The following correspondence originally took place upon my Facebook wall…

Rayn: Saving Pets Without a Permit: Good Samaritan Arrested After Helping Animals Survive Florence:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/09/22/florence-good-samaritan-arrested-after-helping-pets-during-storm/1397025002/

Stacie T.: I’m confused. Amoxicillin and tramadol are not over the counter drugs. Where did they come from? If they were prescribed by a vet before the storm, she’s no more guilty of practicing veterinary medicine without a license than a pet boarder would be if I went on vacation and left my dog there with her ear infection meds.

Rayn: You can definitely get fish and bird amoxicillin at any pet store, without a prescription. Besides this, at farm supply stores, you can get amoxicillin for chickens and certain livestock without a prescription, too. Since they’re each about the same concentration, proper administration really just involves getting the dosage correct, based on weight.

Rayn: This calls for a poetic “variation on a theme.” *ahem* “It is better to have saved lives without a license, than never to have saved lives, at all”

Rayn: Definitely has more soul than the Statist version… “It is better to have let your neighbor’s animals die, than ever to have saved them without paying the State for that official piece of paper that ensures the safety of all parties, involved.”

Stacie T.: I’m just confused because, even from the statist point of view, I don’t see how they could have arrested her on those charges if it’s otc and/or prescribed. I could see the unlicensed shelter charge being applicable, albeit immoral, but not practicing medicine.