Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 59-698.2

This is the official text of Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 59-698.2, part of Oklahoma’s Stat. tit. 59, — part of the compiled statutory law of Oklahoma, published by the state as "Stat. tit. 59,." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

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Definitions

Official statutory text

As used in the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act:

1. "Board" means the State Board of Veterinary Medical

Examiners;

2. "Animal" means any animal other than humans and includes,

but is not limited to, fowl, fish, birds and reptiles, wild or

domestic, living or dead;

3. "Veterinarian" means a person who has received a degree in

veterinary medicine or its equivalent from a school of veterinary

medicine;

4. "Licensed veterinarian" means any veterinarian who holds an

active license to practice veterinary medicine in this state;

5. "School of veterinary medicine" means any veterinary college

or division of a university or college that offers the degree of

doctor of veterinary medicine or its equivalent, which conforms to

the standards required for accreditation by the American Veterinary

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 59. Professions and Occupations Page 650

Medical Association (AVMA) and which is recognized and approved by

the Board;

6. "Veterinary technician" means a person who has graduated

from a program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical

Association, or its equivalent which is recognized and approved by

the Board, and who has passed the examination requirements set forth

by the Board, and is certified to practice under the direct

supervision of a licensed veterinarian. For the purpose of the

Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act, "registered veterinary technician

(RVT)" will be used interchangeably with veterinary technician who

is certified pursuant to Sections 698.21 through 698.26 of this

title;

7. "Veterinary technologist" means a person who has

successfully graduated from an AVMA-accredited bachelor degree

program of veterinary technology, or its AVMA equivalent;

8. "Veterinary assistant" means an individual who may perform

the duties of a veterinary technician or veterinary technologist;

however, has not graduated from an AVMA-accredited technology

program or its equivalent, and has not been certified by the Board;

9. "Veterinary technology" means the science and art of

providing all aspects of professional medical care, services and

treatment for animals with the exception of diagnosis, prognosis,

surgery and prescription of any treatments, drugs, medications or

appliances, where a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship

exists;

10. "Direct supervision" means:

a. directions have been given to a veterinary technician,

nurse, laboratory technician, intern, veterinary

assistant or other employee for medical care following

the examination of an animal by the licensed

veterinarian responsible for the professional care of

the animal, or

b. that, under certain circumstances following the

examination of an animal by a licensed veterinarian

responsible for the professional care of the animal,

the presence of the licensed veterinarian on the

premises in an animal hospital setting or in the same

general area in a range setting is required after

directions have been given to a veterinarian who has a

certificate issued pursuant to Section 698.8 of this

title;

11. "License" means authorization to practice veterinary

medicine granted by the Board to an individual found by the Board to

meet certain requirements pursuant to the Oklahoma Veterinary

Practice Act or any other applicable statutes;

12. "Supervised Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Certificate"

means authorization to practice veterinary medicine with certain

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 59. Professions and Occupations Page 651

limitations or restrictions on that practice, set by the Board or

authorization to perform certain enumerated functions peripheral to

the practice of veterinary medicine as set by the Board and has a

certificate issued pursuant to Section 698.8 of this title;

13. "Veterinarian-client-patient relationship" means when:

a. the licensed veterinarian has assumed the

responsibility for making medical judgments regarding

the health of an animal or animals and the need for
tion to perform certain enumerated functions peripheral to

the practice of veterinary medicine as set by the Board and has a

certificate issued pursuant to Section 698.8 of this title;

13. "Veterinarian-client-patient relationship" means when:

a. the licensed veterinarian has assumed the

responsibility for making medical judgments regarding

the health of an animal or animals and the need for

medical treatment, and the client, owner or other

caretaker has agreed to follow the instructions of the

licensed veterinarian, and

b. there is sufficient knowledge of the animal or animals

by the licensed veterinarian to initiate at least a

general or preliminary diagnosis of the medical

condition of the animal or animals in that:

(1) the licensed veterinarian has recently seen or is

personally acquainted with the keeping and care

of the animal or animals, or

(2) the licensed veterinarian has made medically

necessary and timely visits to the premises where

the animal or animals are kept or both, and

c. the licensed veterinarian is readily available for

follow-up in case of adverse reactions or failure of

the regimen of therapy, or has arranged for emergency

medical coverage, and

d. the licensed veterinarian's actions would conform to

applicable federal law and regulations;

14. "Veterinary premises" means any facility where the practice

of veterinary medicine occurs including, but not limited to, a

mobile unit, mobile clinic, outpatient clinic, satellite clinic,

public service outreach of a veterinary facility or veterinary

hospital or clinic. The term "veterinary premises" shall not

include the premises of a client of a licensed veterinarian or

research facility;

15. "Veterinary prescription drugs" means such prescription

items as are in the possession of a person regularly and lawfully

engaged in the manufacture, transportation, storage or wholesale or

retail distribution of veterinary drugs and the federal Food and

Drug Administration-approved human drugs for animals which because

of their toxicity or other potential for harmful effects, or method

of use, or the collateral measures necessary for use, are labeled by

the manufacturer or distributor in compliance with federal law and

regulations to be sold only to or on the prescription order or under

the supervision of a licensed veterinarian for use in the course of

professional practice. Veterinary prescription drugs shall not

include over-the-counter products for which adequate directions for

lay use can be written;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 59. Professions and Occupations Page 652

16. "ECFVG certificate" means a certificate issued by the

American Veterinary Medical Association Education Commission for

Foreign Veterinary Graduates, indicating that the holder has

demonstrated knowledge and skill equivalent to that possessed by a

graduate of an accredited or approved college of veterinary

medicine;

17. "Executive Director" means the Executive Director of the

State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners or the authorized

representative of such official;

18. "Telemedicine" or "telehealth" means the practice of

veterinary medicine including diagnosis, consultation, evaluation,

treatment, transfer of medical data or exchange of information by

means of a two-way, real-time interactive communication between a

client or patient and a veterinarian with access to and reviewing

the patient's relevant information prior to the telemedicine visit.

Telemedicine or telehealth shall not include consultations provided

by telephone audio-only communication. A veterinarian using

telehealth technologies shall take appropriate steps to establish

the veterinarian-client-patient relationship and conduct all

appropriate evaluations and history of the patient consistent with

traditional standards of care for the particular patient

presentation. A veterinarian shall be licensed, or under the
consultations provided

by telephone audio-only communication. A veterinarian using

telehealth technologies shall take appropriate steps to establish

the veterinarian-client-patient relationship and conduct all

appropriate evaluations and history of the patient consistent with

traditional standards of care for the particular patient

presentation. A veterinarian shall be licensed, or under the

jurisdiction of, the veterinary board of the jurisdiction where the

patient is located. The practice of medicine occurs where the

patient is located at the time telehealth technologies are used;

19. "Person" means any individual, firm, partnership,

association, joint venture, cooperative, corporation or any other

group or combination acting in concert, and whether or not acting as

a principal, trustee, fiduciary, receiver or as any other kind of

legal or personal representative, or as the successor in interest,

assignee, agent, factor, servant, employee, director, officer,

fictitious name certificate or any other representative of such

person;

20. "Food animal" means any mammalian, poultry, fowl, fish or

other animal that is raised primarily for human food consumption;

21. "Surgery" means the branch of veterinary science conducted

under elective or emergency circumstances, which treats diseases,

injuries and deformities by manual or operative methods including,

but not limited to, cosmetic, reconstructive, ophthalmic,

orthopedic, vascular, thoracic and obstetric procedures. The

provisions in Section 698.12 of this title shall not be construed as

surgery;

22. "Abandonment" means to forsake entirely or to neglect or

refuse to provide or perform the legal obligations for care and

support of an animal by its owner, or the owner's agent.

Abandonment shall constitute the relinquishment of all rights and

claims by the owner to an animal;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 59. Professions and Occupations Page 653

23. "Animal chiropractic diagnosis and treatment" means

treatment that includes vertebral subluxation complex (VSC) and

spinal manipulation of nonhuman vertebrates. The term "animal

chiropractic diagnosis and treatment" shall not be construed to

allow the:

a. use of x-rays,

b. performing of surgery,

c. dispensing or administering of medications, or

d. performance of traditional veterinary care;

24. "Animal euthanasia technician" means an employee of a law

enforcement agency, an animal control agency or animal shelter that

is recognized and approved by the Board, who is certified by the

Board and trained to administer sodium pentobarbital to euthanize

injured, sick, homeless or unwanted domestic pets and other animals;

25. "Teeth floating", as provided by a nonveterinary equine

dental care provider, means the removal of enamel points and the

smoothing, contouring and leveling of dental arcades and incisors of

equine and other farm animals. It shall not include dental

procedures on canines and felines;

26. "Nonveterinary reproductive services" means nonveterinary

services provided by an individual certified by the Board as a

nonveterinary reproductive services technician, and involves and

shall be limited to nonsurgical embryo transfer in ruminating

animals including cattle, sheep, goats, farmed deer and other

ruminating exotic animals such as those found in zoos, and may

include basic ultrasonography of their ovaries to evaluate the

response to embryo-transfer-associated procedures and of the uterus

to determine pregnancy by the detection of a heartbeat within the

transferred embryo at or greater than twenty-eight (28) days of

gestation of such ruminating animals;

27. "Embryo transfer" means the biosecure process of inducing

increased ovulations within a donor female for the in vivo

production of embryos, the flushing of those embryos, collecting,

grading and transferring of those embryos to recipient females or

the cryopreservation of those embryos for storage and later transfer
ter than twenty-eight (28) days of

gestation of such ruminating animals;

27. "Embryo transfer" means the biosecure process of inducing

increased ovulations within a donor female for the in vivo

production of embryos, the flushing of those embryos, collecting,

grading and transferring of those embryos to recipient females or

the cryopreservation of those embryos for storage and later transfer

to recipient females;

28. "Animal Technology Advisory Committee" means the advisory

committee established by the Board pursuant to Section 698.30b of

this title to advise and make recommendations to the Board regarding

any new and evolving technology, procedure, method or practice that

may be considered or otherwise designated as an act of animal

husbandry that should be included as an act not prohibited in

paragraph 1 of Section 698.12 of the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice

Act. Reference to the advisory committee in this act shall mean the

Animal Technology Advisory Committee;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 59. Professions and Occupations Page 654

29. "Examination Committee" means the committee established and

described in subsection D of Section 698.30a of this title related

to nonveterinary reproductive services; and

30. "Probable Cause Committee" means the committee consisting

of the Board's secretary or treasurer, investigator and attorney to

negotiate and settle disputes in accordance with the Oklahoma

Veterinary Practice Act.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.