1. Introduction

Alta Vista Animal Hospital (“we,” “our,” or “us”), operated by Kvet Petcare Canada Inc., is committed to protecting the privacy of our clients and website visitors. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard personal information when you visit our website at altavistaanimalhospital.ca or interact with our clinic services.

This policy is governed by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) of British Columbia, Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), and all applicable US state consumer privacy laws to the extent they apply to our operations.

By using our website or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use our website or services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when you:

• Complete a contact, appointment request, or new client registration form on our website
• Send us an email or contact us by phone
• Sign up for SMS or text message communications
• Use our online store or submit a product refill request
• Interact with our website chatbot or automated phone system

The personal information collected through these interactions may include your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, pet information, and any other details you choose to provide. Form submissions are delivered directly to our team by email and are not stored in a database on our website servers.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, tracking technologies, and website analytics tools. This may include:

• Your IP address and general geographic location
• Browser type, operating system, and device information
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
• Interaction data such as clicks and scroll depth

This information is collected through website analytics and tag management platforms configured on our website. We use this data in aggregate and anonymized form to understand how visitors use our website and to improve our online presence.

2.3 Communication Platforms

When you contact us by phone, your call may be recorded and processed using AI-assisted tools for voicemail transcription, call categorization, and quality assurance purposes. When you communicate with us via SMS, email, or our online chat system, those communications may be stored and processed by our communication and scheduling platforms. Please see Section 7 (AI-Assisted Tools) for full disclosure of AI features active on our systems.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to your inquiries and service requests
• To schedule and manage appointments for your pet
• To provide veterinary care and related services
• To process online store orders and service inquiries
• To send appointment reminders, follow-up communications, and health updates via phone, email, or SMS
• To operate and improve our website and digital services
• To analyze website traffic and user behavior in aggregate to improve our online presence
• To serve relevant advertisements to visitors who have previously visited our website, subject to your cookie preferences
• To comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements
• To protect the security of our systems and prevent fraud

4. SMS and Text Message Communications

Alta Vista Animal Hospital may send you SMS or text messages for appointment reminders, follow-up care notices, and clinic communications, subject to your prior consent.

By providing your mobile phone number and consenting to receive SMS communications, you agree to receive text messages from us. Standard message and data rates from your mobile carrier may apply.

You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any message we send. You may reply HELP for assistance. You may also opt out by any reasonable method, including contacting us directly at the information provided in Section 16. We will process your opt-out request within 10 business days.

We do not share your mobile phone number with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

5.1 Types of Cookies We Use

We use the following categories of cookies on our website:

Essential Cookies — Always active. These cookies are necessary for the website to function correctly. They cannot be disabled. They include cookies that remember your privacy preferences and enable core website functionality.

Statistics Cookies — Active only with your consent. These cookies collect anonymized information about how visitors use our website, including pages visited and traffic sources. This data helps us improve our website. These cookies do not identify you individually.

Marketing Cookies — Active only with your consent. These cookies are used to build audience profiles and deliver advertisements relevant to your interests, including retargeted advertisements on other websites and platforms. They track activity across websites.

5.2 Cookie Consent

When you first visit our website, a consent banner will appear giving you the option to accept or decline cookie categories. Essential cookies are always active and do not require your consent. Statistics and Marketing cookies are only activated if you provide your consent. You may change your cookie preferences at any time by accessing the cookie settings link available on our website. Your preferences are stored in a consent cookie on your device.

Cookie consent infrastructure on this website is configured and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc. on our behalf.

5.3 Global Privacy Control and Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms

We recognize and honor browser-based Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals and Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms (UOOM) to the extent required by applicable privacy law. If your browser or device transmits a recognized opt-out signal, we will treat it as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for targeted advertising purposes, and will process it accordingly.

5.4 Online Advertising and Remarketing

Alta Vista Animal Hospital uses online advertising services, including search advertising and social media advertising platforms, to promote our veterinary services to prospective clients. We use remarketing technologies that allow us to show advertisements to users who have previously visited our website as they browse other websites and platforms.

Remarketing is accomplished through the use of Marketing cookies placed on your device with your consent. These cookies allow advertising platforms to recognize your browser and serve relevant advertisements based on your prior visit to our website. Our advertising targeting is limited to local geographic areas and is not used for national or international audience targeting.

We participate in the Google Advertising network. To opt out of Google personalized advertising, visit:

Google Ads Settings: https://www.google.com/settings/ads

To opt out of interest-based advertising from participating advertising networks more broadly, you may visit the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page:

NAI Opt-Out: https://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp

We also use social media advertising platforms that may use cookies and pixel technologies to build advertising audiences and measure campaign performance. Your cookie consent choices on our website govern whether these technologies are activated.

Under applicable US state consumer privacy laws and under PIPEDA, the sharing of personal information with advertising platforms for targeted advertising may constitute a sale or sharing of personal information. You have the right to opt out. To exercise this right, you may: (a) decline Marketing cookies using the cookie consent banner on our website; (b) use a recognized Global Privacy Control signal; or (c) contact us directly using the information in Section 16. A “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link is available in the footer of our website.

6. Third-Party Services

We work with third-party service providers to operate our website and deliver our services. These providers are categorized by function below. We do not name specific vendors in this policy, as vendors may change over time. All third-party providers are required to handle your personal information in accordance with applicable privacy law.

Online Form and Appointment Providers

Platforms that collect and transmit appointment requests, new client registrations, consent forms, and general inquiries submitted through our website.

Communication and Scheduling Platforms

Platforms that manage appointment reminders, two-way SMS communications, automated phone systems, call recording, voicemail transcription, and client messaging.

Website Analytics Platforms

Platforms that collect anonymized data about website traffic, user behavior, and search performance to help us understand and improve our online presence. Analytics data collection is subject to your cookie consent choices.

Website Hosting Providers

Providers that host our website and store website-related data on secure servers.

Online Store Providers

Platforms that operate our online store, process product orders, manage product refill requests, and handle payment transactions. Payment information is processed directly by our online store provider and is not stored on our website servers.

Advertising Platforms

Platforms that serve targeted advertisements on search engines, social media networks, and other websites. Advertising functionality is subject to your Marketing cookie consent choices.

7. AI-Assisted Tools

7.1 No Medical Decisions by AI

No AI system or automated tool used by our clinic makes or contributes to veterinary medical decisions, diagnoses, or care plans. All clinical decisions are made exclusively by our licensed veterinary professionals.

7.2 Call Recording and Transcription

Telephone calls to and from Alta Vista Animal Hospital may be recorded for quality assurance, staff training, and operational purposes. Recorded calls may be transcribed and categorized using AI-assisted tools to support clinic operations. British Columbia law does not require all parties to a telephone call to consent to recording where one party to the call (such as our staff) has consented to the recording. However, we believe in transparency: by continuing a call after being informed that calls are recorded, you acknowledge and accept this practice.

Call recordings and transcriptions are retained only as long as operationally necessary or as required by applicable law.

7.3 Automated Communications

We use AI-assisted systems to send automated appointment reminders, post-visit follow-up messages, and client notifications by phone, SMS, and email. These systems are programmed to communicate based on information in your client file, such as upcoming appointment dates. All automated communications are managed and overseen by our clinic team.

7.4 AI Interaction Disclosure

Our website and phone system may use AI-powered tools including chatbots and interactive voice response (IVR) systems. When you interact with these tools, you may be communicating with an automated system rather than a human team member. We deploy these tools in compliance with applicable law. If you prefer to speak with a human team member, you may request this at any time during any interaction.

7.5 Your Rights Regarding AI Processing

To the extent that applicable law grants you rights regarding automated processing of your personal information, you may exercise those rights by contacting us using the information in Section 16. We will respond to such requests within the timeframe required by the applicable statute.

8. Data Protection and Security

We implement reasonable technical, administrative, and physical safeguards designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Our website uses SSL encryption for data transmitted between your browser and our website. Third-party providers we use are selected in part based on their security practices and compliance with applicable law.

No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8.1 Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach involving your personal information, we will notify you and the appropriate regulatory authorities as required by applicable law.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction and applicable law, you may have some or all of the following rights with respect to your personal information:

• Right to know — the right to know what personal information we have collected about you and how it is used and shared
• Right of access — the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Right to correction — the right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information
• Right to deletion — the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions
• Right to opt out of sale or sharing — the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information for targeted advertising purposes
• Right to data portability — the right to receive a copy of your personal information in a structured, commonly used format
• Right to non-discrimination — the right not to face discrimination or adverse action for exercising your privacy rights
• Right to withdraw consent — the right to withdraw consent to our processing of your personal information where consent is the legal basis for processing

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 16. We will respond within the timeframe required by the applicable statute.

Residents of British Columbia and other Canadian provinces have rights under PIPEDA and applicable provincial privacy legislation, including the right to access personal information held about them and to request corrections. To exercise your rights under Canadian privacy law, please contact us at the information in Section 16.

10. Sharing of Information

We do not sell your personal information to third parties for monetary consideration.

We may share your personal information with third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website and delivering our services, as described in Section 6. These providers are authorized to use your personal information only as necessary to provide services to us and are required to maintain appropriate confidentiality and security protections.

Under applicable US state consumer privacy laws, the sharing of personal information with advertising platforms for cross-context behavioral advertising may constitute “sharing” of personal information even without monetary exchange. We share personal information with advertising platforms for targeted advertising purposes only where you have consented via Marketing cookie acceptance, or where permitted by applicable law. You may opt out of this sharing as described in Section 5.4.

We may also disclose your personal information where required by law, court order, or regulatory authority, or where necessary to protect the safety, rights, or property of our clinic, our clients, or the public.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take prompt steps to delete that information. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us using the information in Section 16.

12. Links to External Websites

Our website may contain links to external websites that are not operated by us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external websites you visit.

Facebook / Meta Disclaimer: Our website may link to our social media pages on the Meta platforms (including Facebook and Instagram). Meta operates independently and collects data according to its own privacy policy. When you visit or interact with our social media pages, Meta may collect information about your activity in accordance with Meta’s data policy. Alta Vista Animal Hospital is not responsible for Meta’s data collection practices. We encourage you to review Meta’s Privacy Policy directly.

13. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, to comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. When personal information is no longer required for these purposes, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or anonymize it.

Veterinary patient records are retained in accordance with the requirements of applicable professional regulatory bodies in British Columbia.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this policy and, where appropriate, provide additional notice. The current version of this Privacy Policy is always available at altavistaanimalhospital.ca/privacy-policy. Your continued use of our website or services after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acknowledgment of the updated policy.

15. Website Design and Management

The Alta Vista Animal Hospital website is designed, built, and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc., a veterinary-focused digital marketing agency. VSA Vet Media Inc. acts as a service provider to Alta Vista Animal Hospital and processes personal information collected through this website solely on our behalf and in accordance with our instructions.

VSA Vet Media Inc. configures and maintains the cookie consent infrastructure, analytics integrations, and digital marketing tools on this website. VSA Vet Media Inc. does not use data collected from this website for its own independent purposes and does not sell or share that data with third parties except as necessary to provide services to us.

For the purposes of applicable US state consumer privacy laws, VSA Vet Media Inc. is a “service provider” or “processor” as those terms are defined under applicable law. For the purposes of PIPEDA and applicable Canadian privacy law, VSA Vet Media Inc. is a third-party service provider acting on our behalf.

16. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please contact us:

Alta Vista Animal Hospital

4543 Dunbar Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6S 2G7

Phone: (604) 221-5858

Email: altavistaah@gmail.com

Privacy Inquiries: altavistaah@gmail.com

Website: altavistaanimalhospital.ca

If you are a resident of British Columbia or another Canadian province and your concern is not resolved to your satisfaction, you have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) at www.priv.gc.ca, or with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC BC) at www.oipc.bc.ca.