The position statement itself isnt really saying anything new, and the interpretation by individual vets will likely also be nuanced.
The move is really meant I believe to define rodent dental surgery as a surgical procedure, and by law surgical procedures require appropriate anaesthesia, sedation, and analgesia- and as such can only be performed by licensed vets.
To define dentals as non surgical would allow any fool to hack at their pet's teeth with toemail clippers- if it isnt surgery, they could- if it is surgery, by law it must be done be a vet, but must also then require appropriate anaesthesia.
The word anaesthesia can be very nuanced too- and does not necessarily mean the level of full and risky GA one may need for complex abdominal surgery for example.
But, the law governing surgical procedures on animals says that any procedure performed without appropriate anaesthesia is not showing due diligence and humanity- this is the law, an old law, but UK law. The regulatory bodies who make position statements did not make the law, this is an act of parliament, and an old one.
There is a lack of published veterinary literature on conscious dentals in guinea pigs- it is surprising that expert vets who specialise in this have not for some reason published case studies, and empirical data on clinical outcomes, in any veterinary journals, or shared their expertise with colleagues and veterinary regulators at conferences, these avenues are open to any vet or veterinary scientist, and this is where the BVZS and also the RCVS will be seeking information- from reliable, objective peer-reviewed journal articles published in veterinary journals, where case studies and data are shared with other vets and interested parties on all manner of veterinary matters.
This is clearly an emotive issue, but I would encourage everyone to look beyond the headlines as it were and understand how such decisions are made, the legal context in which such statements are made, where the evidence for such statements comes from- and how those vets who do advocate conscious dentals might help their viewpoint be incorporated if they shared their expertise by contributing their data, evidence, and case-studies through the established route of veterinary journal publications as most vets and veterinary researchers do.
That's my two-penneth anyway, as someone who lectures university students in bioveterinary science and legislation relating to veterinary matters, I won't say anything else, but the forum does usually emphasise the value of veterinary advice in line with RCVS guidelines and UK animal welfare laws...
If suddenly we don't, I'll get my coat!
Not everyone likes confrontation but sometimes we have to speak up for what is right.