Terms, Conditions & Privacy Policy
Southern Ocean Animal Hospital
Effective Date: October 22, 2026
Last Updated: October 23, 2026
Southern Ocean Animal Hospital (“SOAH,” “Hospital,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects the privacy of its clients, prospective clients, website visitors, and other individuals who communicate with or utilize our services.
These Terms, Conditions & Privacy Policy (“Policy”) govern the use of our website, online forms, electronic communications, and related digital services. They describe certain rights, responsibilities, limitations, and practices relating to the collection, processing, storage, and disclosure of information.
This Policy is intended to operate in conjunction with applicable federal and New Jersey laws, regulations, professional standards, and any additional agreements, authorizations, or consent forms provided by the Hospital.
Part I – Terms & Conditions
1. Acceptance and Scope
By accessing or using our website or submitting information through our online services, you acknowledge that you have been provided access to these Terms & Conditions and our Privacy Policy.
Your use of the website is subject to these terms and all applicable laws and regulations.
Separate written agreements, treatment authorizations, consent forms, financial arrangements, and other documents may govern the actual provision of veterinary services. In the event of a conflict, applicable law and the more specifically applicable agreement or authorization shall control.
The Hospital reserves the right to amend its website policies from time to time, subject to applicable notice and consent requirements.
2. Veterinary Information and Professional Services
Information provided on this website is for general educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute individualized veterinary medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or the establishment of a veterinarian-client-patient relationship.
Website content should not be relied upon as a substitute for an examination, professional consultation, or veterinary medical judgment.
The availability, suitability, and provision of veterinary services shall remain subject to the independent professional judgment of the attending licensed veterinarian, applicable standards of care, and relevant laws and regulations.
No particular medical outcome, treatment result, or prognosis is guaranteed.
3. Online Forms and Electronic Submissions
The Hospital may provide online forms for client registration, patient intake, general inquiries, appointment requests, medical-record authorizations, acknowledgments, releases, and other administrative purposes.
By submitting an online form, you represent that the information provided is accurate to the best of your knowledge and that you are authorized to submit such information.
Electronic submissions may be reviewed, processed, retained, and incorporated into the Hospital’s administrative or veterinary records as reasonably necessary for their intended purposes.
Submission of an online form does not, by itself, constitute confirmation of an appointment, approval of a requested service, acceptance of a patient, or authorization for veterinary treatment.
Specific consent, release, or waiver forms shall retain their own terms and requirements. Nothing in this general Policy shall be construed to replace a separate informed consent or authorization required by law.
4. Appointments and Emergency Communications
Requests submitted electronically are subject to confirmation by the Hospital.
The Hospital does not guarantee continuous monitoring of website submissions, emails, or other electronic correspondence.
Online forms must not be used to report veterinary emergencies or conditions requiring immediate medical attention.
In the event of an emergency, contact a veterinary professional or an appropriate emergency veterinary facility immediately.
5. Veterinary Records and Confidentiality
Veterinary patient records shall be created, maintained, retained, and disclosed in accordance with applicable New Jersey laws, regulations, and professional requirements.
The Hospital may require appropriate written authorization, verification of identity, or other documentation before releasing veterinary records, except where disclosure is otherwise authorized or required by law.
Requests for access to, correction of, or transfer of veterinary records shall be handled in accordance with applicable professional standards and legal requirements.
6. Client Communications
By providing contact information and requesting veterinary services, you authorize the Hospital to contact you regarding your inquiry, requested appointment, patient care, administrative matters, and other communications reasonably related to the services you request, subject to applicable law.
Communications may include telephone calls, email, or text messages where appropriate and authorized.
Communications for promotional or unrelated marketing purposes shall be subject to any additional consent or opt-out requirements imposed by applicable law.
Electronic communication is not guaranteed to be uninterrupted, confidential, or error-free, and clients should avoid transmitting unnecessary sensitive information through unsecured channels.
7. Fees, Payments, and Financial Arrangements
Unless expressly stated otherwise, website information does not constitute a binding quotation, guarantee of pricing, or commitment to provide services at a specified fee.
Fees, payment obligations, deposits, estimates, cancellations, and related financial arrangements shall be governed by the applicable Hospital policies and agreements communicated to the client.
Nothing in these Terms modifies applicable consumer rights or statutory protections.
8. Website Content and Intellectual Property
Unless otherwise indicated, website content, including text, photographs, graphics, logos, and original materials, is owned by or used with permission by the Hospital and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws.
Content may be accessed for personal, lawful, noncommercial purposes. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, or commercial use is prohibited except as permitted by law or authorized in writing.
9. Third-Party Services and External Websites
Our website may contain links to or integrations with third-party websites, payment providers, client portals, pharmacies, veterinary laboratories, communication services, or other independent providers.
Such services may be subject to separate terms and privacy policies.
The Hospital is not responsible for the independent practices of third-party operators except to the extent otherwise required by law or contractual obligation.
10. Disclaimer of Website Warranties
The website and its informational content are provided on an “as available” basis.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Hospital disclaims warranties concerning the uninterrupted availability, completeness, accuracy, or fitness of the website for any particular purpose.
This provision relates to website functionality and informational content and shall not be construed to waive any duty, professional standard, or legal obligation applicable to veterinary medical services.
11. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Hospital shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or similar damages arising solely from the use or inability to use its website or associated digital services.
Nothing in these Terms shall exclude or limit liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including applicable professional obligations and statutory consumer protections.
12. Governing Law and Severability
These website Terms shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey, without prejudice to otherwise applicable federal law or mandatory legal protections.
Subject to applicable law and jurisdictional requirements, disputes concerning these website Terms shall be resolved in an appropriate court of competent jurisdiction.
If any provision is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in effect to the extent permitted by law.
Part II – Privacy Policy
13. Information We Collect
In connection with website use, veterinary services, and related business operations, the Hospital may collect information in the following categories:
Personal and Contact Information
Names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and other information voluntarily provided by clients or prospective clients.
Veterinary Patient Information
Pet names, species, breeds, ages, medical histories, vaccination information, diagnostic information, treatment records, medications, and other information reasonably necessary for veterinary care or administration.
Forms and Communications
Information submitted through contact forms, intake forms, appointment requests, medical-record releases, electronic acknowledgments, and other communications.
Technical and Website Information
Internet Protocol addresses, device and browser information, website activity, access dates and times, referring websites, advertising identifiers, and other information obtained through cookies or comparable technologies.
Marketing Attribution Information
Information reasonably necessary to evaluate how visitors discover and interact with the Hospital’s website, including referral sources, available referring URLs, landing-page URLs, campaign identifiers, and the relationship between website visits and subsequent inquiries.
14. Purposes for Collecting and Using Information
The Hospital may collect, use, maintain, and otherwise process information for legitimate administrative, operational, professional, and business purposes, including:
- Responding to inquiries and arranging veterinary appointments.
- Establishing and maintaining client and patient records.
- Supporting veterinary examinations, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care.
- Communicating with clients regarding requested services.
- Processing authorized transactions and administrative requests.
- Maintaining the security, integrity, and functionality of our website and systems.
- Evaluating advertising effectiveness, referral sources, and website performance.
- Improving the accessibility, usability, and quality of our services.
- Complying with applicable laws, regulations, professional obligations, and lawful requests.
Information shall be processed in accordance with applicable legal requirements and any consent or authorization required for the particular activity.
15. Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising Attribution
The Hospital may use first-party cookies, server-generated identifiers, analytics technologies, and related tools to support website functionality, understand visitor interactions, measure advertising performance, and associate inquiries with their originating marketing sources.
Such information may include:
- The first identifiable visit to our website.
- The available URL of a referring website.
- The initial page visited on our website.
- Advertising campaign parameters and click identifiers.
- Subsequent identifiable marketing referrals.
- The date and general circumstances of an online form submission.
The Hospital may retain certain marketing attribution identifiers and associated visit information for a period of approximately 90 days from the most recent recognized website activity, where supported by the applicable technology and permitted by law.
The original referral information may be preserved during that period to help identify the source of a subsequent inquiry. Browser settings, privacy protections, deletion of cookies, and other technical limitations may affect recognition across visits.
Attribution information incorporated into an accepted client inquiry, administrative record, or form submission may be retained longer in accordance with the Hospital’s applicable record-retention requirements.
The Hospital may use third-party analytics or advertising technology providers. Such providers may process technical identifiers and website-interaction information in accordance with their services, applicable agreements, and legal requirements.
We do not intend to disclose the substantive contents of veterinary intake forms or patient treatment records to advertising platforms for behavioral advertising purposes.
16. Disclosure of Information to Third Parties
The Hospital may disclose information to third parties when reasonably necessary for authorized services, business operations, legal compliance, or other purposes permitted by applicable law.
Potential recipients may include:
- Veterinary specialists, laboratories, pharmacies, and other providers involved in authorized patient care.
- Website hosting, maintenance, security, and technical-support providers.
- Online form, client communication, appointment, and practice-management service providers.
- Payment processors and other providers involved in authorized transactions.
- Analytics and advertising service providers, limited to appropriate data categories and applicable purposes.
- Government agencies, regulators, courts, or other parties where disclosure is authorized or required by law.
Veterinary medical records shall remain subject to applicable confidentiality and release requirements.
The Hospital does not authorize the sale of veterinary patient medical records. Any processing, disclosure, or sale of personal data shall be subject to applicable New Jersey and federal legal restrictions, including prohibitions on the sale of sensitive data where applicable.
17. Data Security
The Hospital seeks to maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information processed.
These safeguards may include access restrictions, appropriate authentication, secure connections, software maintenance, system monitoring, and other protections reasonably suited to our operations.
Although reasonable measures are employed, no electronic storage or transmission method can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
The Hospital will evaluate and respond to information-security incidents in accordance with applicable legal requirements, including any legally required notifications.
18. Data Retention
Information may be retained for such periods as are reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with applicable recordkeeping requirements, support ongoing client relationships, resolve disputes, or meet other lawful obligations.
Different categories of information may be subject to different retention periods.
Website attribution information may be maintained for approximately 90 days on a rolling basis, subject to the qualifications described above.
Veterinary patient records, signed authorizations, accepted intake submissions, and related business records may be subject to longer retention requirements.
Where information is no longer required and no legal or operational basis for retention remains, the Hospital may delete, anonymize, or otherwise dispose of such information in accordance with applicable policies and law.
19. Privacy Rights and Requests
Depending upon applicable law and the nature of the information involved, individuals may have rights to request access to, correction of, or deletion of certain personal information, as well as to object to or opt out of specified data-processing activities.
Where the New Jersey Data Privacy Law applies, eligible consumers may possess additional rights concerning their personal data, including rights related to targeted advertising, sale of personal data, and certain forms of profiling.
Privacy requests may be submitted using the contact information provided below.
The Hospital may request information reasonably necessary to verify identity or authorization before acting on a request.
Requests will be reviewed and addressed within applicable legal timeframes. Certain information may be retained where necessary to comply with veterinary recordkeeping obligations, legal requirements, or other lawful exceptions.
Where required by applicable law, consumers may also submit requests through authorized representatives, appeal certain decisions, or exercise legally recognized opt-out mechanisms.
20. Advertising and Marketing Preferences
Visitors may be able to limit certain tracking or advertising technologies through available browser controls, privacy settings, opt-out mechanisms, or direct requests to the Hospital.
Where applicable law grants a right to opt out of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or specified profiling activities, the Hospital will honor qualifying requests in accordance with such law.
Marketing communications, where offered, will be subject to applicable consent, subscription, and unsubscribe requirements.
Declining optional marketing communications does not ordinarily prevent the Hospital from sending communications reasonably necessary to respond to an inquiry, administer an account, or provide requested veterinary services.
21. Children’s Privacy
Our website and online services are intended principally for adults and individuals authorized to make decisions regarding veterinary care.
We do not knowingly solicit personal information directly from children under the age of 13 through services intended for adults.
Where information concerning minors is processed, applica