proposes fixing this by bringing what it calls “allied veterinary professionals” (AVPs) — the wider team including physios, hydrotherapists, and massage therapists — into a proper licensing system, similar to how veterinary surgeons are already regulated. It’s worth noting that even veterinary nurses aren’t fully protected under the current law — their title isn’t legally protected either, which is one of the other gaps this reform is designed to close. In practice, the proposed changes would mean:

• Protected job titles — so terms like “veterinary physiotherapist” can only be used by people who actually hold the right qualifications
• A licence to practise — professionals would need to meet defined competency standards, keep up with continued training, and pass fitness-to-practise checks before they’re allowed to treat animals
• Clearer boundaries — the regulator will set out exactly what each type of professional is, and isn’t, qualified to do

Where things stand for massage therapy specifically

It’s worth being upfront about the detail here, because it’s easy to assume every complementary therapy is covered from day one — it isn’t. The government is proposing to roll this out in stages, once new legislation is passed:

• First up: vets, veterinary nurses, and farriers
• Next: animal physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, equine dental technicians, and hoof trimmers
• Under consideration for later inclusion: further allied professions, which is where massage therapy is likely to eventually sit if not in the second tranche.

So massage therapy isn’t named in the first tranches — but the door is explicitly left open for more professions to be added, with the relevant professional bodies (like IRVAP, who already accredit animal massage therapists) expected to be consulted as those standards are developed.

What I’m doing about it

I’m keeping a close eye on how professional registration for massage therapists develops, and looking closely at the accrediting bodies that represent our profession, so that whatever standard eventually gets set, I’m well placed to meet it rather than scrambling to catch up.

In the meantime, none of this changes how I work: every client still gets a full case history, liaison with your vet and treatment that sits alongside — never instead of — proper veterinary care.

What to look for when choosing a therapist

Until the law catches up, here’s what actually protects you and your dog right now:

• Professional body membership — ask which one, and check it’s a genuine accrediting body, not just a directory listing
• Insurance — both professional indemnity and public liability
• Willingness to work with your vet — a good therapist will always want to liaise with your usual practice, not work around it

This is a genuinely exciting shift for the profession — one that’s been a long time coming. I’ll keep sharing updates as the detail develops, particularly anything specific to canine massage therapy. If you have questions about how this affects your dog’s care, get in touch — I’m always happy to talk it through.

Amanda Daniels Canine Massage Therapy Essex Galen Trained Canine Myotherapist amanda@caninemassagetherapyessex.co.uk | 07496 511154 | www.caninemassagetherapyessex.co.uk

This post was researched and drafted with the help of AI, then reviewed and edited by me.