Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Veterinarians who conduct Consultations through the Platform.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document states the conduct standards for a Consultation conducted through the Platform: where a Consultation takes place, how a session opens, the clinical duties the Veterinarian bears in the session, urgency classification, prohibited conduct, recording consent, and the handling of a technical failure. Clinical judgment within these standards belongs to the Veterinarian; these standards state the minimum conduct below which a Consultation shall not fall.
1.2 A video encounter gives the Veterinarian less information than an in-person examination, including the absence of palpation, auscultation, and direct observation of matters not visible on camera. The Veterinarian shall practice with greater caution by telemedicine than in person for that reason. The limits of the medium raise the standard of caution; they do not lower it.
1.3 Licensure and the VCPR are governed by the law of the state where the patient is located. No conduct under this document authorizes practice that the law of that state forbids, and telemedicine is conducted only where that state's law permits the VCPR to be established by telemedicine. Where state law and this document differ on a clinical matter, the stricter rule prevails.
1.4 If a provision of this document conflicts with the Terms of Use, this document controls for the subject it governs. If a provision of this document conflicts with the terms of a program in which the Veterinarian participates, the program terms control for that program. Policies and help pages explain this document; they do not amend it, and in any conflict this document prevails.
Article 2: Definitions
2.1 The definitions in the Terms of Use are incorporated into this document by reference and apply to this document. This article defines only the additional terms used in this document, in alphabetical order.
2.2 Client: a pet owner or caretaker who books or receives a Consultation through the Platform.
2.3 Consultation: a veterinary encounter between a Veterinarian and a Client concerning a Patient, conducted through the Platform.
2.4 Patient: the animal that is the subject of a Consultation.
2.5 Session Mode: the mode recorded for a Consultation at booking, stated as telemedicine or teletriage, which determines what the Veterinarian may do in the session.
2.6 VCPR: a veterinarian-client-patient relationship, as defined and governed by the law of the state where the Patient is located.
2.7 Veterinarian: a licensed veterinarian the Company has accepted to participate in veterinary services through the Platform.
Article 3: Place and Setting of the Consultation
3.1 A Consultation for a Platform booking shall be conducted in the Platform's meeting room by video. The Veterinarian shall not move a Platform-booked Consultation to another video service, to a telephone call, or to another channel outside the Platform. A Consultation conducted off the Platform evades the consent record, the documentation record, the VCPR record, and the session record, and is a material breach of this document.
3.2 The session is between the Veterinarian, the Client, and the Patient. The Veterinarian shall not admit an observer or another person to the session without the Client's knowledge and agreement.
3.3 The Veterinarian shall conduct the Consultation from a professional setting, without interruption, with the Veterinarian's full attention on the session. A Consultation conducted while the Veterinarian is traveling in a vehicle or engaged in another activity does not meet this standard.
Article 4: Opening the Session
4.1 At the start of each Consultation, the Veterinarian shall complete each of the following before clinical discussion begins (a) Identity. Confirm that the Client is the person who booked, by name and the contact particulars on file, and confirm the Patient by name, species, and breed as described at booking.
(b) Location. Confirm the state where the Patient is located at that time, under the Patient-State Determination and Consult Routing document. Where the answer changes routing, the Consultation pauses and routing is determined again before the Consultation proceeds.
(c) Mode. State the Session Mode plainly, so that the Client understands whether the encounter is a telemedicine Consultation with VCPR authority or a teletriage session in which no diagnosis or prescription is given.
(d) Consent. Confirm that telemedicine consent is recorded under the Telemedicine Informed Consent document. Where consent is not recorded, the Veterinarian shall obtain and record it in the session before proceeding; a session shall not begin on missing consent.
Article 5: Clinical Duties in the Session
5.1 The Veterinarian shall (a) confirm or establish a valid VCPR before diagnosing, treating, or prescribing, under the VCPR Establishment Rules. In a follow-up in a state that bars establishment by electronic means, that confirmation is the attested in-person examination within the last twelve (12) months. In a state that permits establishment by telemedicine, it is the video encounter satisfying that state's requirements, recorded with the VCPR reference on the Consultation record. Diagnosis before a VCPR exists is practice without the legal basis for practice;
(b) practice within the limits of the patient's state as recorded in the State Telemedicine Matrix at the time of the session, including duration limits, category permissions, and video requirements;
(c) classify the urgency of the case under Article 6 and act on that classification;
(d) remain within the Session Mode. A teletriage session does not become a telemedicine Consultation because the case requires one. Where the mode does not permit what the Patient needs, the Veterinarian shall state that and route the Client to the permitted service; and
(e) document the Consultation under the Clinical Documentation (SOAP) Standards (Clinical Documentation Policy), with the clinical note finalized within forty-eight (48) hours. The session is not complete when the video ends; it is complete when the note is finalized.
Article 6: Urgency Classification
6.1 The Veterinarian shall record an urgency classification for each session, as follows (a) Emergency: the Patient needs hands-on care immediately, including difficulty breathing, uncontrolled bleeding, collapse, seizures, abdominal distension with retching, suspected poisoning, or difficulty in labor. The Veterinarian shall give the stabilizing direction that can be given verbally, shall identify the nearest emergency facility from the Platform's emergency referral information, preferring an emergency facility and a facility open at that hour nearest to the Client, and shall end the telemedicine encounter in favor of in-person emergency care. An emergency is routed to in-person care and is not managed to completion by video.
(b) Urgent: the Patient needs in-person care within twenty-four (24) hours, including persistent vomiting, lameness with inability to bear weight, an eye injury, or a wound requiring closure. The Veterinarian shall give interim guidance, shall refer the Patient to in-person care with a stated time frame, and shall document the referral. Observation without a plan for the in-person visit is not a sufficient plan for an urgent case.
(c) Routine: the matter is suitable for telemedicine management, including mild skin conditions, behavior questions, nutrition, follow-up of a stable chronic condition, and a prescription renewal within an active VCPR.
(d) Information: general information only, with no patient-specific medical decision. This is the teletriage level.
6.2 Under-classification is the most serious documentation error in telemedicine practice through the Platform. Urgency classification is reviewed in session audits, and a pattern of under-classification is a clinical-competence matter under the Clinical Incident Reporting (Clinical Incident Reporting Policy) document and the Vet Conduct and Enforcement (Vet Conduct and Enforcement Policy) document.
6.3 Where the Veterinarian is in doubt between two classifications, the Veterinarian shall apply the higher classification.
Article 7: Recording and Prohibited Conduct
7.1 A session shall not be recorded without the recorded consent of both parties to the recording. Where the law of the patient's state requires the consent of each party to a recording, that consent shall be obtained and recorded before recording begins, and recording shall not proceed without it, as provided in the Telemedicine Informed Consent (Telemedicine Consent) document.
7.2 In any Consultation, the Veterinarian shall not (a) diagnose or prescribe without a valid VCPR;
(b) prescribe outside the Consultation relationship, including on the basis of a message, a booking statement, or a prior encounter that did not establish or maintain a VCPR covering the prescription;
(c) prescribe a controlled substance, as prohibited by the Controlled Substances (Controlled Substances Policy) document;
(d) exceed a state duration or category limit stated in the Prescription Duration and Refill Limits document and the State Telemedicine Matrix;
(e) delegate the clinical encounter to unlicensed personnel or to an automated system. The Veterinarian named on the booking is the Veterinarian who conducts the Consultation; support personnel may manage scheduling and the waiting process and shall not take the clinical history or make a clinical decision; or
(f) guarantee a clinical outcome to the Client.
Article 8: Technical Failure
8.1 Where video or audio fails during a session, the Veterinarian shall remain in the meeting room for five (5) minutes while reconnection is attempted. Where the Client returns, the session continues and the interruption is noted on the record.
8.2 Where the Client does not return, the Veterinarian shall attempt contact by the Client's telephone number on file. Where contact fails, the session is recorded as interrupted and not as completed, the Client is notified with rebooking options, and no prescription is written on the interrupted session. A prescription requires a completed clinical encounter.
8.3 Where an interruption occurs while emergency guidance is being given, the Veterinarian shall contact the Client directly by telephone, notwithstanding clause 3.1, and shall record that contact on the Consultation record afterward.
Article 9: Session Records and Payout
9.1 The start time, end time, duration, and status of each session are recorded and form part of the basis for payout under the Vet Consult Fees and Payouts (Vet Fees and Payouts Policy). A session recorded as completed without finalized documentation is held for review before payout is released.
9.2 Session status shall state what occurred: completed, where the encounter took place and concluded; interrupted, where a technical failure or an emergency stopped it; or cancelled, where it did not begin, as governed by the Cancellation, No-Show, and Rescheduling (Cancellation, No-Show, and Rescheduling Policy) document. Recording a session that did not occur as completed is a payment-fraud matter under the Consult Payment Disputes and Adjustments (Consult Payment Disputes Policy) document and the Vet Conduct and Enforcement (Vet Conduct and Enforcement Policy) document.
Article 10: Liability
10.1 To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither party is liable to the other for indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages, or for lost profits, lost revenue, or loss of goodwill, arising out of or relating to this document, even if the party has been advised of the possibility of those damages.
10.2 To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company's total liability arising out of or relating to this document shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts the Veterinarian paid to the Company under this document in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
10.3 This article does not limit (a) a party's indemnification obligations under this document; (b) liability for fraud or willful misconduct; (c) amounts the Veterinarian owes for fees, chargebacks, or refunds under this document; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
10.4 Nothing in this article limits liability for personal injury or injury to an animal caused by negligence, where applicable law does not permit the limitation.
10.5 The Company is not a veterinary practice and does not provide veterinary services. The Company does not review or direct a diagnosis, treatment plan, or clinical decision in a Consultation; clinical judgment is the sole responsibility of the Veterinarian. No provision of this document promises a clinical outcome.
10.6 The parties agree that this article allocates risk between them, that it is an essential part of the basis of their bargain, and that it applies even if a limited remedy fails of its essential purpose.
Article 11: Indemnification
11.1 The Veterinarian shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company and its members, managers, employees, and agents from and against every claim, demand, action, loss, liability, judgment, settlement, cost, and expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) the Veterinarian's breach of this document; (b) the Veterinarian's services, consultations, listings, or User Content; (c) the Veterinarian's violation of any law or of the rights of any person; and (d) taxes for which the Veterinarian is responsible under this document.
11.2 The Company shall give prompt written notice of a claim under this article. The Veterinarian shall control the defense with counsel reasonably acceptable to the Company. The Company may participate in the defense at its own expense. The Veterinarian shall not settle a claim in a manner that imposes any obligation or restriction on the Company, or that does not release the Company fully, without the Company's prior written consent.
11.3 This article survives the termination of this document.
Article 12: Enforcement and Appeals
12.1 The Company may investigate any suspected violation of this document. The Veterinarian shall cooperate with an investigation and shall produce the records this document requires the Veterinarian to keep.
12.2 If the Company determines that the Veterinarian has violated this document, the Company shall give written notice stating the provision violated and the facts relied on, except where notice would compromise an investigation of fraud, a safety risk, or a legal obligation.
12.3 Where a violation is capable of cure, the Veterinarian has ten (10) business days from notice to cure it and to confirm the cure in writing. No cure period applies to fraud, counterfeiting, a risk to the safety of a person or an animal, unlawful conduct, or a violation that by its nature cannot be cured.
12.4 If a violation is established and is not cured within the period allowed, the Company may, proportionate to the violation: (a) issue a written warning; (b) remove or suppress a listing or content; (c) cancel an Order or a booking; (d) suspend the Account or a program participation, in whole or in part; (e) terminate this document and the Account; and (f) exercise any other right or remedy available under this document or at law.
12.5 The Company may suspend the Veterinarian immediately, without prior notice and without a cure period, where a license lapses, expires, is suspended, or is revoked, or where a risk to the safety of a person or an animal arises, as provided in the License Verification document and the Vet Suspension, Deactivation, and Reinstatement document. The Company may hold disbursements to the Veterinarian while an investigation under this article is pending, and shall release amounts not required to satisfy the Veterinarian's obligations when the investigation closes.
12.6 The Veterinarian may appeal a measure under this article by written notice to legal@aapawz.com within thirty (30) days of the measure, stating the grounds and attaching the records relied on. The appeal is decided by a person who did not make the original decision. The Company's decision on appeal is final. A measure remains in effect during an appeal unless the Company directs otherwise in writing.
12.7 The Company's delay in acting on a violation is not a waiver of the violation or of any later violation of the same kind.
Article 13: Term and Termination
13.1 This document takes effect when the Veterinarian is accepted into participation and continues until terminated under this article.
13.2 The Company may terminate this document and the Account on thirty (30) days' written notice for any reason, and immediately on written notice if the Veterinarian materially breaches this document, engages in fraud, or becomes ineligible to participate.
13.3 The Veterinarian may terminate this document on thirty (30) days' written notice to support@aapawz.com, provided the Veterinarian has no Order, booking, or investigation outstanding.
13.4 On termination: (a) the rights granted under this document end; (b) obligations that arose before termination: including payment, refund, chargeback, record-keeping, and indemnification obligations: survive until satisfied; and (c) the Company shall disburse amounts owed, less amounts the Company may set off under this document, within thirty (30) days, except amounts held in connection with an open investigation or dispute.
13.5 The Definitions, Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions articles survive termination.
Article 14: Dispute Resolution
14.1 Any dispute arising out of or relating to this document, or to the relationship it governs, is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, which is incorporated into this document by reference.
Article 15: General Provisions
15.1 The Company may amend this document by posting the amended document in the Document Center and giving notice to the Veterinarian at the email address in the Account. An amendment that materially increases the Veterinarian's fees or obligations takes effect thirty (30) days after notice; other amendments take effect on posting. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of an amendment is acceptance of it. If the Veterinarian does not accept an amendment, the Veterinarian's remedy is to terminate under the Term and Termination article before the amendment takes effect.
15.2 Legal notices under this document shall be sent to legal@aapawz.com. Operational notices and all other communications shall be sent to support@aapawz.com. A notice to the Company is effective when the Company acknowledges receipt or, for email, one business day after sending, whichever is earlier. Notices to the Veterinarian are effective when sent to the email address in the Account or posted to the Account's notice facility in the portal, whichever occurs first. The Veterinarian shall keep the email address in the Account current. Notices under the DMCA and Copyright Policy are given as provided in that policy, to the designated agent at legal@aapawz.com.
15.3 This document is governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Subject to the Dispute Resolution Policy, any proceeding arising out of this document shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in Shelby County, Tennessee, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there. The practice of veterinary medicine under this document is governed by the law of the state in which the patient is located.
15.4 If any provision of this document is held unenforceable, the provision shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted, and the remaining provisions continue in full effect.
15.5 This document, together with the documents it incorporates by reference, is the entire agreement between the Company and the Veterinarian for the subject it governs and supersedes every prior or contemporaneous statement, communication, or agreement on that subject, whether written or oral.
15.6 The Veterinarian shall not assign this document or any right or obligation under it without the Company's prior written consent, and an assignment without consent is void. The Company may assign this document to an affiliate or in connection with a sale of all or part of its business, on notice to the Veterinarian.
15.7 A waiver of any provision of this document is effective only in writing and only for the instance stated. No waiver is a waiver of any other provision or instance.
15.8 Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This document shall not be construed against a party on the ground that the party prepared this document. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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