Privacy Policy

Specialty Vet Connect ("we," "us," or "our") operates the Specialty Vet Connect mobile application (the "App"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our App. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By accessing or using the App, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

1. Information We Collect

Personal Information

When you create an account or use our App, we may collect the following personal information:

• Full name and contact information (email address, phone number)
• Account credentials (email and encrypted password)
• Profile information and profile photo
• Billing and payment information
• Geographic location (city, state, or ZIP code)

Pet Information

To help connect you with the right specialists, we collect information about your pets, including:

• Pet name, species, breed, age, and weight
• Medical history and health conditions
• Veterinary records shared through the App
• Photos of your pet uploaded to the App

Usage and Device Information

We automatically collect certain information when you access or use the App, including:

• Device type, operating system, and unique device identifiers
• IP address and general location data
• App usage patterns, features accessed, and interaction data
• Crash reports and performance data
• Push notification tokens

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account
• Connect you with specialty veterinarians in your area
• Facilitate referrals between primary veterinarians and specialists
• Process and manage appointment requests
• Enable communication between pet owners and veterinary specialists
• Share relevant pet health information with veterinarians you choose to connect with
• Send push notifications about appointments, messages, and important updates
• Improve, personalize, and optimize the App experience
• Monitor and analyze usage trends and preferences
• Detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraud, or security concerns
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms of service

3. Information Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

With Veterinary Specialists

When you submit an appointment request or connect with a specialist, relevant information about you and your pet (including medical records you have shared) will be made available to the veterinary professionals you choose to engage with.

With Service Providers

We may share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, including cloud hosting (Supabase), analytics, payment processing, and customer support. These providers are contractually obligated to use your information only as necessary to provide services to us.

For Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid legal requests by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements. We may also disclose information to protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, or that of our users or the public.

4. Data Security

We take the security of your data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including:

• Encrypted data storage through our backend provider, Supabase, with row-level security policies
• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between the App and our servers
• Secure authentication mechanisms including encrypted password storage
• Regular security audits and monitoring
• Access controls limiting employee access to personal data

While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. We may also retain and use your information as necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

If you request deletion of your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain certain information by law or for legitimate business purposes.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Portability: You may request a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Opt-Out: You may opt out of receiving promotional communications from us at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@specialtyvetconnect.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

7. Children's Privacy

Our App is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at info@specialtyvetconnect.com.

8. Third-Party Services

Our App may integrate with or contain links to third-party services that are not operated by us. These third-party services have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them. We are not responsible for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party services. Key third-party services we use include:

• Supabase: For database hosting, user authentication, and file storage
• Payment Processors: For secure payment handling
• Analytics Providers: For app usage analysis and performance monitoring
• Push Notification Services: For delivering timely notifications to your device

9. Push Notifications

We may send you push notifications to keep you informed about appointment updates, messages from veterinary specialists, referral status changes, and other important account activity.

You can opt out of receiving push notifications at any time by adjusting your device settings or within the App's notification preferences. Please note that opting out of push notifications may affect your ability to receive timely updates about appointments and messages.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy within the App and updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will provide additional notice, such as a push notification or email. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the App after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to Know: You may request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the categories of sources from which your information was collected, the business purpose for collecting your information, and the categories of third parties with whom we have shared your information.
• Right to Delete: You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights.
• Do Not Sell: We do not sell personal information as defined by the CCPA. We do not sell the personal information of minors under 16 years of age.

To submit a request under the CCPA, please contact us at info@specialtyvetconnect.com. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

We will make every effort to respond to your inquiry within 30 business days.