ORS 686.440 Immunity from civil liability for emergency treatment

A veterinarian or veterinary technician is not civilly liable for the acts or omissions described in subsection (2) of this section if:

The animal has been brought to the veterinarian or veterinary technician by a person other than the owner of the animal; and

The veterinarian or veterinary technician does not know who owns the animal or is unable to contact an owner of the animal before a decision must be made with respect to emergency treatment or euthanasia.

The immunity granted by this section applies to:

Any injury to an animal or death of an animal that results from acts or omissions of the veterinarian or veterinary technician in providing treatment to the animal; and

The euthanasia of a seriously injured or seriously ill animal.

Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, this section does not apply to any act or omission of a veterinarian or veterinary technician that constitutes gross negligence in providing treatment to an animal.

A veterinarian is completely immune from any civil liability for the decision to euthanize an animal under the circumstances described in subsection (1) of this section.