Privacy Policy | Sidekick Vet

Sidekick Vet ("Sidekick Vet," "we," "our," or "us") is operated by PupPilot Corp. We collect personal data as part of providing our veterinary teletriage services ("Services"). Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you access or use our website at sidekick.vet and our veterinary teletriage platform.

By using or accessing our Services, you acknowledge that you accept the practices and policies outlined in this Privacy Policy and consent to our collection, use, and sharing of your information as described herein.

These privacy practices are part of our broader Terms of Service, which govern your use of our Services. By using our Services, you also agree to be bound by our Terms of Service, including our rules regarding eligibility, acceptable use, payment, dispute resolution, and arbitration. Please review both documents carefully.

Important: Sidekick Vet's veterinary teletriage consultations are facilitated through our service partner, The Pet Vet Connection, LLC ("Pet Vet Connection"), which provides the veterinary teletriage platform and licensed veterinarians. When you use our consultation services, your information is shared with Pet Vet Connection as described in this policy.

1. What This Privacy Policy Covers

This Privacy Policy covers how we treat Personal Data that we gather when you access or use our Services. "Personal Data" means any information that identifies or relates to a particular individual, including information referred to as "personally identifiable information" or "personal information" under applicable data privacy laws, rules, or regulations.

This Privacy Policy does not cover the practices of companies we do not own or control, or individuals we do not manage, including Pet Vet Connection's independent use of data outside of services provided through our platform.

2. Categories of Personal Data We Collect

The following table details the categories of Personal Data that we collect and have collected over the past 12 months:

Category of Personal Data	Examples	Third Parties We Share With
Profile / Contact Data	First and last name Email address Phone number Mailing address	Pet Vet Connection (consultation delivery) Service providers
Online Identifiers	Account username and password Unique user identifiers	Service providers
Pet Information	Pet name, species, breed, age, weight Pet medical history Vaccination records Current medications	Pet Vet Connection and consulting veterinarians
Consultation / Health Data	Symptoms described during consultations Photos and videos of your pet submitted during consultations Chat transcripts and video consultation recordings Triage assessments and next-step guidance Referral recommendations to local veterinarian	Pet Vet Connection and consulting veterinarians
Payment Data	Credit/debit card number (processed by our payment processor; we do not store full card numbers) Billing address Transaction history	Payment processor (Stripe)
Device / Analytics Data	IP address Browser type and version Device type and operating system Pages viewed, time spent, click paths Referring URL	Analytics providers

3. Sources of Personal Data

We collect Personal Data from the following sources:

You: When you create an account, use our Services, submit pet information, participate in a consultation, make a payment, or contact us.
Pet Vet Connection: When consulting veterinarians generate triage assessments and next-step guidance during your consultations. PVC sends us a copy of all consultation records for our files.
Automatic collection: When you visit our website or use our platform, we automatically collect device and analytics data through cookies and similar technologies.
Payment processors: Transaction confirmation and billing data from Stripe.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the Personal Data we collect for the following business purposes:

Providing Services: Facilitating veterinary teletriage consultations between you and licensed veterinarians through Pet Vet Connection, generating visit summaries, and providing referral guidance to your local veterinarian.
Account management: Creating and managing your account, authenticating your identity, and maintaining your consultation history.
Payment processing: Processing payments for consultations and managing billing.
Communications: Sending consultation confirmations, follow-up care reminders, account notifications, and responding to your inquiries.
Improvement: Analyzing usage patterns to improve our Services, troubleshoot issues, and develop new features.
Safety and security: Detecting and preventing fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
Legal compliance: Complying with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your Personal Data.

We may share your Personal Data with the following categories of third parties:

Pet Vet Connection, LLC

Your consultation data, pet information, and contact details are shared with Pet Vet Connection and their licensed veterinarians to deliver the veterinary telehealth services you request. Pet Vet Connection operates the telehealth platform and employs the veterinarians who conduct your consultations. This is a core function of our Services and cannot be opted out of while using the consultation features.

Service Providers

We share data with service providers who perform services on our behalf, including:

Payment processing: Stripe processes your payment information.
Hosting and infrastructure: Cloud service providers that host our website and store data.
Analytics: Providers that help us understand how our website is used.
Communications: Email and SMS service providers for notifications and reminders.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, in response to a valid legal process (such as a subpoena or court order), to protect the rights, property, or safety of Sidekick Vet, our users, or the public, or to enforce our Terms of Service.

Business Transfers

If Sidekick Vet is involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your Personal Data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change and any choices you may have regarding your information.

6. Consultation Recordings and Records

Veterinary teletriage consultations conducted through our platform may be recorded (video and/or text chat). These recordings and transcripts are:

Used to generate visit summaries and next-step guidance for your reference
Stored securely by Pet Vet Connection as the primary custodian of the veterinary record
Copied to Sidekick Vet — Pet Vet Connection sends us a copy of all consultation records, which we retain indefinitely in our systems as part of your account history
Accessible to the consulting veterinarian and authorized Pet Vet Connection staff for service delivery, and to authorized Sidekick Vet personnel for account support and service improvement

Because Sidekick Vet retains consultation records indefinitely, you can request copies of your past consultations at any time through your account or by contacting us, even if significant time has passed since the consultation.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect information about your browsing activity on our website. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.

Types of Cookies We Use

Cookie Type	Purpose	Can You Opt Out?
Strictly Necessary	Required for the website to function — session management, security, load balancing	No — required for service
Payment Processing	Cookies set by Stripe for secure payment processing and fraud prevention	No — required for payment

We currently use only strictly necessary cookies and payment-processing cookies. We do not use analytics, marketing, or retargeting cookies. If we add analytics or marketing cookies in the future, we will update this policy and implement a consent mechanism. For more details, see our Cookie Policy.

8. Data Retention

We retain your Personal Data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Because Sidekick Vet operates in all 50 states, we apply the most stringent state requirement as our baseline to ensure compliance everywhere.

Data Type	Retention Period
Account data	Duration of your account plus 30 days after deletion request
Consultation records and veterinary records	Minimum 7 years from the date of the consultation, or the maximum period required by the most stringent applicable state veterinary record retention law, whichever is longer. PVC maintains the primary veterinary record; Sidekick Vet retains its copy of consultation records indefinitely.
Payment and transaction records	7 years (tax and financial record-keeping requirements)
Analytics and device data	24 months
Communications preferences	Duration of your account

When you request deletion of your account, we will delete your account data and personal profile within 30 days. However, consultation records will be retained for the minimum period described above, as required by veterinary record retention laws. After the retention period expires, records will be securely destroyed.

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your Personal Data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest
Access controls limiting who can view your data to authorized personnel only
Regular security assessments and monitoring
Secure payment processing through PCI-DSS compliant providers

We require Pet Vet Connection to maintain comparable security measures for data processed on our behalf.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that affects your Personal Data, we will notify you in accordance with applicable state breach notification laws. We will also notify relevant regulatory authorities as required.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Services are not directed to individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect Personal Data from children under 16. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with Personal Data, please contact us and we will take steps to delete such information.

11. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your Personal Data, including:

Right to know / access: Request information about what Personal Data we have collected about you and obtain a copy.
Right to correct: Request correction of inaccurate Personal Data.
Right to delete: Request deletion of your Personal Data, subject to certain exceptions (such as veterinary record retention requirements).
Right to opt out: Opt out of the sale or sharing of your Personal Data for targeted advertising. Note: we do not sell your Personal Data.
Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us. We will respond to your request within 45 days (or as required by applicable law). We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

You may also designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. We may require the authorized agent to provide proof of authorization.

12. Nevada Residents

If you are a Nevada resident, you have the right to opt out of the sale of certain covered information we may collect about you. We do not currently sell covered information as defined under Nevada law, but you may submit an opt-out request to support@puppilot.co and we will honor it if our practices change in the future.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where required by law, provide you with additional notice (such as an email notification or a prominent notice on our website). Your continued use of the Services after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or have a complaint about our data practices, please contact us:

Sidekick Vet (operated by PupPilot Corp)
Email: support@puppilot.co (subject line: [Sidekick Vet])
Website: https://www.sidekick.vet