R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-25-13
This is the official text of R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-25-13, part of Rhode Island’s Gen. Laws — part of the compiled statutory law of Rhode Island, published by the state as "Gen. Laws." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 5-25-13. Emergency services.
Official statutory text
(a) Every veterinary practice shall provide some form of referral for emergency veterinary services when a veterinarian is not available. That referral, at the minimum, shall be a combination of a posted sign at the veterinary practice entrance and access to emergency veterinary services through the veterinary practice main telephone number.
(b) A veterinarian who advertises veterinary emergency services shall include in all emergency-service advertisements the hours during which such emergency services are provided and the availability of the veterinarian who is to provide emergency service in his or her practice.
(c)(1) The availability of the veterinarian who is to provide emergency service shall be specified as either veterinarian on premises or veterinarian on call.
(2) The phrase veterinarian on premises means that there is a veterinarian actually present at the hospital, clinic, or other type of veterinary practice, who is prepared to render emergency veterinary services.
(3) The phrase veterinarian on call means that a veterinarian is not present at the hospital, clinic, or other type of veterinary practice but is able to respond within a reasonable time to requests for emergency veterinary services and has been designated to so respond.
(b) A veterinarian who advertises veterinary emergency services shall include in all emergency-service advertisements the hours during which such emergency services are provided and the availability of the veterinarian who is to provide emergency service in his or her practice.
(c)(1) The availability of the veterinarian who is to provide emergency service shall be specified as either veterinarian on premises or veterinarian on call.
(2) The phrase veterinarian on premises means that there is a veterinarian actually present at the hospital, clinic, or other type of veterinary practice, who is prepared to render emergency veterinary services.
(3) The phrase veterinarian on call means that a veterinarian is not present at the hospital, clinic, or other type of veterinary practice but is able to respond within a reasonable time to requests for emergency veterinary services and has been designated to so respond.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Rhode Island?
Find a Rhode Island lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.