Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title XVI Chapter 112
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 112, § 54A (2026)

Definitions applicable to Secs. 54 to 60

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 54A. In sections fifty-four to sixty, inclusive, the following words shall have the following meanings:

''Animal'', any animal other than man including wild or domestic fowl, birds, fish or reptiles, living or dead.

''Approved veterinary school'', any veterinary college or division of a university or college that offers the degree of doctor of veterinary medicine or its equivalent and which conforms to the standards required for accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the board of veterinary medicine of the commonwealth, or the approving authority.

''Approving authority'', (a) Two members from the board of registration in veterinary medicine; (b) One veterinary officer from the division of animal health; and (c) One member representing the Massachusetts Veterinary Association.

''Board'', the board of registration in veterinary medicine of the commonwealth.

''Veterinarian'', a person who has received a doctors' degree in veterinary medicine from a school of veterinary medicine.

''Veterinary medicine'', means and includes veterinary surgery, obstetrics, dentistry, and all other branches or specialties of veterinary medicine.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2017–2025 · leading case: Commonwealth v. Cooper (Mass. App. Ct. 2017).
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Commonwealth v. Cooper (Mass. App. Ct. 2017). “112, § 24G; and G. L. c. 112, § 54A. 6 The record furnishes no guidance, for example, on the proportion of licensed preschools that are also accredited.”
Margo Roman v. Bd. of Reg. in Veterinary Med. (Mass. 2025). “See G. L. c. 112, § 54A (defining "animal" in relevant part as "any animal other than man"); G.”
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