Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Veterinarians who participate in the Platform's teletriage service, and all Clients who use the teletriage service.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This Policy states what a Client is told, before and during a teletriage session, about the automated tools the Platform uses for triage support. It states what those tools do, what the tools never do, when a human or a Veterinarian takes over, and who is responsible for a triage session.
1.2 This Policy is the veterinary-services statement of the disclosure rule stated generally in the AI Disclosure Policy. If a provision of this Policy conflicts with the Terms of Use, this Policy controls for the subject it governs. If a provision of this Policy conflicts with the terms of a program in which a party participates, the program terms control for that program.
1.3 The practice of veterinary medicine is governed by the law of the state in which the patient is located. Nothing in this Policy authorizes any practice that state law forbids, and no disclosure given under this Policy creates a veterinarian-client-patient relationship.
Article 2: Definitions
2.1 Account: the account a person or business establishes with the Company to use the Platform.
2.2 Automated Tool: a software tool the Platform uses to support teletriage, including a tool that asks a Client follow-up questions, classifies the urgency of described signs, presents general pet-care information drawn from the Clinical Reference Content Policy, and routes the Client to a booking, to in-person care, or to general information.
2.3 Client: a pet owner or caretaker who uses the teletriage service or books a consultation through the Platform.
2.4 Company: All About Pawz, LLC, a Tennessee limited liability company.
2.5 Patient: the animal that is the subject of a triage session or a consultation.
2.6 Platform: the websites, applications, and services the Company operates under the name All About Pawz, including aapawz.com.
2.7 Teletriage: the sorting of a Client's described signs by urgency, for information and routing only, as governed by the Teletriage Standards Policy. Teletriage is not telemedicine and makes no clinical decision.
2.8 Triage Session: one interaction between a Client and an Automated Tool for teletriage.
2.9 VCPR: a veterinarian-client-patient relationship, as defined by the law of the state in which the patient is located.
2.10 Veterinarian: a veterinarian licensed in the state in which the patient is located, whom the Company has accepted to provide veterinary services through the Platform.
Article 3: The Disclosure Given to the Client
3.1 The disclosure in this Article shall be given to the Client before the Triage Session begins. A session shall not proceed on the basis of a disclosure given only after the session, and the disclosure shall not be presented as a one-time notice that the session then leaves behind: the Automated Tool identifies itself as an automated tool at the start of the session, and any information the session provides that could be mistaken for a professional opinion carries the statement that the information is general information and is not a professional opinion.
3.2 The disclosure states, in plain words: (a) the Client is communicating with an automated tool, not with a Veterinarian and not with a human member of staff; (b) the tool provides general pet-care information and sorts described signs by urgency for routing only; (c) the tool does not diagnose, does not prescribe, and does not replace an examination by a Veterinarian; (d) teletriage does not establish a VCPR; (e) the Client may ask to be routed to a Veterinarian or to human assistance at any point in the session, for any reason, without giving a justification; and (f) the availability and use limits stated in Article 6.
3.3 The Automated Tool shall not present itself as a Veterinarian, shall not imply that the tool is a Veterinarian or a human, and shall not permit the Client to proceed under the belief that the tool is a Veterinarian. A statement by the tool in the first person as a licensed professional is a violation of this Policy.
Article 4: What the Automated Tool Does and Does Not Do
4.1 The Automated Tool does the following, and nothing more: (a) receives the signs the Client describes; (b) asks follow-up questions; (c) classifies the urgency of the described signs under the Teletriage Standards Policy; (d) presents general pet-care information drawn from content maintained under the Clinical Reference Content Policy; and (e) routes the Client as the Triage Escalation Policy provides.
4.2 The Automated Tool shall not: (a) state a diagnosis of a specific Patient, in the form "the Patient has" a named condition or in any equivalent form; (b) prescribe a product, state a dosage, or direct the Client to administer a stated quantity of a product; (c) establish a VCPR; (d) state a prognosis; (e) contradict or override an instruction the Client's own veterinarian has given: where general information differs from that instruction, the tool states that the Client's veterinarian's instruction governs; or (f) reassure a Client that described signs are not serious where the signs include a feature that the Teletriage Standards Policy treats as requiring escalation. Uncertainty is resolved by escalation, never by reassurance.
4.3 The Company does not practice veterinary medicine, does not hold a veterinary license, and does not present triage output as a professional opinion. Responsibility for the boundaries in this Article rests with the Company as operator of the Automated Tool.
4.4 A product suggestion presented in a Triage Session is a shopping suggestion only. A suggestion shall not state or imply that a product treats, cures, or prevents a condition.
Article 5: Human and Veterinarian Takeover
5.1 A human or a Veterinarian takes over in each of the following cases: (a) the Client asks, at any point and for any reason; (b) the described signs include a feature that the Triage Escalation Policy requires to be routed to a Veterinarian or to emergency in-person care; (c) the Client expresses uncertainty that the Automated Tool cannot resolve; and (d) the described signs fall outside the content maintained under the Clinical Reference Content Policy, in which case the tool states that the tool has no reliable guidance for the presentation and routes the Client to human care.
5.2 Triage output does not bind a Veterinarian. A Veterinarian who reviews a Triage Session record forms an independent assessment; where the Veterinarian's assessment differs from the classification the tool recorded, the Veterinarian's assessment governs, and the Veterinarian treats the Patient accordingly. The escalation handover carries information, not instructions.
5.3 A Veterinarian who answers a Client's question through the Platform answers as a named, licensed professional in the Veterinarian's own name. The disclosure in this Policy does not cover the Veterinarian's answers, because those answers are not the output of an Automated Tool, and the Veterinarian bears professional responsibility for them.
Article 6: Availability and Use Limits
6.1 The teletriage service is available in the United States, excluding Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
6.2 Use of more than 20 Triage Sessions in 90 days is excessive use. The Company may limit or revoke a Client's access to the teletriage service for excessive use. The Client shall be told of the limit before the limit is reached, and a Client whose access is limited or revoked shall be routed to human care.
6.3 A limit under this Article is a limit on the automated service only. No limit in this Article restricts a Client's access to a Veterinarian, to emergency in-person care, or to any other service on the Platform.
Article 7: Records and Incidents
7.1 Each Triage Session is recorded: the signs as the Client described them, the urgency classification, the recommendation given, the reference content drawn on, the warning signs noted, and the follow-up questions asked. The Company keeps the record for the period stated in the Telemedicine Data Handling Policy.
7.2 A Triage Session in which the Automated Tool purports to diagnose, to prescribe, or to act as a Veterinarian, or in which the tool materially understates the urgency of an emergency presentation, is a clinical incident under the Clinical Incident Reporting Policy. The Triage Session record is the evidence for the incident review.
Article 8: Liability
8.1 Triage risk. The Company is responsible for operating the Automated Tool within the boundaries of this Policy. The Company does not practice veterinary medicine and makes no promise of a clinical outcome. 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.
8.2 Exclusion of certain damages. 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 Policy, even if the party has been advised of the possibility of those damages.
8.3 Cap. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company's total liability arising out of or relating to this Policy shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts the affected party paid to the Company under this Policy in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
8.4 Carve-outs. This Article does not limit (a) a party's indemnification obligations under this Policy; (b) liability for fraud or willful misconduct; (c) amounts owed for Orders, fees, chargebacks, or refunds under the Company's documents; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
8.5 Essential purpose. 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 9: Indemnification
9.1 Duty. 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 Policy; (b) the Veterinarian's services or 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 the Company's documents.
9.2 Procedure. 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.
9.3 Survival. This Article survives the termination of this Policy.
Article 10: Enforcement and Appeals
10.1 Investigation. The Company may investigate any suspected violation of this Policy. The Veterinarian shall cooperate with an investigation and shall produce the records this Policy requires the Veterinarian to keep.
10.2 Notice. If the Company determines that the Veterinarian has violated this Policy, 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.
10.3 Opportunity to cure. 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, a risk to the safety of a person or an animal, unlawful conduct, or a violation that by its nature cannot be cured.
10.4 Measures. 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 content; (c) suspend the Account or program participation, in whole or in part; (d) terminate this Policy and the Account; and (e) exercise any other right or remedy available under the Company's documents or at law. The Company may suspend a Veterinarian's participation immediately where a license has lapsed or a safety risk arises.
10.5 Appeal. 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.
10.6 No waiver by delay. 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 11: Term and Termination
11.1 Term. This Policy takes effect when the Veterinarian is accepted into the teletriage program, or when a Client first uses the teletriage service, and continues until terminated under this Article.
11.2 Termination by the Company. The Company may terminate this Policy and the Account on thirty (30) days' written notice for any reason, and immediately on written notice if the affected party materially breaches this Policy, engages in fraud, or becomes ineligible to participate.
11.3 Termination by the Veterinarian. The Veterinarian may terminate this Policy on thirty (30) days' written notice to support@aapawz.com, provided the Veterinarian has no booking or investigation outstanding.
11.4 Effect of termination. On termination: (a) the rights granted under this Policy end; (b) obligations that arose before termination: including payment, refund, record-keeping, and indemnification obligations: survive until satisfied; and (c) the Company shall disburse amounts owed, less amounts the Company may set off under the Company's documents, within thirty (30) days, except amounts held in connection with an open investigation or dispute.
11.5 Survival. The Definitions, Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions Articles survive termination.
Article 12: Dispute Resolution
12.1 Any dispute arising out of or relating to this Policy, or to the relationship it governs, is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, which is incorporated into this Policy by reference.
Article 13: General Provisions
13.1 Amendments. The Company may amend this Policy by posting the amended Policy in the Document Center and giving notice to the affected party at the email address in the Account. An amendment that materially increases a party'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. A party that does not accept an amendment may terminate under Article 11 before the amendment takes effect.
13.2 Notices. Legal notices under this Policy 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 a party 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. Each party shall keep the email address in the Account current.
13.3 Governing law. This Policy 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 Policy 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 Policy is governed by the law of the state in which the patient is located.
13.4 Severability. If any provision of this Policy is held unenforceable, the provision shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted, and the remaining provisions continue in full effect.
13.5 Entire agreement. This Policy, together with the documents it incorporates by reference, is the entire agreement between the Company and each party for the subject it governs and supersedes every prior or contemporaneous statement, communication, or agreement on that subject, whether written or oral.
13.6 Assignment. A party other than the Company shall not assign this Policy 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 Policy to an affiliate or in connection with a sale of all or part of its business, on notice to the affected party.
13.7 Waiver. A waiver of any provision of this Policy is effective only in writing and only for the instance stated. No waiver is a waiver of any other provision or instance.
13.8 Interpretation. Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This Policy shall not be construed against a party as its drafter. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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