A decision on licensing is now expected within six months, said Dr. Robert Miller, chief staff veterinarian of the Agriculture Department's Office of Veterinary Biologics.

A city spokesman said the S.P.C.A. still had no staff veterinarian, as required by law.

Jack Pitcher, the USDA's chief staff veterinarian for viral diseases of sheep and goats, explained the reasoning behind these seemingly drastic measures.

According to the company, CRP programs and facilities are overseen by attending staff veterinarians and AALAS-certified technicians.

The staff veterinarian, a man named Kukor, was up to his knees in Orky's abdomen when Joe Winder arrived.

A staff veterinarian can perform surgery, administer x-rays, IVs, and even provide blood transfusions to turtles that are severely anemic.

Lisa Moses, a staff veterinarian at Angell Animal Medical Center-Boston, said the emergency room had been flooded with pet owners.

It was not just the caffeine that had Dr. Detwiler, a 43-year-old senior staff veterinarian for the Department of Agriculture, excited.

To distract students on school tours from noisily interacting with recovering animals, volunteers fill them in on what the staff veterinarians and visiting scientists have learned about the various species.

During my day at Poky, I spent an hour or two driving around the yard with Dr. Mel Metzen, the staff veterinarian.