Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Killarney Animal Hospital (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website at killarneyanimalhospital.com and provides veterinary care services to clients in East Vancouver, British Columbia. We are committed to protecting the privacy of our clients, website visitors, and anyone who interacts with our services.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and how you can exercise your privacy rights. It applies to information collected through our website, telephone communications, online forms, text messaging programs, and any other point of contact with our practice.

By using our website or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when you interact with us, including:

• Your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address
• Your pet’s name, species, breed, age, and health history
• Appointment requests and booking information
• Messages submitted through contact or inquiry forms on our website
• Product refill requests submitted through our online store
• Service inquiry details submitted through our website forms
• Payment information processed through our third-party payment providers
• Communications you send us by telephone, email, or text message

Form submissions made through our website are delivered to us by email and are not stored in a database on the website server.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies, including:

• Your IP address and general geographic location
• Browser type and version, operating system, and device type
• Pages visited, time spent on each page, and navigation path
• Referring website or search query that brought you to our site
• Interactions with our website content and features

This information is collected by our website analytics platform, advertising platforms, and tag management system, which are described further in Sections 5 and 6 below.

2.3 Communication Platforms

When you communicate with us by telephone or through our automated communication systems, we may collect:

• Call recordings and transcripts of telephone conversations
• Voicemail messages left with our practice
• Text message content and records of message delivery
• Automated appointment reminders and confirmation responses

We use third-party communication platforms to manage these interactions. These platforms may process your information on our behalf as described in Section 6.

3. How We Use Your Information

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

• Providing veterinary care services and responding to your inquiries
• Scheduling appointments and sending reminders and follow-up communications
• Processing product refill requests and online store orders
• Sending appointment confirmations, health reminders, and other service communications
• Processing payments and maintaining business records
• Operating and improving our website and digital services
• Conducting website analytics to understand how visitors use our site
• Delivering and measuring the effectiveness of online advertising campaigns
• Complying with applicable legal and regulatory obligations
• Detecting, preventing, and responding to fraud, security incidents, and technical issues

We do not sell your personal information to third parties, and we do not use your information for purposes that are incompatible with those described in this policy.

4. SMS and Text Message Communications

Killarney Animal Hospital may send you text messages (SMS) for appointment reminders, confirmations, follow-up communications, and other service-related notifications. By providing your mobile telephone number and opting in to our text messaging program, you consent to receiving these messages.

Opt-out: You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any message you receive from us. No further messages will be sent to your number after we process your opt-out request.

Help: Reply HELP to any message for assistance, or contact us using the information in Section 16.

Opt-out by other means: You may also opt out by contacting us directly by telephone, email, or any other reasonable method.

Processing time: Opt-out requests are processed within ten business days of receipt.

Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. We do not share your mobile telephone number with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

5.1 Types of Cookies We Use

Our website uses the following categories of cookies and similar tracking technologies:

5.2 Cookie Consent

When you first visit our website, a cookie consent banner will be displayed. You may accept all cookie categories, accept Essential cookies only, or manage your preferences by category. Your consent choices are saved in your browser and can be changed at any time by accessing the cookie preferences link on our website.

Our website’s cookie consent infrastructure is configured and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc. on our behalf.

5.3 Global Privacy Control and Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms

We recognize the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal and other universal opt-out mechanisms (UOOM) as valid expressions of your privacy preferences where required by applicable law. If your browser transmits a GPC signal, we will treat it as a request to opt out of the use of cookies and tracking technologies that are not strictly necessary for the operation of our website, to the extent required by law in your jurisdiction.

5.4 Online Advertising and Remarketing

We use online advertising services to display advertisements to visitors who have previously visited our website (remarketing or retargeting). These services place cookies in your browser that allow advertising platforms to recognize your device and show you relevant ads on other websites and services.

Our advertising is targeted to local audiences within a defined geographic radius around our practice. We do not target national or international audiences.

You may opt out of interest-based advertising at any time using the following tools:

• Google Ads settings: https://www.google.com/settings/ads
• Network Advertising Initiative opt-out: https://optout.networkadvertising.org/

Opting out does not mean you will stop seeing ads. It means the ads you see will no longer be based on your prior website visits.

6. Third-Party Services

We use third-party service providers to support the operation of our website and practice. We do not identify these providers by name in this policy because vendors change over time and naming them creates a maintenance burden. Instead, we describe them by functional category.

Each provider processes your personal information only as necessary to perform the service for which we have engaged them and is contractually required to protect your information in accordance with applicable law.

The functional categories of third parties with whom we share information include:

• Online appointment and form providers: Platforms that receive and deliver form submissions, appointment requests, and service inquiries made through our website.
• Communication and scheduling platforms: Services that manage appointment reminders, text messaging, call recording, voicemail, and automated client communications.
• Website analytics platforms: Tools that collect and analyze data about website traffic and visitor behavior in aggregate to help us understand and improve our site.
• Online advertising platforms: Services that deliver and measure the effectiveness of our digital advertising campaigns, including platforms that support remarketing audiences.
• Social media platforms: Networks on which we maintain a business presence and through which we may run advertising campaigns. These platforms collect data about users who interact with our content or ads, in accordance with their own privacy policies.
• Website hosting providers: Services that host and maintain the infrastructure on which our website operates.
• Online store providers: Platforms that process product orders, product refill requests, and payment transactions made through our online store.
• Payment processors: Third-party providers that handle payment card transactions. We do not store payment card numbers on our systems.

7. AI-Assisted Tools

7.1 No Medical Decisions by AI

No artificial intelligence tool used by our practice makes medical decisions about your pet. Clinical assessments, diagnoses, and care recommendations are made exclusively by licensed veterinary professionals. AI tools are used only to support administrative and communication functions as described below.

7.2 Call Recording and Transcription

Telephone calls to and from our practice may be recorded for quality assurance, staff training, and service improvement purposes. Calls may also be transcribed using automated tools. By calling us, you acknowledge that your call may be recorded and transcribed.

If you prefer not to have your call recorded, please inform us at the beginning of the call and we will accommodate your request where operationally possible.

7.3 Automated Communications

We use automated systems to send appointment reminders, follow-up messages, and other routine communications by text message, email, or automated telephone call. These systems may use your appointment data and contact preferences to generate and deliver messages on our behalf.

7.4 AI Interaction Disclosure

Our website and telephone system may use automated chat tools or interactive voice response (IVR) systems that involve artificial intelligence. Where required by applicable law, you will be informed when you are interacting with an automated system rather than a human staff member. We deploy these tools in compliance with applicable law.

7.5 Your Rights Regarding AI-Processed Data

If your personal information has been processed by an AI-assisted tool used by our practice, you retain all of the privacy rights described in Section 9 of this policy with respect to that information. You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of information processed by these tools by contacting us as described in Section 16.

8. Data Protection and Security

We implement technical and organizational measures designed to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include SSL encryption on our website, access controls limiting who can view personal data, and contractual data protection requirements imposed on our third-party service providers.

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

8.1 Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the following rights with respect to your personal information:

• Right to access: The right to request confirmation of whether we process your personal information and to obtain a copy of it.
• Right to correction: The right to request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
• Right to deletion: The right to request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions permitted by law.
• Right to restrict processing: The right to request that we limit the ways in which we use your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: The right to receive a copy of your personal information in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to object: The right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Right to opt out of sale or sharing: The right to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information as those terms are defined under applicable US state consumer privacy laws. We do not sell your personal information. We may share limited information with our advertising platform providers for the purpose of delivering and measuring advertising campaigns, which may constitute “sharing” under applicable law.

We will respond to verifiable privacy rights requests within the timeframe required by the applicable statute. To submit a request, please contact us using the information in Section 16. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

Residents of British Columbia may also submit complaints to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC BC). Canadian residents may submit complaints to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC).

A “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link is available in the footer of our website. You may use this link to exercise your opt-out rights under applicable US state consumer privacy laws.

10. Sharing of Information

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We share your information only in the following circumstances:

• Service providers: We share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, as described in Section 6. These providers are permitted to use your information only to provide the contracted services.
• Advertising platforms: We share limited information, such as hashed contact data or browser cookie identifiers, with our advertising platform providers for the purpose of delivering and measuring advertising campaigns. This sharing may qualify as “sharing” for cross-context behavioral advertising under applicable US state consumer privacy laws.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose your information when required by law, regulation, court order, or government authority, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our business, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such transfer to the extent required by applicable law.

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 you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately using the information in Section 16 and we will take steps to delete that information.

12. Links to External Websites

Our website may contain links to external websites, including pet health resources, licensing authorities, and other third-party sites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external site you visit.

Social media platforms: Our website includes links to our social media profiles. When you interact with our content on social media platforms, those platforms collect and use your information in accordance with their own privacy policies. We do not control how social media platforms collect or use your data, and we are not responsible for their privacy practices. We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any social media platform you use.

13. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. The appropriate retention period depends on the nature of the information and the purpose for which it was collected.

Medical records for veterinary patients are retained in accordance with applicable provincial veterinary regulatory requirements. When personal information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to securely delete or anonymize it.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, applicable law, or the services we provide. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

15. Website Design and Management

The website at killarneyanimalhospital.com is designed, developed, and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc., a veterinary-focused digital marketing agency based in Vancouver, British Columbia. VSA Vet Media Inc. acts as a service provider to Killarney Animal Hospital for the purpose of website design, development, hosting coordination, search engine optimization, and digital advertising management.

In its capacity as a service provider, VSA Vet Media Inc. processes personal information collected through this website only as instructed by and on behalf of the practice. VSA Vet Media Inc. does not use personal information collected through this website for its own independent purposes and is contractually required to protect such information in accordance with applicable privacy law.

For the purposes of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and applicable US state consumer privacy laws, VSA Vet Media Inc. is a service provider to Killarney Animal Hospital.

16. Contact Information and Privacy Requests

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or have a concern about how we handle your personal information, please contact us:

We will acknowledge your request within a reasonable time and respond within the timeframe required by the applicable statute.