Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Veterinarians who participate in veterinary services through the Platform, and all VCPRs established by telemedicine through the Platform.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document governs the record of each veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) established by telemedicine through the Platform. It states what is recorded for each such VCPR, the conditions under which a record may be created, the expiry and renewal of a recorded VCPR, who may access the record, and the retention of the record.
1.2 A VCPR is a legal fact with a lifespan: it arises at a specific encounter, covers a specific patient and a specific Veterinarian, and expires. The record under this document is the evidence of that fact, from which each later decision: whether the Veterinarian may diagnose, whether a prescription may be written, whether a refill is authorized: is answered.
1.3 This document records VCPRs established through the Platform. A VCPR established at a client's own clinic, including the in-person examination attested at booking under the VCPR Establishment Rules, is evidenced by that attestation on the Consultation record and is not a record under this document.
1.4 Licensure and the VCPR are governed by the law of the state where the patient is located. No record under this document creates a VCPR that the law of that state does not permit, and no record authorizes practice that a state forbids. Where state law and this document differ on a clinical matter, the stricter rule prevails.
1.5 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 Establishing Consultation: the Consultation at which a VCPR is established by telemedicine.
2.5 Patient: the animal that is the subject of a Consultation.
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 VCPR Record: the record of a VCPR established by telemedicine, maintained under this document.
2.8 Veterinarian: a licensed veterinarian the Company has accepted to participate in veterinary services through the Platform.
Article 3: Content of the VCPR Record
3.1 Each VCPR Record states: the Client; the Veterinarian; the Patient; the state where the Patient was located at establishment, which is the governing jurisdiction under the Patient-State Determination and Consult Routing document; the time of establishment; the expiry, which is one (1) year after establishment; the Establishing Consultation; and whether the VCPR is active.
3.2 The Establishing Consultation is the evidentiary basis of the record. A VCPR Record without an Establishing Consultation is not carried: the answer to the question on what basis a VCPR exists is a specific Consultation, identified by date, conducted by video, with a Veterinarian licensed in the patient's state.
3.3 The Patient reference in a VCPR Record shall resolve to a Patient recorded on the Platform. The Company shall not rely on a VCPR Record whose Patient reference does not resolve, and no prescription may be based on such a record.
3.4 A VCPR Record is part of the medical record of the Patient. It is not marketing data of the Platform, is not used for promotional purposes, and is not disclosed for a purpose unrelated to the Patient's care, the parties' legal obligations, or the operation of this document.
Article 4: Conditions for Creating a Record
4.1 A VCPR Record may be created only where each of the following holds (a) the law of the patient's state permits establishment of a VCPR by telemedicine, as recorded in a legally reviewed Entry in the State Telemedicine Matrix. Until that condition is satisfied for a state, it is not satisfied for any patient in that state, and no VCPR Record is created for that state;
(b) the Establishing Consultation was a synchronous video encounter satisfying the requirements of that state, evidenced by the video session record of the Consultation; and
(c) the Veterinarian held an active, verified license for the patient's state at the time of the Establishing Consultation, assessed against the License Record as of the time of that Consultation.
4.2 A purported VCPR that fails any condition in clause 4.1 is void, not provisional and not pending review. A void record is treated as no record: it supports no prescription, no diagnosis, and no treatment recommendation. No person may override the conditions in clause 4.1 to create a record the conditions reject.
4.3 Until records under this document are maintained in a dedicated record, the VCPR reference carried on the Consultation record and on the prescription record, with the VCPR type distinguishing a VCPR established by telemedicine from a VCPR attested as established in person, constitutes the record under this document. On migration to a dedicated record, the link to the Establishing Consultation is preserved, because that link is the evidence.
Article 5: Expiry, Renewal, Supersession, and Early End
5.1 A VCPR Record expires one (1) year after establishment. An expired record does not support prescribing, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. Currency is assessed at the time the prescription or recommendation is made.
5.2 Renewal requires a new qualifying examination or Consultation. A record is not extended by notation, by rollover, or by a Client statement. On renewal, a new VCPR Record is created with its own Establishing Consultation.
5.3 Only one active VCPR Record exists for one Veterinarian and one Patient at a time. A new record for the same Veterinarian and Patient supersedes the prior active record, which is marked inactive with the reason recorded. A superseded record is retained, not deleted, so that whether a valid VCPR existed on a past date remains answerable.
5.4 A VCPR ends before expiry on: the Client's request; the Veterinarian's departure or deactivation; loss of the Veterinarian's license in the governing state; or a clinical determination by the Veterinarian that the relationship is not to continue. The early end is recorded with its reason and time. A prescription written while the VCPR was valid stands; new prescribing stops at the end of the VCPR.
Article 6: Access, Integrity, and Retention
6.1 Access to a VCPR Record is limited to: the Veterinarian who established the VCPR and a Veterinarian who succeeds to the Patient's care through the Platform; the Client, for the Client's own Patient; and Company personnel with a compliance, safety, or legal need for the record, including response to a state board inquiry, a malpractice claim, or a dispute over a charge. A state board, a malpractice carrier, and a Client disputing a charge are answered from the same record: Client, Veterinarian, Patient, state, Establishing Consultation, and expiry, complete and timestamped.
6.2 VCPR Records are append-only. A correction is made by a superseding record, never by editing an existing record. An incorrect expiry is corrected by a new record stating the correct date, with the prior record marked superseded and the reason recorded, so that the error remains visible in the history.
6.3 VCPR Records are retained for the period stated in the Regulatory Record Retention document, which governs the retention of the records created under this document.
Article 7: Liability
7.1 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.
7.2 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).
7.3 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.
7.4 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.
7.5 The Company is not a veterinary practice and does not provide veterinary services. A VCPR Record evidences a relationship created by the Veterinarian's professional encounter; the record does not create the relationship, and the Company bears no clinical responsibility for it. No provision of this document promises a clinical outcome.
7.6 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 8: Indemnification
8.1 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.
8.2 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.
8.3 This article survives the termination of this document.
Article 9: Enforcement and Appeals
9.1 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.
9.2 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.
9.3 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.
9.4 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.
9.5 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.
9.6 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.
9.7 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 10: Term and Termination
10.1 This document takes effect when the Veterinarian is accepted into participation and continues until terminated under this article.
10.2 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.
10.3 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.
10.4 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.
10.5 The Definitions, Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions articles survive termination.
Article 11: Dispute Resolution
11.1 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 12: General Provisions
12.1 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.
12.2 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.
12.3 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.
12.4 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.
12.5 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.
12.6 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.
12.7 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.
12.8 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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