Cookies and tracking

Our Policies

Every cookie this website sets, every outside service it loads, and how to change your choice.

Last reviewed 2 October 2026

Your privacy choices

Cookie settings opens the same controls as the notice shown on your first visit, and you can change your choice there at any time. The same button is in the footer of every page.

In the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, nothing in the Statistics, Marketing or Functional categories runs until you choose. Everywhere else those three categories are on when you arrive, and you can switch any of them off.

If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, Marketing is treated as switched off for as long as the signal is sent, whatever the switch says.

When you make a choice, this website also keeps its own record of it: the three answers, the region, the time, which version of the privacy policy was published, and a short code computed from your internet address and browser name that is different every day. The address and the browser name themselves are not kept, and neither is your email or the page you were on.

Cookies and storage this website sets

These are written by this website’s own code, set by its server or, where the row says so, written on this website by Shopify’s consent script. Each one is in the category named beside it. The Required ones have no switch: the shop, the cookie notice and the tools listed do not work without them. The Statistics entries are written only while Statistics is on, and the Marketing entry only while Marketing is on as well; each row says how it ends.

Cookies and browser storage set by this website
Name	Type	What it is for	What it holds	How long it lasts	Category
__Host-aav_consent	CookieThis website, in your browser. The cookie notice and Cookie settings	Remembers your cookie choice so every page follows it and the notice is not shown again.	Your three answers, the region the notice was shown for, a version number and the time you chose	6 months	Required
aav_consent	CookieThis website, in your browser. The cookie notice and Cookie settings	The same record under its plain name. It is written instead of __Host-aav_consent only where the page is not served over https.	The same record	6 months	Required
aav_country	CookieThis website’s server. The cookie notice, before you make a cookie choice, and the footer’s country line and the home page’s prices, until you pick a country	Holds the country our content network reports for your connection. The cookie notice uses it to apply the right default for where you are. Until you pick a country yourself, it also sets the currency of the prices on the home page and the country named in the footer.	A two-letter country code	24 hours	Required
_tracking_consent	CookieShopify’s consent script, in your browser. The cookie notice and Cookie settings, after every choice	Carries your cookie choice to the checkout, which Shopify runs on a subdomain of this website, so the checkout follows the same answer you gave here. Shopify’s consent script writes it after every choice, Essential only included, and it is set for this website and its checkout together.	The answers this website passes to Shopify, in Shopify’s own format: statistics, marketing, the support chat and reviews, and sharing for advertising	Set by Shopify, which also sets how long it lasts	Required
aav_market	CookieThis website’s server. The country and currency picker	Remembers the shipping country you picked, so prices show in your currency.	A two-letter country code	1 year	Required
aav-region	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. The country and currency picker	Carries the country you picked to your other open tabs of this site.	The same two-letter country code	Until you clear this site’s data in your browser	Required
aav-article-version	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. The Owner and Veterinary switch on an article	Opens articles on the version you chose last time.	The word owner or vet	Until you clear this site’s data in your browser	Required
aav-listen-voice	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. The Listen player on an article	Reads articles aloud in the device voice you picked last time.	The name of that voice	Until you clear this site’s data in your browser	Required
aav-promo-tab-y	Browser storage, this tab onlyThis website, in your browser. The “Vet picks for this” tab on an article, on a phone, a tablet or a narrow browser window	Keeps the tab where you dragged it along the edge of the screen as you go from one article to the next.	A number of pixels	Until you close the browser tab	Required
askavet_cart_id	CookieThis website’s server. Adding something to your cart	Identifies your cart, so it is still there on the next page and the next visit.	The cart’s identifier. Scripts on the page cannot read it	30 days	Required
askavet_cart_present	CookieThis website’s server. Adding something to your cart, and the cart icon in the header	Tells the page whether you have a cart at all, so it only asks our server for one when you do.	The digit 1 or 0, never the cart itself	30 days	Required
aav_attribution	Browser storage, this tab onlyThis website, in your browser. Your first page on this visit, and reading an article, while Statistics is on	Remembers how this visit began and the last article you read, so our statistics can tell which campaigns and articles lead to an app download, a sign-up or a purchase. When you check out, the campaign details are added to your order; the ad click reference only while Marketing is on.	The campaign tags of the link you arrived through (such as utm_source), the page you landed on (only its kind for an article, a list of articles by topic, a tool or a search), the Google or Meta ad click reference while Marketing is on, an article number, its topic, its blog and a count. Nothing you typed	Until the tab is closed, or at once when you switch Statistics off	Statistics
_shopify_essential	CookieThis website’s server. Browsing the shop while Statistics is on	Shopify’s essential storefront cookie. In Shopify’s description it holds essential information for the correct functionality of a store such as session and checkout information and anti-tampering data. On this website Shopify, the company that runs the store behind it, sets it only through the consent request this website makes once Statistics is switched on.	A random identifier Shopify issues. Scripts on the page cannot read it. Nothing you typed	1 year	Statistics
_shopify_analytics	CookieThis website’s server. Browsing the shop while Statistics is on	Lets Shopify count visits in the shop’s own statistics and recognise the same visitor from one page to the next. Set by Shopify on this website through the same consent request, once Statistics is switched on.	A random identifier Shopify issues. Scripts on the page cannot read it. Nothing you typed	1 year	Statistics
_shopify_marketing	CookieThis website’s server. Browsing the shop while Statistics and Marketing are on	In Shopify’s description it contains marketing data for buyer surfaces such as the storefront or checkout. Shopify sets it through the same consent request, made once Statistics is switched on, but this website passes it on only while Marketing is also allowed and your browser sends no Global Privacy Control signal.	A value Shopify issues. Scripts on the page cannot read it. Nothing you typed	1 year	Marketing
qr_scanner_session_id	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. Scanning an Ask A Vet QR tag	Lets our service recognise repeat scans from the same device, which is how it limits misuse of a lost pet’s page.	A random identifier our service issues	30 days	Required
qr_scanner_session_id_expires_at	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. Scanning an Ask A Vet QR tag	The date after which the identifier above is deleted.	A timestamp	30 days	Required
qr_scan:<tag code>	Browser storage, this tab onlyThis website, in your browser. Scanning an Ask A Vet QR tag	Stops one scan being recorded twice when the page is reloaded or reopened with the Back button.	The time of the scan	Until the tab is closed	Required
aav-handover-hospital-handover	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. The Hospital Handover tool	Keeps the handover board you are filling in, so a reload does not lose it.	What you typed into the board. It is never sent to Ask A Vet	Until you clear it in the tool or clear this site’s data in your browser	Required
aav-triage-v1-emergency-triage-questions	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. The Emergency Triage Questions tool	Keeps the triage answers you have entered, so a reload does not lose them.	What you typed into the tool. It is never sent to Ask A Vet	Until you clear it in the tool or clear this site’s data in your browser	Required
askavet_vwf_plan_v1_vaccination-worming-calendar	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. The Vaccination and Worming Calendar tool	Keeps the plan you built for your pet, so you can pick it up later.	The plan you entered. It is never sent to Ask A Vet	Until you clear it in the tool or clear this site’s data in your browser	Required
askavet-cpr-settings-v2	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. The CPR Timer tool	Remembers the timer’s settings.	Settings only, such as the mode and sounds. No patient details	Until you clear this site’s data in your browser	Required
aav-antithrombotic-prefs	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. The Antithrombotic Calculator tool	Remembers the units you chose.	Settings only. No patient details	Until you clear this site’s data in your browser	Required
aav-post-surgical-checklist-v1	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. The Post-Surgery Care Checklist tool	Keeps the recovery sheet you are filling in, so a reload does not lose it.	What you typed into the sheet, including your pet’s name, the clinic’s name and phone numbers, the medicines and your notes. It is never sent to Ask A Vet	Until you clear it in the tool or clear this site’s data in your browser	Required
aav-postop-session-v1	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. The Post-Surgical Care Checklist Builder tool	Keeps the postoperative plan you are building, so a reload does not lose it.	What you typed into the builder, including the patient’s name, record number and details, the procedures, the medicines, the vet’s and nurse’s names, the clinic’s name and phone numbers and your notes. It is never sent to Ask A Vet	Until you clear it in the tool or clear this site’s data in your browser	Required
askavet-fast-consult-v1	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. The Fast Consult & IPASS Handover Builder tool	Keeps the consults you are writing up, so a reload does not lose them.	What you typed into each consult, including the patient’s name and details, the history, the examination, the diagnostics, the plan, the client communication and estimate notes, and the IPASS handover. It is never sent to Ask A Vet	Until you clear it in the tool or clear this site’s data in your browser	Required
aav-documents-clinic-v1	Browser storageThis website, in your browser. Practice document pages (certificates and consent forms)	Remembers the clinic name, address and phone, and the veterinarian’s name and registration number, on this device, only after the vet turns on “Remember my clinic details on this device”. It never holds owner or patient details. “Forget” removes it.	The clinic details the vet entered. They are never sent to Ask A Vet	Until the vet chooses “Forget” or clears this site’s data in the browser	Required

Services from other companies

These companies’ code runs in your browser on this website. Each one is in the category named beside it. A Required service is always on. Every other service is loaded only while its category is on, except the Google tag, which is described under the table.

Services from other companies used on this website
Service	Category	What we use it for	Their privacy policy
Shopify	Required	Runs the store behind this website: product photos are served from its network, the Shop Pay button on the cart page is its code, and checkout happens on its pages. Where the checkout shares this website’s domain, Shopify’s consent script also carries your cookie choice to it.	Shopify privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Cloudflare Turnstile	Required	Checks that the contact form, the newsletter sign-up and the product review form are being used by a person. It loads only on pages that have one of those forms.	Cloudflare privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Google Analytics	Statistics	Counts which pages and products are used, so we can fix problems and improve the site.	Google privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Microsoft Clarity	Statistics	Records how pages are used, as session recordings and heatmaps, so we can find and fix what is hard to use: where visitors click and scroll, mouse movement, the pages viewed, the device and browser, and an approximate location from the internet address. The text of the tools, forms and search boxes is hidden from the recordings, and Clarity does not run on the hospital patient-record tools, the tools that keep your entries in the page address, the search results page or the pages behind our QR tags. While Marketing is also on, Clarity is told it may use the cookies it sets on Microsoft’s own domains for advertising; otherwise it is told that advertising storage is denied.	Microsoft privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Shopify analytics	Statistics	Counts page views, collection and product views, searches (never the words searched for) and items added to the cart in the shop’s own statistics. The counts go from your browser to the shop’s own address.	Shopify privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Google Ads	Marketing	Measures whether our Google adverts lead to visits and orders.	Google privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Meta	Marketing	Measures whether our Facebook and Instagram adverts lead to visits and orders.	Meta Platforms privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Klaviyo	Marketing	Connects what you look at here to the emails you have signed up to receive from us.	Klaviyo privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Fraud Blocker	Marketing	Checks the clicks on our adverts for fraud.	Fraud Blocker privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Zendesk	Functional	The support chat that reaches our team.	Zendesk privacy policy (opens in a new tab)
Judge.me	Functional	The customer reviews on our product pages.	Judge.me privacy policy (opens in a new tab)

The Google tag is one script for both Google services. It loads on every page of the shop and is told which storage you have allowed (the QR tag pages load none of the services in this table). Until you accept Statistics, its analytics storage is set to denied; until you accept Marketing, its advertising storage, advertising user data and advertising personalisation are set to denied.

When a category is on, the services in it may set cookies of their own, on this website or on their own domains. Those cookies are described in each company’s privacy policy, linked in the table. The cookies Microsoft Clarity sets are listed in the next section.

Cookies set by Microsoft Clarity

Microsoft Clarity is a service of Microsoft Corporation. It runs on this website only while Statistics is on, and sets these cookies while it runs: the first two on this website, the rest on Microsoft’s own domains, and a browser may not set every one of them. The names, purposes and lifetimes are the ones Microsoft publishes for Clarity. Microsoft stores and processes what Clarity collects on its own servers, which may be outside the country you are in; the Microsoft Privacy Statement, linked in the table above, says how Microsoft handles the data. Clarity is not connected to our Google Analytics account.

How long Microsoft keeps what Clarity collects is set by Microsoft, not by Ask A Vet, and is published for Clarity in the Microsoft Clarity terms (opens in a new tab). While Marketing is also on, Clarity is told it may use the cookies on Microsoft’s own domains for advertising; while Marketing is off, or your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, it is told that advertising storage is denied. Switching Statistics off stops Clarity and, where Clarity is running on the page you are on, asks it to delete the cookies it set on this website; the ones on Microsoft’s own domains are managed by Microsoft.

Cookies Microsoft Clarity sets on this website and on Microsoft’s domains
Name	Where it is set	What it is for	How long it lasts	Category
_clck	This website, written by Microsoft Clarity’s code	Keeps the Clarity user ID and settings for this website, so a later visit is linked to the same ID.	1 year	Statistics
_clsk	This website, written by Microsoft Clarity’s code	Joins the pages of one visit into a single session recording.	24 hours	Statistics
CLID	Microsoft’s own domains (clarity.ms and bing.com)	Records when Clarity first saw this browser on any website that uses Clarity.	1 year	Statistics
ANONCHK	Microsoft’s own domains (clarity.ms and bing.com)	Records whether MUID is passed to ANID, a Microsoft advertising cookie. Clarity does not use ANID, so this is always set to 0.	10 minutes	Statistics
MR	Microsoft’s own domains (clarity.ms and bing.com)	Records whether MUID should be refreshed.	7 days	Statistics
MUID	Microsoft’s own domains (clarity.ms and bing.com)	Identifies browsers that visit Microsoft websites. Microsoft uses it for advertising, site analytics and other operational purposes. Clarity is told it may use it for advertising only while Marketing is on here.	1 year	Statistics
SM	Microsoft’s own domains (clarity.ms and bing.com)	Keeps MUID the same across Microsoft’s domains.	Until you close your browser	Statistics

Cookies and tracking

Your privacy choices

Cookies and storage this website sets

Services from other companies

Cookies set by Microsoft Clarity

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