Patient

Represents an animal patient in a veterinary practice. Contains demographic, identification, and owner information.

Schema ID: https://vetformat.org/schemas/v1/patient.schema.json

Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
resource_type	"Patient"	Yes	Fixed resource type identifier for this schema.
id	string	Yes	Unique identifier for the patient record. UUID recommended.
name	string	Yes	The pet’s given name.
species	enum	Yes	The animal species of the patient.
breed	string	No	Breed or breed mix of the patient in free-text form.
breed_code	[breed_code]	No
species_code	[species_code]	No
date_of_birth	string (date)	No	The patient’s date of birth in ISO 8601 format.
sex	enum	No	Biological sex of the patient.
gender_status	enum	No	Reproductive status of the patient.
color	string	No	Coat or skin color description of the patient.
weight	[weight]	No
identifiers	array<identifier>	No	External identifiers such as microchip numbers or passport IDs.
owner	[owner]	No
is_active	boolean	No	Whether this patient record is currently active in the practice.
is_deceased	boolean	No	Whether the patient is deceased.
deceased_date	string (date)	No	Date of death in ISO 8601 format, if applicable.
notes	string	No	Free-text notes about the patient.
photo_url	string (uri)	No	URL to a photo of the patient.

species values

• dog
• cat
• bird
• rabbit
• hamster
• guinea_pig
• fish
• reptile
• horse
• other

sex values

• male
• female
• unknown

gender_status values

• intact
• neutered
• spayed
• unknown

Sub-objects

breed_code object

Standardized breed classification code from a recognized registry.

Field	Type	Required	Description
system	enum	Yes	The breed registry system used for classification.
value	string	Yes	The breed code value within the specified registry system.

breed_code.system values

• fci
• fife
• tica
• other

species_code object

Standardized species classification code from a recognized taxonomy.

Field	Type	Required	Description
system	enum	Yes	The taxonomy system used for species classification.
value	string	Yes	The species code within the specified taxonomy system.

species_code.system values

• itis
• ncbi-taxonomy
• other

weight object

The patient’s body weight measurement.

Field	Type	Required	Description
value	number	Yes	Numeric weight value. Must be zero or positive.
unit	enum	Yes	Unit of weight measurement.

weight.unit values

• kg
• lbs

identifier object

An external identifier for the patient, such as a microchip or passport number.

Field	Type	Required	Description
system	enum	Yes	The identification system or namespace.
value	string	Yes	The identifier value within the specified system.

identifier.system values

• iso-microchip-11784
• eu-pet-passport
• safe-animal
• europetnet
• national-registry
• other

owner object

Contact information for the patient’s owner or guardian.

Field	Type	Required	Description
name	string	No	Full name of the owner.
phone	string	No	Phone number of the owner.
email	string	No	Email address of the owner.
address	string	No	Postal address of the owner.

Full Schema

{
  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
  "$id": "https://vetformat.org/schemas/v1/patient.schema.json",
  "title": "Patient",
  "description": "Represents an animal patient in a veterinary practice. Contains demographic, identification, and owner information.",
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "resource_type",
    "id",
    "name",
    "species"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": true,
  "$defs": {
    "breed_code": {
      "type": "object",
      "description": "Standardized breed classification code from a recognized registry.",
      "properties": {
        "system": {
          "type": "string",
          "enum": [
            "fci",
            "fife",
            "tica",
            "other"
          ],
          "description": "The breed registry system used for classification.",
          "examples": [
            "fci"
          ]
        },
        "value": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "The breed code value within the specified registry system.",
          "examples": [
            "166"
          ]
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "system",
        "value"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": true
    },
    "species_code": {
      "type": "object",
      "description": "Standardized species classification code from a recognized taxonomy.",
      "properties": {
        "system": {
          "type": "string",
          "enum": [
            "itis",
            "ncbi-taxonomy",
            "other"
          ],
          "description": "The taxonomy system used for species classification.",
          "examples": [
            "itis"
          ]
        },
        "value": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "The species code within the specified taxonomy system.",
          "examples": [
            "180092"
          ]
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "system",
        "value"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": true
    },
    "weight": {
      "type": "object",
      "description": "The patient's body weight measurement.",
      "properties": {
        "value": {
          "type": "number",
          "minimum": 0,
          "description": "Numeric weight value. Must be zero or positive.",
          "examples": [
            12.5
          ]
        },
        "unit": {
          "type": "string",
          "enum": [
            "kg",
            "lbs"
          ],
          "description": "Unit of weight measurement.",
          "examples": [
            "kg"
          ]
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "value",
        "unit"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": true
    },
    "identifier": {
      "type": "object",
      "description": "An external identifier for the patient, such as a microchip or passport number.",
      "properties": {
        "system": {
          "type": "string",
          "enum": [
            "iso-microchip-11784",
            "eu-pet-passport",
            "safe-animal",
            "europetnet",
            "national-registry",
            "other"
          ],
          "description": "The identification system or namespace.",
          "examples": [
            "iso-microchip-11784"
          ]
        },
        "value": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "The identifier value within the specified system.",
          "examples": [
            "941000024680135"
          ]
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "system",
        "value"
      ],
      "additionalProperties": true
    },
    "owner": {
      "type": "object",
      "description": "Contact information for the patient's owner or guardian.",
      "properties": {
        "name": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "Full name of the owner.",
          "examples": [
            "Jan Kowalski"
          ]
        },
        "phone": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "Phone number of the owner.",
          "examples": [
            "+48 600 123 456"
          ]
        },
        "email": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "Email address of the owner.",
          "examples": [
            "jan.kowalski@example.com"
          ]
        },
        "address": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "Postal address of the owner.",
          "examples": [
            "ul. Zwierzyniecka 10, 31-015 Krakow, Poland"
          ]
        }
      },
      "additionalProperties": true
    }
  },
  "properties": {
    "resource_type": {
      "const": "Patient",
      "description": "Fixed resource type identifier for this schema.",
      "examples": [
        "Patient"
      ]
    },
    "id": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Unique identifier for the patient record. UUID recommended.",
      "examples": [
        "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000"
      ]
    },
    "name": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The pet's given name.",
      "examples": [
        "Burek"
      ]
    },
    "species": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": [
        "dog",
        "cat",
        "bird",
        "rabbit",
        "hamster",
        "guinea_pig",
        "fish",
        "reptile",
        "horse",
        "other"
      ],
      "description": "The animal species of the patient.",
      "examples": [
        "dog"
      ]
    },
    "breed": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Breed or breed mix of the patient in free-text form.",
      "examples": [
        "Labrador Retriever"
      ]
    },
    "breed_code": {
      "$ref": "#/$defs/breed_code"
    },
    "species_code": {
      "$ref": "#/$defs/species_code"
    },
    "date_of_birth": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "date",
      "description": "The patient's date of birth in ISO 8601 format.",
      "examples": [
        "2020-03-15"
      ]
    },
    "sex": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": [
        "male",
        "female",
        "unknown"
      ],
      "description": "Biological sex of the patient.",
      "examples": [
        "male"
      ]
    },
    "gender_status": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": [
        "intact",
        "neutered",
        "spayed",
        "unknown"
      ],
      "description": "Reproductive status of the patient.",
      "examples": [
        "neutered"
      ]
    },
    "color": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Coat or skin color description of the patient.",
      "examples": [
        "golden"
      ]
    },
    "weight": {
      "$ref": "#/$defs/weight"
    },
    "identifiers": {
      "type": "array",
      "description": "External identifiers such as microchip numbers or passport IDs.",
      "items": {
        "$ref": "#/$defs/identifier"
      },
      "examples": [
        [
          {
            "system": "iso-microchip-11784",
            "value": "941000024680135"
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "owner": {
      "$ref": "#/$defs/owner"
    },
    "is_active": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "default": true,
      "description": "Whether this patient record is currently active in the practice.",
      "examples": [
        true
      ]
    },
    "is_deceased": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "default": false,
      "description": "Whether the patient is deceased.",
      "examples": [
        false
      ]
    },
    "deceased_date": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "date",
      "description": "Date of death in ISO 8601 format, if applicable.",
      "examples": [
        "2025-12-01"
      ]
    },
    "notes": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Free-text notes about the patient.",
      "examples": [
        "Friendly but nervous during examinations. Prefers treats as positive reinforcement."
      ]
    },
    "photo_url": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "uri",
      "description": "URL to a photo of the patient.",
      "examples": [
        "https://example.com/photos/burek.jpg"
      ]
    }
  }
}