Privacy Policy
1. Introduction
NorthWest Animal Hospital (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of our clients and website visitors. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you interact with our website at nwvet.ca, contact us by phone or message, or use any of our digital services.
This policy applies to all personal information collected through our website, appointment booking tools, communication platforms, online store, and any other digital touchpoints managed on our behalf.
We comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the Personal Information Protection Act (Alberta) (PIPA), and all applicable US state consumer privacy laws to the extent they apply to residents of those states who interact with our services.
By using our website or services, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use our website.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, including:
- Name, email address, phone number, and mailing address when you complete a contact, appointment request, new client registration, or online store form
- Pet information, including your pet’s name, species, breed, and age, when provided in connection with a service inquiry or appointment
- Payment information when you place an order through our online store. Payment card data is processed by a third-party payment processor and is not stored on our servers
- Messages, questions, or other content you submit through our website contact forms or chatbot
- Preferences or feedback you share with us directly
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically by our analytics and tag management tools, including:
- IP address and general geographic location
- Browser type and version, device type, and operating system
- Pages visited, time spent on each page, and navigation paths through our website
- Referring website or search query that brought you to our site
- Date and time of your visit
- Cookie identifiers associated with your device (see Section 5)
This information is used to understand how visitors use our website, improve site performance, and support our advertising and analytics activities.
2.3 Communication Platforms
When you contact us by phone, text message, or through automated communication tools, we may collect:
- Your phone number and the content of your communications
- Call recordings and transcriptions of voicemail messages (see Section 7.2)
- Appointment-related messages and automated reminders
- Responses to review requests and other automated outreach
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:
- To schedule, confirm, and manage veterinary appointments
- To respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
- To process orders placed through our online store
- To send appointment reminders, follow-up communications, and service-related notifications
- To improve our website content, structure, and user experience
- To analyze website traffic and measure the effectiveness of our digital marketing
- To serve relevant advertising to people who have previously visited our website (see Section 5.4)
- To comply with legal and regulatory obligations
- To detect, prevent, and address fraud, security incidents, or technical issues
We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not use your information for purposes beyond those described in this policy without first obtaining your consent, except where permitted or required by law.
4. SMS and Text Message Communications
We may send you text messages for appointment reminders, service updates, and other communications related to your care at NorthWest Animal Hospital. By providing your mobile phone number and consenting to SMS communications, you agree to receive these messages.
Message frequency varies based on your appointment schedule and preferences. Standard message and data rates may apply.
To opt out of SMS communications at any time, reply STOP to any text message you receive from us. To request help, reply HELP. You may also opt out by contacting us at (403) 930-3500 or info@nwvet.ca, or by any other reasonable method. Opt-out requests will be processed within 10 business days.
Opting out of SMS does not affect your ability to receive services from our clinic.
5. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
5.1 Types of Cookies We Use
Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies. We use three categories of cookies, which are described below. These categories correspond exactly to the options presented in our cookie consent banner.
- Essential Cookies: These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They are typically set in response to actions you take, such as filling in a form or setting your privacy preferences. Without these cookies, parts of the website may not work properly. Essential cookies are always active.
- Statistics Cookies: These cookies allow us to count visits and understand how visitors interact with our website, so we can measure and improve performance. All information collected by statistics cookies is aggregated and anonymous. These cookies are set only with your consent.
- Marketing Cookies: These cookies are used to build a profile of your interests and serve relevant advertising on our site and other platforms. They track your activity across websites. These cookies are set only with your consent.
5.2 Cookie Consent
When you first visit our website, you will be presented with a consent banner that allows you to accept or decline non-essential cookie categories. Your preferences will be remembered for future visits. You may update your cookie preferences at any time by accessing the cookie settings link in our website footer.
Our cookie consent infrastructure is configured and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc. as part of their website management services for NorthWest Animal Hospital.
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 a consumer’s intent to opt out of the sale or sharing of their personal information. If your browser or device sends a GPC signal, we will treat it as an opt-out request for any activities that constitute “selling” or “sharing” under applicable privacy laws.
5.4 Online Advertising and Remarketing
Our website uses advertising technologies that allow us to show relevant advertisements to people who have previously visited nwvet.ca when they browse other websites and platforms. This is commonly referred to as remarketing or retargeting.
This advertising activity uses cookies and tracking pixels to identify prior visitors to our site. The information collected is used to serve advertisements about our veterinary services to audiences who have already shown interest in our clinic. We engage in local-radius advertising only and do not target national or international audiences.
As a result of this advertising activity, your information may be “shared” as that term is defined under applicable privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA). You have the right to opt out of this sharing. See Section 9 for information about your privacy rights.
You may opt out of interest-based advertising through the following resources:
- Google Ads Settings: https://www.google.com/settings/ads
- Network Advertising Initiative opt-out: https://optout.networkadvertising.org/
Opting out through these tools may not remove all advertising, but it will prevent personalized ads based on your browsing history.
6. Third-Party Services
We work with third-party service providers to operate our website and deliver our services. These providers access your information only to the extent necessary to perform their functions and are contractually required to handle your information in accordance with this policy and applicable privacy laws.
We do not name specific third-party vendors in this policy. Third-party services are categorized below by the function they perform:
- Online appointment and form providers: Services that power our website contact forms, appointment request forms, and new client registration submissions. Form submissions are delivered by email and are not stored in a third-party database.
- Online store providers: Services that process orders, manage product inventory, and facilitate payment transactions through our online store. Payment card data is handled entirely by our payment processor and is never stored on our servers.
- Communication and scheduling platforms: Services that manage appointment reminders, SMS communications, call recording, voicemail transcription, and automated client outreach.
- Website analytics platforms: Services that collect and report on website traffic, visitor behavior, and performance metrics. Analytics data is aggregated where possible and used to improve our website and digital services.
- Website hosting providers: Services that host and maintain the infrastructure on which our website operates.
- Advertising platforms: Services that deliver targeted advertising and manage remarketing audiences based on website visitor behavior. See Section 5.4.
Each of these providers operates under their own privacy policies in addition to the agreements they hold with us. We encourage you to review the privacy practices of any third-party service you interact with directly.
7. AI-Assisted Tools
7.1 No Medical Decisions by AI
No artificial intelligence tool used by NorthWest Animal Hospital or its service providers is used to make medical decisions about your pet. AI features are limited to administrative and communication functions only. All clinical decisions are made by licensed veterinary professionals.
7.2 Call Recording
Telephone calls to and from NorthWest Animal Hospital may be recorded for quality assurance, training, and operational purposes. By calling our clinic, you consent to the recording of the call.
Voicemail messages left for our clinic may be automatically transcribed using AI-assisted transcription tools. Transcriptions are used internally to assist our team in responding to your inquiry and are not shared with third parties except as necessary to deliver the service.
7.3 Automated Communications
We use automated systems to send appointment reminders, follow-up messages, and other service-related communications by phone, text, or email. These systems may use AI features to schedule, personalize, or route communications. Automated communications will identify themselves as automated where required by applicable law.
7.4 AI Interaction Disclosure
Our website may include a chatbot or automated phone attendant that uses AI to respond to common questions and route inquiries. These tools are designed to assist you and connect you with our team. Where required by applicable law, AI-powered interactions will be identified as such. We collect and may retain the content of interactions with these tools in compliance with applicable law.
7.5 Your Rights Regarding AI-Processed Data
Where your personal information is processed by AI-assisted tools, you retain all of the privacy rights described in Section 9 of this policy. You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of information processed by these tools by contacting us using the information in Section 16.
8. Data Protection and Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the personal information we hold from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include SSL encryption for data transmitted through our website and secure access controls for systems that store or process personal information.
No method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure. While we take data protection seriously and maintain appropriate safeguards, we cannot guarantee absolute security of your information.
8.1 Data Breach Notification
In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify affected individuals and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.
9. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your province of residence or, if you are a US resident, your state of residence, you may have some or all of the following rights with respect to your personal information:
- Right to know: The right to request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
- Right of access: The right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Right to correction: The right to request that inaccurate or incomplete personal information be corrected.
- Right to deletion: The right to request that your personal information be deleted, subject to certain legal exceptions.
- Right to opt out of sale or sharing: The right to direct us not to sell or share your personal information. We do not sell personal information. You may opt out of sharing for advertising purposes as described in Sections 5.3 and 5.4.
- Right to data portability: The right to receive your personal information in a portable format where technically feasible.
- Right to non-discrimination: You will not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights.
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 legislation.
If you are a California resident, the CCPA/CPRA provides you with specific rights regarding your personal information, including the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. A “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link is available in the footer of our website.
Residents of other US states with applicable consumer privacy laws may exercise their rights under those laws by contacting us directly. We will respond within the timeframe required by the applicable state statute.
Alberta residents may also direct privacy complaints to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta. Canadian residents may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
10. Sharing of Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your personal information in the following limited circumstances:
- With service providers: We share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website, communicating with clients, and delivering our digital services, as described in Section 6. These providers are contractually bound to use your information only as directed by us.
- For advertising purposes: As described in Section 5.4, we may share information with advertising platforms to deliver remarketing advertising. This activity may constitute “sharing” under applicable privacy laws. You may opt out at any time.
- To comply with legal obligations: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or government authority, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of our clinic, our clients, or the public.
- In a business transaction: If NorthWest Animal Hospital is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will provide notice before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
11. Children’s Privacy
Our website and digital services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you believe we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately using the information in Section 16 and we will take steps to delete it.
12. Links to External Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including social media platforms and external resources. These links are provided for your convenience. We do not control the content or privacy practices of external websites and are not responsible for their privacy policies. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any external site you visit.
Our website includes links to our pages on social media platforms operated by Meta Platforms, Inc. (including Facebook and Instagram). Our use of these platforms and the associated tools is governed by Meta’s own privacy policies, terms of service, and data practices. NorthWest Animal Hospital is not responsible for the data collection practices of Meta or any Meta-owned platform. Any personal information you provide directly to Meta through its platforms is subject to Meta’s privacy policy.
13. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, to maintain our client records, to comply with legal obligations, and to resolve disputes. The specific retention period for any category of information depends on the nature of the information and the purpose for which it was collected.
When personal information is no longer required, 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, legal obligations, or the services we provide. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this policy and post the revised policy on our website.
We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website and services after any changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
15. Website Design and Management
The NorthWest 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 and data processor in connection with the website and certain digital services delivered on behalf of NorthWest Animal Hospital.
In this capacity, VSA Vet Media Inc. may access personal information submitted through the website in order to maintain website functionality, configure analytics and advertising tools, manage the cookie consent infrastructure, and perform other services as directed by NorthWest Animal Hospital. VSA Vet Media Inc. does not use this information for its own marketing purposes and is bound by a service provider agreement that restricts its use of personal information to the services described.
For the purposes of applicable privacy laws, including PIPEDA and the CCPA/CPRA, VSA Vet Media Inc. is identified as a service provider to NorthWest Animal Hospital.
16. Contact Information
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please contact us:
Practice Name | NorthWest Animal Hospital |
Address | 110, 141 Carrington Plaza, NW Calgary, AB T3P 1Y3 |
Phone | (403) 930-3500 |
info@nwvet.ca | |
Website | nwvet.ca |