Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

PetVet (PTY) Ltd (Registration No. 2026/370983/07) is a South African company operating the PetVet pet health management platform at petvet.org.za and via our associated mobile and web applications.

For purposes of POPIA, PetVet (PTY) Ltd is the responsible party for personal information processed through our platform.

Contact details

Directors: Stephen van der Merwe & Charleen van der Merwe
Email: privacy@petvet.org.za
Website: petvet.org.za

2. Information we collect

Account information

• Full name and email address (required to create an account)
• Password (stored in encrypted form — we never store plaintext passwords)
• Subscription tier and billing details where applicable

Pet information

• Pet name, species, breed, sex, date of birth, and microchip number
• Health records including vaccinations, treatments, diagnoses, and vet visit notes
• Uploaded documents such as vaccination certificates and vet reports
• Expense records associated with your pets
• Reminder settings and notification preferences

Usage information

• Log data including IP address, browser type, and pages visited
• Device information and operating system
• Interaction data to improve platform functionality

Communications

• Messages you send us via our contact form or email
• Feedback and support requests

3. How we use your information

We use your personal information only for the following purposes:

• To provide, operate, and maintain the PetVet platform
• To send reminders and notifications you have configured
• To process payments and manage your subscription
• To respond to your support requests and enquiries
• To improve and develop platform features based on usage patterns
• To comply with legal obligations under South African law
• To detect, prevent, and address technical issues or fraudulent activity

4. Sharing of information

We share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

Service providers

We use trusted third-party service providers to help operate our platform, including cloud hosting (Supabase/AWS), email delivery, and payment processing. These providers are contractually bound to process data only on our instructions and in accordance with POPIA.

Veterinary partners (with your consent)

If you choose to share your pet's health records with a registered veterinary clinic through PetVet, that clinic will have access to the records you authorise. You control this sharing at all times.

Legal requirements

We may disclose information where required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of PetVet, our users, or the public.

Business transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or prominent notice on our platform before your data is transferred or becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

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. You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time.

Pet health records you have created will be retained for a minimum of 5 years from the date of creation to ensure continuity of care, unless you explicitly request earlier deletion.

After account deletion, we may retain anonymised, aggregated data that cannot be used to identify you for platform improvement and statistical purposes.

6. Your rights under POPIA

As a data subject under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, you have the following rights:

• Right to access — You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to correction — You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to deletion — You may request deletion of your personal information, subject to any legal retention obligations.
• Right to object — You may object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Right to lodge a complaint — You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.

Information Regulator contact details

The Information Regulator (South Africa)
Website: inforegulator.org.za
Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za

To exercise any of your rights, contact us at privacy@petvet.org.za. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS/HTTPS
• Encryption of passwords using bcrypt hashing
• Row-level security on all database tables
• Regular security reviews of our infrastructure
• Access controls limiting staff access to personal data

While we take all reasonable precautions, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password and to notify us immediately if you suspect any unauthorised access to your account.

8. Cookies

PetVet uses essential cookies and session tokens to keep you logged in and to maintain the security of your session. We do not use third-party advertising cookies.

You may disable cookies in your browser settings, but this may prevent certain features of the platform from functioning correctly.

9. Children's privacy

PetVet is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by email or by placing a prominent notice on our platform at least 30 days before the changes take effect.

Your continued use of PetVet after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact us