These definitions shall govern the construction of this chapter as it applies to veterinary medicine.

(a) “Client” means the individual or individuals who represent to the veterinarian that they are the owner or owners of the animal patient at the time that the services are provided.

(b) “Diagnosis” means the act or process of identifying or determining the health status of an animal patient through examination and the opinion derived from that examination.

(c) “Animal” means any member of the animal kingdom other than humans, and includes fowl, fish, and reptiles, wild or domestic, whether living or dead.

(d) “Food animal” means any animal that is raised for the production of an edible product intended for consumption by humans. The edible product includes, but is not limited to, milk, meat, and eggs. Food animal includes, but is not limited to, cattle (beef or dairy), swine, sheep, poultry, fish, and amphibian species.

(e) “Livestock” includes all animals, poultry, aquatic and amphibian species that are raised, kept, or used for profit. It does not include those species that are usually kept as pets such as dogs, cats, and pet birds, or companion animals, including equines.

(f) “Synchronous” means a real-time interaction between a client and animal patient with a veterinarian who is licensed in this state and located at a distant site.

(g) “Telehealth” means the mode of delivering veterinary medicine via electronic communication technologies to facilitate the diagnosis, consultation, care management, or treatment of an animal patient, and includes, but is not limited to, synchronous video and audio communication; synchronous, two-way audio communication; and electronic transmission of images, diagnostics, data, and medical information.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 475, Sec. 2. (AB 1399) Effective January 1, 2024.)