A transparent marketplace for pet owners to compare veterinary costs, track medical history, and coordinate prescription fulfillment through trusted partners.

Community Guidelines

1. Our Mission & The Big Picture

VetCostIQ was built so that no pet parent ever has to choose between their beloved companion and their bank account without knowing the real cost upfront. Every invoice shared, every review written, and every price reported moves us closer to a world where veterinary pricing is transparent and accessible to everyone.

When you contribute to this community, you are participating in something bigger than yourself. Your data helps a family in your city budget for an unexpected surgery, helps a college student decide whether they can afford to adopt, and helps hold an industry accountable to the people it serves. Treat that responsibility with the seriousness it deserves.

These guidelines exist to protect the integrity of that mission. They apply to every account, every contribution, every review, and every message sent through the Platform.

2. Standards for Uploading Data

Accurate data is the foundation of everything we do. When uploading invoices, contributing prices, or reporting hospital information, you agree to:

Upload only real, unaltered invoices and receipts from genuine veterinary visits. Fabricated, doctored, or placeholder documents are strictly prohibited.
Report prices you personally paid or observed. Do not guess, estimate, or copy prices from other websites unless clearly labeled as such.
Map line items to the correct service categories to the best of your ability. Honest mistakes are fine — deliberate miscategorization to make a hospital look better or worse is not.
Respect the privacy of others. Do not upload invoices belonging to friends or family without their consent, and never include another person’s name, address, or contact information in a public contribution.
Use the visibility controls provided. Mark your invoice private if you do not want it shared, and never attempt to expose data that another user has chosen to keep private.

3. Responsible Participation

Being part of this community means acting in good faith. You are trusted with real data that real people rely on for real financial and medical decisions. That trust is a privilege, not a right.

We expect you to engage honestly, treat other members with respect, and contribute only what you know to be true. If you are unsure whether a contribution is accurate, hold back until you can verify it. A smaller, trustworthy dataset is worth more than a large, unreliable one.

Remember that behind every hospital name on this Platform are real veterinarians, technicians, and staff who go to work every day to help animals. Critique pricing and practices honestly, but do so with the understanding that this is a professional community serving a shared cause.

4. Writing Honest Reviews

Reviews help other pet parents choose the right provider. To keep reviews useful and trustworthy:

Write only about your own genuine experience at the hospital. Do not post on behalf of others or fabricate a visit you did not attend.
Be specific and factual. Mention what you paid, what service was performed, and what your experience was actually like. Vague rants help no one.
Never accept payment, discounts, or favors in exchange for writing a review — positive or negative. Paid or incentivized reviews are prohibited and will be removed.
Do not post a review to retaliate against a hospital over a billing dispute. Use the review to describe your experience factually; resolve billing disputes directly with the provider.
Reviews should reflect the visit described. Do not copy and paste the same review across multiple hospitals or post multiple reviews for a single visit.

5. Respectful Conduct — No Profanity, Hate, or Harassment

This is a community for pet parents, veterinary professionals, and partners. Everyone deserves to participate without being subjected to abusive behavior. The following are strictly prohibited in reviews, messages, contributions, and any other content on the Platform:

Profanity, vulgarity, or crude language, including masked profanity (e.g., replacing letters with symbols) intended to circuminate filters.
Hate speech of any kind — including content that attacks, demeans, or incites hostility toward a person or group based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other protected characteristic.
Harassment, bullying, or sustained targeting of another user, hospital, pharmacy, or individual staff member.
Threats of violence, harm, or illegal activity toward any person, business, or animal.
Personal attacks on named veterinarians or staff. Critique the service and the pricing; do not demean individuals.
Sexually explicit content, graphic descriptions of animal harm, or other material that a reasonable person would find disturbing or inappropriate.
Doxxing — posting private contact information, home addresses, or personal details of any individual.

6. Staying in Good Standing

Accounts in good standing are those that consistently follow these guidelines and contribute positively to the community. To maintain your standing:

Contribute accurate, honestly-labeled data and reviews only.
Respond to moderation messages promptly and in good faith.
Respect the decisions of community moderators and escalate disagreements through the proper channel rather than retaliating.
Keep your account credentials secure and do not share your account with others.
Report violations you encounter rather than engaging with or amplifying them.

7. Enforcement & Content Moderation

VetCostIQ moderates all user-generated content — invoices, price contributions, reviews, and messages. Moderation may be automated (profanity and hate-speech filters), manual (admin review), or reported (flagged by other users).

We reserve the right to edit, hide, or remove any content that violates these guidelines. We also reserve the right to restrict account features, suspend accounts, or issue permanent bans for serious or repeated violations.

Most first-time, minor violations result in a warning and content removal rather than an immediate ban. We aim to be fair and educational first, firm second.

8. How You Can Be Banned

The following violations may result in immediate account suspension or permanent ban, with or without prior warning:

Uploading fabricated, doctored, or fraudulent invoices or price reports.
Posting hate speech, threats, or content that targets a protected group.
Harassing, bullying, or doxxing another user, hospital, or individual.
Accepting or offering payment in exchange for reviews or price contributions.
Falsely claiming a hospital or pharmacy listing you do not represent.
Attempting to manipulate ratings, prices, or search rankings through coordinated or automated activity.
Using the Platform to commit fraud, spread misinformation, or facilitate illegal activity.
Repeated violations after receiving prior warnings.
Circumventing a suspension or ban by creating a new account.

9. Reporting Violations

If you encounter content or behavior that violates these guidelines, please report it using the report flag on the relevant review, hospital profile, or message thread. You can also contact our moderation team through the About page. Every report is reviewed. Retaliatory or bad-faith reports (e.g., reporting a hospital because you disagree with their pricing) are themselves a violation of these guidelines.

10. Appeals

If your content is removed or your account is suspended and you believe it was a mistake, you may appeal by contacting us through the About page. Include the details of the action and why you believe it was incorrect. Appeals are reviewed by a moderator who was not involved in the original decision where possible. We will not reinstate accounts that were banned for hate speech, threats, doxxing, or fraud.

11. Changes to These Guidelines

We may update these Community Guidelines as the Platform grows and new situations arise. Material changes will be communicated through the Platform or by email. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised guidelines.

12. Contact

For questions about these guidelines, or to report a violation, please contact us through our About page.