Terms of Use

Last updated: 13 March 2026

Article 1 — Purpose

These Terms of Use govern access to and use of the SOS Animal service (hereinafter "the Service"), accessible at sos-toutou.pages.dev and through its mobile applications.

SOS Animal is published by Emmanuel Klein, sole proprietor — SIRET 995 376 423 — 186 rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin, 75010 Paris, France.

Article 2 — Nature of the Service

The Service provides assessment questionnaires based on the veterinary scientific literature (WSAVA, ACVIM, Merck Vet Manual, WOAH, EFSA, ANSES) that enable users to:

• Assess the level of urgency of a situation
• Generate a risk score by condition
• Refer the user to a veterinarian when necessary
• Detect symptoms suggestive of a notifiable disease

The results provided are indicative only. Only a qualified veterinarian is authorised to make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment (Articles L.243-1 to L.243-3 of the French Rural Code — Code rural et de la pêche maritime).

Article 3 — Courtesy Charter

By using SOS Animal, the user agrees to:

• Be courteous and respectful towards veterinarians and their teams
• Not overload veterinary emergency services if the situation does not warrant it
• Respect the professional diagnosis, even if it differs from the triage result
• Understand that other animals in distress depend on the availability of veterinary teams

This charter is in line with campaigns led by the French National Veterinary Council (Ordre national des vétérinaires), the SNVEL (National Union of Liberal Veterinarians), and the Ribbens Observatory against incivility in veterinary settings.

Article 4 — Access to the Service

The Service is available free of charge during the launch phase. Subscription plans will be offered at a later date, with a free 3-month period for early subscribers.

Users may create an account to access advanced features (history, follow-up, multiple animals). Use without an account remains possible for basic modules.

Article 5 — Personal Data

SOS Animal collects only the data necessary for the operation of the Service:

• User account: email, first name, phone number (optional)
• Assessments: species, breed, age, weight, symptoms, scores, photos (if used)
• Geolocation: used solely to locate the nearest veterinarian, never stored

Data is hosted by Cloudflare (EU/US, GDPR-compliant via standard contractual clauses). No data is sold to third parties.

Service improvement: Assessment data (symptoms, scores, results) is used in an anonymised and aggregated form to train and improve our veterinary knowledge engine. This continuous improvement helps refine triage accuracy and better serve the community of pet owners and veterinarians. No personally identifiable data is used for this purpose.

In accordance with the GDPR (EU Regulation 2016/679), you have the following rights:

• Right of access: obtain a copy of your personal data
• Right to rectification: correct inaccurate data
• Right to erasure: request the deletion of your data
• Right to data portability: retrieve your data in a structured format
• Right to object: object to the processing of your data for service improvement purposes
• Right to restriction: restrict processing in certain cases

To exercise these rights, contact: emmanuel.klein@me.com. Response time: 30 days maximum. Supervisory authority: CNIL (French Data Protection Authority) (Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés).

Article 6 — Artificial Intelligence Analysis

Certain features use artificial intelligence (GPT-4o Vision) to analyse photos (skin, stool, eyes, wounds). These analyses serve as orientation aids and do not replace a clinical examination by a veterinarian.

Submitted photos are processed in real time and are not retained on our servers beyond the immediate processing, unless the user activates case tracking.

Article 7 — Notifiable Disease Alerts

In the event of a suspected notifiable disease (foot-and-mouth disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza, African swine fever, classical swine fever, bluetongue, etc.), the Service displays an immediate alert with the contact details of the relevant DDPP (Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations) and GDS (Departmental Animal Health Defence Group). The user remains solely responsible for the mandatory reporting to the health authorities.

Article 8 — No Practice of Veterinary Medicine

SOS Animal is an information and orientation tool based on questionnaires derived from the scientific literature. The results generated are non-binding indications intended to help the user assess whether a veterinary consultation is recommended.

Article 9 — Limitation of Liability

9.1 — Best-efforts obligation (obligation de moyens). In accordance with Article 1231-1 of the French Civil Code (Code civil), SOS Animal is bound by a best-efforts obligation (obligation de moyens) and not an obligation to achieve a specific result. The Service undertakes to provide questionnaires designed with due care on the basis of recognised scientific sources, but does not in any way guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or relevance of the results for any particular case.

9.2 — Exclusion of liability. The user acknowledges and expressly accepts that SOS Animal, its publisher Emmanuel Klein, its collaborators and service providers shall under no circumstances be held liable, directly or indirectly, for:

• The deterioration of an animal's health, whatever the cause
• The death of an animal, even if the user followed the Service's guidance
• The worsening of a condition linked to a delay in veterinary consultation
• Any therapeutic, pharmaceutical, or surgical decision made on the basis of the triage results
• A misinterpretation of the results by the user
• The failure to consult a veterinarian despite a recommendation from the Service
• Inaccurate answers provided by the user to the questionnaires
• The use of AI analyses (skin, stool, eye, or wound photos) as a substitute for a clinical examination
• Indirect damages, including financial loss, moral prejudice, loss of opportunity, veterinary costs incurred or not incurred (Article 1231-3 of the French Civil Code)
• The temporary or permanent unavailability of the Service, for any reason whatsoever

9.3 — Sole responsibility of the user. The user is solely and entirely responsible for:

• The health and welfare of their animal, in accordance with Article L.214-1 of the French Rural Code ("Every animal, being a sentient being, must be placed by its owner in conditions compatible with the biological requirements of its species")
• The decision to consult or not consult a veterinarian, regardless of the result displayed by the Service
• The accuracy of the information entered in the questionnaires
• The timeliness of seeking care in the event of serious symptoms
• The mandatory reporting to the DDPP (Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations) in the event of a suspected notifiable disease (Articles L.223-1 et seq. of the French Rural Code)

9.4 — Express acknowledgement. By ticking the acceptance box for these Terms of Use, the user acknowledges having been clearly informed that:

• SOS Animal is not a veterinarian and is not intended to become one
• No algorithm, however sophisticated, can replace the clinical examination of a qualified practitioner
• A "green" or "no emergency" result does not mean the animal is in good health
• In the event of any doubt, however slight, the user should consult a veterinarian
• The user waives any claim for civil or criminal liability against SOS Animal for any damage related to the health of their animal, to the extent permitted by law

9.5 — Force majeure. In accordance with Article 1218 of the French Civil Code (Code civil), SOS Animal shall not be held liable in the event of force majeure, including but not limited to: server failure, cyberattack, natural disaster, pandemic, government decision, or any unforeseeable, irresistible, and external event.

9.6 — Cap on liability. In the event that SOS Animal's liability is established notwithstanding the above provisions, the total compensation owed to the user shall be capped at the amounts actually paid by the user for their subscription during the preceding 12 months, or failing that, at the fixed sum of one (1) euro.

Legal references: French Civil Code (Code civil): Articles 1218 (force majeure), 1231-1 (contractual liability), 1231-3 (foreseeability of damage), 1231-4 (direct damage). French Rural Code (Code rural et de la pêche maritime): Articles L.214-1 (animal welfare), L.223-1 et seq. (notifiable diseases), L.241-1 (conditions for veterinary practice), L.243-1 to L.243-3 (unlawful practice of veterinary medicine). French Consumer Code (Code de la consommation): Article L.212-1 (unfair terms). GDPR (EU Regulation 2016/679). LCEN: French Law No. 2004-575 of 21 June 2004 (Law for Confidence in the Digital Economy).

Article 10 — Intellectual Property

All content of the Service (texts, algorithms, design, source code) is the exclusive property of Emmanuel Klein, unless otherwise stated. The scientific references cited belong to their respective authors.

Veterinary data is sourced from public databases (SIRENE, OpenStreetMap) and from scraping of publicly accessible data.

Article 11 — Emergency Number

SOS Animal integrates the French national veterinary emergency number: 3115 (free call, available 24/7). This number is managed by the French veterinary authorities and is not affiliated with SOS Animal.

Article 12 — Amendments to the Terms of Use

SOS Animal reserves the right to modify these Terms of Use at any time. Users will be informed of any substantial modification. Continued use of the Service after modification constitutes acceptance of the new terms.

Article 13 — Governing Law

These Terms of Use are governed by French law. In the event of a dispute, the courts of Paris shall have exclusive jurisdiction, following an attempt at amicable resolution.