When an animal is being abused at home, the person most likely to see the signs is not a police officer or a social worker. It is a veterinarian. A vet examining a dog with unusual injuries, repeated trauma, or signs of malnourishment may be the only trained professional that abused animal ever encounters.

In Delaware, that veterinarian is not required to say a word about it.

"There is currently no requirement under Delaware law that veterinarians report suspected animal cruelty, neglect, or abuse," said Christina Motoyoshi, Executive Director of the Delaware Public Health Office of Animal Welfare. "They are simply not currently designated as mandatory reporters under Delaware law."

House Bill 415, introduced in the Delaware General Assembly on May 12, would change that. The legislation would require vets to report suspected animal abuse or neglect to the Office of Animal Welfare for investigation, mandate training every two years on recognizing the signs of cruelty, and protect vets who report in good faith from civil, criminal, or professional liability. The Delaware Board of Veterinary Medicine would have authority to discipline vets who fail to comply.

Mandatory reporting works. It is the standard we apply to child abuse because we recognize that professionals who interact with vulnerable individuals have a responsibility to act on what they see. Animals cannot speak for themselves. The vet's office may be their only chance.

Delaware is not alone in this gap. Most states have no mandatory reporting requirement for veterinarians. The passage of HB 415 would make Delaware a model for the rest of the nation.

We are calling on the Delaware General Assembly to pass House Bill 415 without delay, and on lawmakers in every state to follow Delaware's lead by establishing mandatory reporting requirements for veterinarians who suspect animal cruelty.

Abused animals deserve at least one person in the room who is required to speak up.