Petition for Rhylee’s Law: The Companion Pet & Caregiver Protection Act
Protecting Companion Animals and the Families Who Love Them

We, the undersigned, respectfully call on the New Jersey Legislature to pass Rhylee’s Law: The Companion Pet & Caregiver Protection Act, legislation designed to protect companion animals and the caregivers who love them by closing critical gaps in veterinary care safeguards.

This petition is not about blame or punishment. It is about ensuring that basic safeguards exist so that persistent or worsening symptoms trigger reassessment, escalation, and meaningful consideration of caregiver input.

We acknowledge that veterinarians have one of the most difficult jobs imaginable: their patients cannot speak for themselves. This petition is not an attack on veterinarians, but a recognition that when animals cannot communicate, caregivers become their voices and systems must be structured to listen.

Animals cannot speak. When their caregivers do, the system must respond.

 

Why Rhylee’s Law Will NOT Drive Veterinary Costs Up

Rhylee’s Law does not require new equipment, new staff, or new treatments.
It requires something much simpler and far more powerful: proper medical decision-making when a patient is getting worse.

The law focuses on three low-cost, already-standard practices:

• Listening to caregiver reports
• Reassessing when symptoms worsen or fail to improve
• Escalating care when danger signs appear

These are already part of veterinary medical standards Rhylee’s Law simply makes sure they actually happen.

It saves money instead of raising it

Delayed diagnosis and repeated discharges cost more not less.

When a sick animal is sent home repeatedly without reassessment:

• More emergency visits occur

• More advanced disease develops

• More expensive, last-minute care is needed

• Outcomes worsen

That’s exactly what happened to Rhylee.

Early reassessment and early treatment:

• Reduce ICU admissions

• Reduce catastrophic interventions

• Reduce repeat ER visits

• Improve survival

That lowers system-wide costs.

It does not create new lawsuits

Rhylee’s Law does not create new liability.
It creates clear expectations, which reduces disputes, complaints, and litigation because care becomes safer and more consistent.

Hospitals that already follow standard medical practice will not have to change anything.

It aligns with how human medicine already works

In human hospitals, if a patient returns repeatedly getting worse:

• Doctors are required to reassess

• Escalate testing

• Re-evaluate diagnosis

• Admit if necessary

That saves lives and money.

Rhylee’s Law brings that same common-sense safety net to veterinary medicine.

Bottom line

Rhylee’s Law doesn’t add cost.
It removes waste, delay, and preventable tragedy.

It simply makes sure that when an animal is getting worse, someone has to stop, reassess, and act.

That is safer medicine  and cheaper medicine. 

Rhylee’s Story
Rhylee was our deeply loved companion dog who came to New Jersey from Kentucky through a rescue. She was a human boxer dog in spirit; she would hold your hand, sit like a human on her bum with her legs outstretched, and carry herself with intelligence, sensitivity, and a personality that was impossible to ignore. I was the first face she saw upon arrival and the last face she saw before her death. To us, her family, Rhylee was not “just a dog.” She was family.

In November 2025, Rhylee was treated for anaplasmosis after developing limping and joint tenderness. She completed a 28-day course of doxycycline, but rather than improving, her joint swelling worsened significantly afterward. I often blame myself for this, because I have always been on top of her flea and tick remedies to prevent such things. 

In early December 2025, Rhylee developed persistent and expanding joint swelling. She was prescribed prednisone, and later leflunomide, both powerful immunosuppressive medications. Her caregiver (myself) understood the purpose and general risks of these medications and agreed to the treatment.

After immunosuppression began, Rhylee’s condition declined instead of improving. I repeatedly reported concerning changes, including:

Shallow breathing
New and worsening swelling in additional paws
Loss of appetite
Failure to follow commands
Behavioral changes “not being herself”
Despite multiple visits between December 8 and December 19 and consistent caregiver concerns, no required reassessment or escalation occurred.

On December 17, a chest X-ray revealed blastomycosis, a serious systemic fungal infection. This infection had been previously diagnosed in 2021, but neither the caregiver nor the current veterinary team knew of that history at the time care decisions were being made.

Rhylee was sent home on December 17 and again on December 18, even as her symptoms progressed and new limb swelling developed. No treatment for blastomycosis was initiated during this period.

On December 19, I urgently contacted our regular veterinarian, fearing Rhylee was dying and no one was listening that she needed to start the medication promptly and be hospitalized. Later that afternoon, Rhylee was finally admitted to the animal hospital with a 105°F fever.

Waiting to treat proved fatal. Blastomycosis is a severe infection, and no one can say with certainty whether Rhylee would have survived even with earlier treatment. What is clear is that neither me nor the veterinary staff knew of the infection at the time immunosuppressive therapy began. 

Rhylee celebrated her sixth birthday on December 21 and passed away just 32 minutes later.

Why This Matters
At the time of Rhylee’s repeated evaluations prior to admission, her vital signs were within normal ranges, including:

No fever
Normal oxygen levels
Stable blood pressure
However, her clinical condition continued to worsen, with escalating symptoms clearly observed and reported by her caregiver.

This highlights a critical gap in current veterinary care frameworks: normal vital signs do not rule out serious or life-threatening disease, particularly when symptoms persist or worsen over multiple visits.

Rhylee’s case demonstrates the danger of relying solely on vital signs while discounting functional decline and caregiver observations, especially in animals who cannot speak for themselves.

Gaps in Current New Jersey Law
New Jersey’s Veterinary Practice Act governs licensure and professional standards but does not require:

Mandatory reassessment when symptoms persist or worsen
Escalation after multiple visits for the same condition
Formal inclusion of caregiver observations in care decisions
Safeguards before prescribing powerful immunosuppressive medications
Clear caregiver decision-making authority during critical care
These gaps leave animals vulnerable and place veterinarians in impossible positions without structured guidance.

What Rhylee’s Law Will Do
1. Caregiver Voice Protections
Caregiver observations must be documented and meaningfully considered at every visit, particularly when symptoms persist or worsen.

2. Mandatory Reassessment & Escalation
Multiple visits for the same or worsening symptoms must trigger formal reassessment and consideration of additional diagnostics or escalation.

3. Caregiver Decision-Making Authority
Caregivers retain sole decision-making authority over their companion animal’s care after receiving clear explanations of risks, benefits, and alternatives:

Caregivers may accept or decline treatment, including treatment for rare or serious infections.
Such decisions must be documented.
When a caregiver elects to proceed with or decline treatment after informed discussion, the veterinarian is held harmless from fault related to that decision.

4. Escalation Based on the Whole Clinical Picture
Veterinary teams must not rely solely on vital signs to determine stability.
When an animal presents with:

Persistent or worsening symptoms
Functional decline (not eating, behavioral changes, mobility loss)
Repeated visits for the same unresolved issue
Formal reassessment and escalation must occur even if vital signs appear normal.

5. Transparency & Record Access
Medical records reflecting caregiver input, reassessment, and clinical decisions must be maintained and made available to caregivers upon request.

6. Expanded Veterinary Education & Awareness
Veterinary professionals must be supported and mandated through education and training that reflects the modern reality of animal movement across state lines.
As animals are frequently transported through rescues, shelters, and private adoption, veterinarians should be versed in recognizing diseases and infections not endemic to their immediate region.
A lack of familiarity is understandable, and this safeguard ensures veterinarians are supported, not blamed.

7. Allow our companion pets to be Lastly, Recognize animals as sentient and not property. 

Conclusion
Rhylee’s Law honors the memory of a loyal companion whose death exposed real and preventable gaps in veterinary care safeguards.

By enacting this law, New Jersey can ensure that:

Caregiver voices are heard
Persistent warning signs trigger escalation
Veterinarians are supported with clearer safeguards
Animals and their families are better protected
We respectfully urge the New Jersey Legislature to support and enact Rhylee’s Law: The Companion Pet & Caregiver Protection Act thoughtfully prepared by Rhylee’s Owner. 

If This Law Had Been in Place
persistent symptoms would have prompted formal reassessment and escalation. Caregiver observations would have been fully considered in every decision, ensuring that warning signs were addressed with timely diagnostics and treatment options.

While we cannot say what the outcome would have been, these safeguards would have provided additional support for Rhylee and us, her family and they can protect countless other companion animals and caregivers in the future.

Thank you for being a voice for Rhylee and thank you to all those who tried to save her. 

 

Please do not pay to promote this petition: Please donate to a local rescue, shelter etc., in Rhylee's Honor. Thank you