How to Fill Out the Program of Veterinary Care (APHIS Form 7002)

APHIS Form 7002 is the USDA template licensed dealers, exhibitors, and research facilities use to document their written program of veterinary care. To fill it out, download the PDF from the APHIS attending-veterinarians page, work through it with your attending veterinarian to document the medical and preventive protocols for the animals you house, and then both sign and date it. The completed form stays at your facility, ready to produce when an APHIS inspector asks for it. You never mail it in.

Which Version to Download

APHIS publishes two templates. Form 7002 is the general program of veterinary care, appropriate for any regulated species. Form 7002A is a dog-specific version with pre-printed fields for the vaccination schedules, parasite control, and preventive care items the dog rules require.¹ Both are free PDFs.

You are not required to use the APHIS template. Your attending veterinarian can draft a custom document, or you can write one and have the veterinarian review and approve it. The regulation only requires that the program exist in writing and cover the necessary topics. The official forms are useful because they prompt you through every element an inspector will look for, which matters more when you are building a program for the first time.

One threshold check before you start filling anything in: a written program is required whenever the attending veterinarian works part-time or on a consultant basis, and it is required for all dogs at every licensed or registered facility no matter how the veterinarian is engaged.¹ If you house dogs alongside other species, you need a dog-specific program at minimum.

Filling In the Facility and Veterinarian Information

The top of the form collects identifying details for both the facility and the attending veterinarian. You will enter the veterinarian’s full name, clinic name, business address, phone number, and state veterinary license number.²

Verify the license number against your state veterinary board’s records before finalizing the form. If the credentials do not check out during an inspection, the whole program of veterinary care is treated as invalid.

Under 9 CFR 2.40, dealers and exhibitors must ensure the attending veterinarian has appropriate authority to oversee all aspects of animal care at the facility, not only medical treatment but also husbandry, housing, and handling.³ The written program is where that authority is recorded. An arrangement in which the veterinarian can advise but not direct changes does not satisfy the rule.

What the Program Must Cover for Dogs

If your facility houses dogs, the program must address four specific areas. Omitting any of them will draw a citation.

Annual physical examination. Every dog receives a full physical exam at least once per year.
Vaccination schedule. At a minimum, list schedules for rabies, distemper, and parvovirus, including initial dose timing and booster intervals. If you choose not to schedule a particular vaccination, attach a written explanation.
Parasite sampling and treatment. Describe sampling and treatment schedules for heartworm, fleas, and intestinal parasites. Form 7002A also prompts you for ectoparasites (ticks, mites, lice), blood parasites (Babesia, Ehrlichia), and additional intestinal parasites such as coccidia and giardia.
Preventive care. Cover maintenance of healthy, unmatted coats, properly trimmed nails, and clean eyes, ears, skin, and teeth.

These four topics are mandatory for dogs.¹ Form 7002A walks through each with fill-in fields, which makes it harder to skip a required element by accident.

What the Program Should Cover for Other Species

For species other than dogs, the regulations do not prescribe a fixed list. APHIS guidance recommends a standard set of areas, and inspectors expect to see most of them documented. Gaps invite questions.

Vaccine schedules appropriate for the species housed.
Parasite control, internal and external.
Euthanasia methods the attending veterinarian authorizes, and any procedures the licensee or staff may perform under the veterinarian’s training and direction.
Quarantine procedures for new or sick animals.
Nutrition, particularly for exotic species with specialized dietary needs.
Facility pest control affecting animal health.
Medication storage, expiration tracking, and access controls.
Known congenital or breed predispositions.
Zoonoses transmissible between animals and staff.
Water quality for marine mammal facilities.

These recommended topics appear on the APHIS guidance page.¹ The general Form 7002 is essentially a blank canvas; you and your veterinarian fill it with the protocols relevant to your operation.

Emergency and After-Hours Care

Every program must address emergency, weekend, and holiday care. Under 9 CFR 2.40(b)(2), dealers and exhibitors must have appropriate methods available to prevent, control, diagnose, and treat diseases and injuries, including emergency coverage.³ Form 7002A has a dedicated section for this. Document the after-hours contact number for your attending veterinarian and any backup, the first-aid steps staff are authorized to take before the veterinarian arrives, and the criteria staff use to decide when an animal needs immediate professional attention.

Capture and Restraint

Facilities with wild or exotic animals should include capture and restraint methods. APHIS recommends a detailed description of every method the facility might use, along with instructions on proper use of analgesics and sedatives.¹ The instructions should be specific enough that any staff member can follow them safely and that inspectors can verify practice matches paperwork.

Euthanasia

Document which euthanasia methods the attending veterinarian approves, and state whether trained staff may perform any procedures when the veterinarian is not present. The regulation requires “adequate guidance to personnel” on euthanasia as part of the overall veterinary care program.³ 9 CFR 2.40 does not explicitly require adherence to the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals, but those guidelines are the professional standard most veterinarians and inspectors reference, so describing your methods in terms the AVMA guidelines recognize is the safer approach.

Visit Schedule and Communication

For part-time or consultant veterinarians, the arrangement must include regularly scheduled visits. The regulation sets no universal minimum frequency. It depends on the number and type of animals, the complexity of the operation, and the veterinarian’s professional judgment. What matters is that the schedule is documented, that visits actually occur at the stated intervals, and that the frequency is enough to monitor every animal effectively. Form 7002A has a field for the visit frequency, such as “monthly” or “every two weeks.”²

Between visits, the regulation requires a mechanism for direct and frequent communication so problems with animal health, behavior, or well-being reach the veterinarian promptly.³ Describe how that communication works: a shared messaging system, daily check-in calls, or whatever process your facility uses.

Signing and Storing the Completed Form

Once the protocols are documented, both you and the attending veterinarian sign and date the form. Form 7002A includes separate signature blocks, one for the veterinarian certifying they understand their responsibilities and one for the licensee or registrant confirming the same.² An unsigned program is treated as no program at all.

The document stays at your facility. It is not submitted to APHIS or any central office. Under 9 CFR 2.126, dealers, exhibitors, and intermediate handlers must allow APHIS officials to enter during business hours, examine required records, and make copies.⁴ Keep the program somewhere you can produce it immediately, whether a locked filing cabinet or an organized digital file.

Update the program whenever something changes: a new attending veterinarian, revised vaccination protocols, additional species, or modified emergency procedures. The regulations do not set a specific review cycle, but protocols that no longer match your actual practices are a compliance problem. Reviewing and re-signing the program at least once a year, or whenever a scheduled visit surfaces a needed change, is a practical habit.

What Happens Without a Current Program

Failing to maintain a current, signed program is a violation of the Animal Welfare Act. For a first or minor infraction, APHIS often issues an official letter of warning or a stipulation offer, in which the facility agrees to correct the problem and may pay a reduced penalty. More serious or repeated violations can result in a civil penalty of up to $14,575 per violation under the inflation-adjusted figures published in 2025, with each day of ongoing non-compliance counted as a separate offense.⁵ The USDA can also suspend a license for up to 21 days immediately and, after a hearing, extend or revoke it.⁶

One Thing Form 7002 Does Not Cover

The written program of veterinary care is separate from the exercise plan for dogs required by 9 CFR 3.8. That plan uses Form 7013, must be approved by the attending veterinarian, and specifies the frequency, method, and duration of exercise opportunities.⁷ If your facility houses dogs, you need both documents on file, not just Form 7002.

1
APHIS. The Written Program of Veterinary Care
2
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. USDA APHIS Form 7002A – Program of Veterinary Care for Dogs
3
eCFR. 9 CFR 2.40 – Attending Veterinarian and Adequate Veterinary Care (Dealers and Exhibitors)
4
eCFR. 9 CFR 2.126 – Access and Inspection of Records and Property
5
Federal Register. Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustments for 2025
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 2149 – Violations by Licensees
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eCFR. 9 CFR 3.8 – Exercise for Dogs