By GREGORY ZELLER //
A long-simmering bill centered on New York veterinarians and the drugs they dispense to family pets is now awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature.
Sponsored by State Sen. John Brooks (D-Massapequa), Senate Bill S.1289-B has earned the State Senate’s unanimous support – for the fourth time since Brooks fist sponsored it in 2021. Each previous time, companion bills were shot down by the New York State Assembly.
But this time, a “same as” bill in the State Assembly, sponsored by Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-East Setauket), has also been voted through – putting the pet-focused law in the paws of the governor, who’s expected to sign it sometime in 2022.
The bills lay the foundation for “Bouy’s Law,” which will require veterinarians to provide certain information on drugs dispensed for an animal to the animal’s owners. Requirements include the name and description of each drug, directions for use, instructions for missed-dose or overdose situations, storage instructions, details on common side effects and other relevant warnings.
The law is nicknamed for Bouy, a 3-year-old yellow Labrador retriever who was prescribed a painkiller after a routine knee surgery, and ultimately suffered acute kidney failure caused by the drug.
John Brooks: Pet smart.
The dog’s heartbroken owners, Mary Kate and Jimmy Tischler, led the crusade for Bouy’s Law to “raise awareness about the lack of required warnings and to attempt to ensure that no other pet would suffer the way that Buoy did,” according to Mary Kate Tischler.
“From the moment when Buoy’s tragic fate became clear to us, Jimmy and I began efforts to ensure that Buoy’s short life would have meaning,” she added. “When Jimmy himself suffered an untimely death six years ago, I continued to march on with our fight for the enactment of Buoy’s Law.”
With the bill now awaiting the governor’s signature, “I am confident that Jimmy and Buoy are smiling down on me,” Tischler added.
Brooks said he took up the cause – and kept with it through several State Assembly defeats – because “pets are members of our families.”
“When they are sick or in pain, we want to know as much as possible about possible treatments and their consequences,” the state senator said in a statement. “It would seem only common sense to advise pet owners as to all potential side effects of prescribed medications.
“With the passage of Bouy’s Law, we are making this a legal requirement so that more informed decisions can be made and potential tragedies averted,” Brooks added.
