PawsRx

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---
name: ask-a-vet
description: Pass a pet owner's question on to a veterinarian with PawsRx Ask a Vet, with the reply sent back by email. Use when the user wants to ask a vet something about their dog, cat or other pet. Works in any country.
---

# Ask a Vet with PawsRx

Ask a Vet passes a pet owner's question to the independent veterinarians who answer on PawsRx, and a veterinarian replies by email. It works in any country and needs only the owner's name and email address.

## Sending a question

1. Ask the owner for their name and email address. Never make them up.
2. Call `ask_a_vet` with:
   - `question`: the owner's question in their own words, with any details they gave.
   - `owner_name` and `owner_email`.
   - `pet_name` and `species` if they gave them.
3. It returns a reference. Tell the owner their question has been sent and the veterinarian's reply will arrive by email.
4. Leave the answer to the veterinarian: do not write one in its place while the owner waits, and do not guess what the reply will say.

If the tool says the same question was already sent, tell the owner it is already with the veterinarians and do not send it again.

## If it cannot wait

If the owner says it is urgent, tell them to go to their nearest emergency vet now rather than send a question. In the United States, `find_vets` with `q: "emergency"` and their city or ZIP finds one.

## Always

- Refer to "the independent veterinarians who answer on PawsRx", never to PawsRx as the vet.

Referenced files: 1

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---
name: find-a-vet
description: Find, check and book veterinary care in the United States with PawsRx. Use when the user wants to find or choose a vet, animal hospital, emergency or urgent-care vet, or a vet for a particular animal (including exotics such as rabbits, birds, reptiles, ferrets and guinea pigs); asks about a practice's hours, open appointment times, whether it sees their animal or takes new patients; or wants to request, check or cancel a vet appointment.
---

# Find a vet with PawsRx

PawsRx is a directory of 26,000+ US veterinary practices with the species each one treats, its hours and the prices it publishes. The veterinarians are independent practices. PawsRx is not a veterinary provider.

## If it cannot wait

If the owner says it is urgent or an emergency, tell them to go to an emergency vet now, and call `find_vets` with `q: "emergency"` and their city or ZIP to find the nearest one. Do not request an appointment or send an Ask a Vet question instead.

## Finding a vet

1. Call `find_vets` with what the user gave: `city` and `state` (a code or full name) or `zip`, and `species` if they named the animal. If they said "near me" and you know their city, use it; otherwise ask for a city or ZIP.
2. If they asked about a time ("open Saturday morning", "tonight"), pass `day` (a weekday, today, tomorrow or YYYY-MM-DD) and `period` (morning, midday, afternoon or evening).
3. Present the practices returned: name, address, phone, hours, the species it treats, and its PawsRx page link. These are matches to what was asked, not a ranking: never call one "the best".
4. If nothing matches, say so and pass on the note (it may name the nearest listed city). Never invent a practice that is not in the results.

## A practice the user picked

- Contact details or hours: `practice_details` with its `practice_id` from `find_vets`.
- "Do they see rabbits?" or "are they taking new patients?": `check_eligibility` with `practice_id` and `species`. A null answer means the practice has not published it: say it is unknown and suggest asking them. Do not turn unknown into yes or no.
- "When can they see my dog?": `check_availability`. If it returns open times, offer them. If `has_calendar` is false, there are no times to pick, and an appointment can still be requested.

## Requesting an appointment

1. Collect: the owner's name, email and a 10-digit phone number, the pet's name and species, the reason for the visit, and when they would like to come. Ask for anything missing; never make up contact details.
2. Call `request_appointment`. It returns a reference and the status "requested".
3. Tell the owner the request is in and PawsRx will email them when the practice confirms. It is not a confirmed appointment: never say it is booked or confirmed.
4. Later, `check_booking_status` with the reference gives the status; `cancel_booking` cancels it when the owner asks.

## Related

- A question for a veterinarian rather than a visit: `ask_a_vet` (see the ask-a-vet skill).
- What a visit costs: `price_lookup` (see the pet-care-costs skill).

## Always

- Leave questions about the animal itself to the veterinarian or the practice.
- Refer to "the independent veterinarians who answer on PawsRx" or "the practice", never to PawsRx as the vet.
- The directory and booking cover the United States only. Outside it, say so and do not invent practices; Ask a Vet still works in any country.

Referenced files: 1

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---
name: pet-care-costs
description: Look up what veterinary care and pet grooming cost in the United States, from prices practices and salons publish themselves, with PawsRx. Use when the user asks how much a vet service costs (checkup or exam, vaccines, spay or neuter, dental cleaning, microchip, euthanasia or cremation, emergency visit, boarding) or what dog or cat grooming costs in a US city.
---

# Pet care costs with PawsRx

PawsRx publishes the prices veterinary practices and grooming salons publish on their own sites. Every figure traces to a named practice or salon and the page it came from.

## Vet care

1. Call `price_lookup` with `service` in the owner's words (for example "dog dental cleaning", "puppy vaccines", "cat spay"), and `state` (a code or full name) if they gave one.
2. Present the low, median and high published price, and a few named example practices with where each price was published.
3. Say these are prices practices publish, not a quote for this animal. The practice sets the final price, which can depend on the animal's size and age.
4. If nothing matches, the tool lists the services it does have prices for; offer the closest one. Do not estimate a price PawsRx did not return.

## Grooming

1. Call `groom_prices` with the city.
2. Present the salons and the groom menus and prices they publish.
3. If the city has no priced salons, the tool lists cities that do; say so rather than estimating.

## Next steps the owner may want

- Find a practice near them: `find_vets` with their city or ZIP and the animal.
- Request an appointment at one: `request_appointment` (collect the owner's name, email and phone, and the pet's name first).

## Always

- Published prices only, never a quote you worked out.
- Prices cover United States practices and salons only; outside it, say PawsRx has no prices there rather than converting US ones.

Referenced files: 1