Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Veterinarians who participate in veterinary services through the Platform, and all Consultations conducted through the Platform.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document governs the establishment, maintenance, and expiry of the veterinarian-client-patient relationship (the VCPR) for Consultations through the Platform. The VCPR is the legal prerequisite for diagnosis, treatment recommendations, and prescribing. Without a valid VCPR, a Veterinarian shall provide general information only and shall not diagnose, treat, or prescribe for a patient.
1.2 The VCPR is established only as the law of the state where the patient is located permits. No Company document authorizes practice that a state forbids, and no consent by a client authorizes what the law of the patient's state prohibits. Telemedicine is offered through the Platform 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.
1.3 Clinical judgment within a valid VCPR belongs solely to the Veterinarian. The Company imposes no clinical protocol, directs no diagnosis or treatment, and does not practice veterinary medicine.
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 Qualifying Examination: an examination or premises visit that the law of the patient's state treats as establishing or maintaining a VCPR.
2.6 VCPR: a veterinarian-client-patient relationship among the Veterinarian, the Client, and the Patient, 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: The Elements of a VCPR
3.1 A VCPR exists only where the law of the patient's state is satisfied, which requires, as that law provides, that the Veterinarian has examined the Patient or has made medically appropriate and timely visits to the premises where the Patient is kept, that the Veterinarian is acquainted with the keeping and care of the Patient through that examination or those visits, and that the Veterinarian is available for follow-up care.
3.2 Telemedicine does not waive any element of the VCPR. Telemedicine changes the medium of an encounter only to the extent the law of the patient's state permits that change.
Article 4: States That Bar Establishment by Electronic Means
4.1 Tennessee law, Tennessee Code Annotated § 63-12-103, provides that a VCPR shall not be established or maintained solely by telephone or other electronic means, and requires that the Veterinarian have examined the animal in person within the last twelve (12) months or have made qualifying premises visits within that period. Tennessee is the Company's state of domicile. The same rule applies in each state whose law is to the same effect, as recorded in the State Telemedicine Matrix.
4.2 For a patient located in a state described in clause 4.1, a telemedicine Consultation shall not proceed as a VCPR encounter unless, before the Consultation is confirmed, one of the following occurs (a) the Client attests that a licensed veterinarian has examined the Patient in person within the last twelve (12) months, with the attestation recorded on the Consultation record as a separate, recorded affirmation; or
(b) the Client is routed to an in-person booking through the referral directory instead of a telemedicine Consultation.
4.3 A Consultation shall not proceed on an unattested booking in a state described in clause 4.1. A Consultation that proceeds on the basis of an attestation under clause 4.2(a) is an existing-patient follow-up governed by the Existing-Patient Follow-Up Consults (Existing-Patient Follow-Up Policy) document.
Article 5: Establishment by Telemedicine Where Permitted
5.1 In a state whose law permits VCPR establishment by electronic means, as recorded in the State Telemedicine Matrix, a VCPR may be established by telemedicine only where each of the following holds (a) the encounter is a synchronous video encounter; a VCPR shall not be established by text exchange alone or by telephone alone, and the video session record is the evidence that the encounter was by video;
(b) the Veterinarian held an active, verified license in the patient's state at the time of the encounter, confirmed against the License Record and not against the Veterinarian's recollection; and
(c) the prescription limits of that state are observed from establishment forward, under the State Telemedicine Matrix and the Prescription Duration and Refill Limits document.
5.2 Where the position of a state has not been verified and recorded as permitting establishment by telemedicine, the Company treats that state as barring establishment by electronic means. An unverified position is a prohibition, not an open question.
Article 6: Duration, Maintenance, and Documentation
6.1 A VCPR established by any means expires twelve (12) months after the last Qualifying Examination or Consultation. The Veterinarian shall not diagnose, treat, or prescribe on an expired VCPR. Currency of the VCPR is assessed at the time of prescribing or treatment, not at the time of booking.
6.2 Maintenance is subject to the same state rule as establishment. A VCPR established by a Qualifying Examination in person is not maintained indefinitely by electronic encounters alone where the law of the patient's state bars maintenance solely by electronic means; the twelve (12) month period in clause 6.1 runs from the last Qualifying Examination or from a Consultation that itself satisfies that state's maintenance standard.
6.3 Renewal of a VCPR requires a new Qualifying Examination or Consultation. A VCPR is not renewed by a paper extension, by a Client statement that nothing has changed, or by a refill request.
6.4 The Veterinarian shall document each VCPR, its basis, and its expiry as required by the Clinical Documentation (SOAP) Standards (Clinical Documentation Policy), and each VCPR established by telemedicine is recorded under the Virtual VCPR Records Policy.
Article 7: Prohibitions
7.1 The following are material breaches of this document, not capable of cure (a) establishing, or practicing as though established, a VCPR in violation of this document, including conducting a telemedicine Consultation for a patient in a state described in clause 4.1 with no attested in-person examination history and treating the encounter as a VCPR encounter;
(b) prescribing against a VCPR that the Veterinarian knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care would know, was never validly established or has expired; and
(c) coaching a Client to attest falsely to a prior in-person examination.
7.2 A booking or prescribing process that permits a Consultation or prescription contrary to this document is a Company defect under this document and is corrected as an incident; it does not make the resulting encounter authorized.
7.3 Use of an automated educational assistant provided through the Platform does not establish a VCPR with any person, and no prescription may be based on such use. The boundaries of that assistant are stated in the Pawzly AI Disclosure and Boundaries (Teletriage Disclosure Policy) document. The attestation in clause 4.2(a) concerns examination by a licensed veterinarian; an automated assistant is not a licensed veterinarian.
Article 8: Liability
8.1 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.
8.2 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).
8.3 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.
8.4 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.
8.5 The Company is not a veterinary practice and does not provide veterinary services. Whether a VCPR exists, and each clinical decision taken within a VCPR, is the sole responsibility of the Veterinarian, exercised in the Veterinarian's independent professional judgment. No provision of this document promises a clinical outcome.
8.6 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 9: Indemnification
9.1 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.
9.2 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.
9.3 This article survives the termination of this document.
Article 10: Enforcement and Appeals
10.1 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.
10.2 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.
10.3 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, a violation of Article 7, or a violation that by its nature cannot be cured.
10.4 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.
10.5 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.
10.6 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.
10.7 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 11: Term and Termination
11.1 This document takes effect when the Veterinarian is accepted into participation and continues until terminated under this article.
11.2 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.
11.3 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.
11.4 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.
11.5 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 document, or to the relationship it governs, is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, which is incorporated into this document by reference.
Article 13: General Provisions
13.1 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.
13.2 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.
13.3 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.
13.4 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.
13.5 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.
13.6 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.
13.7 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.
13.8 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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