Tennessee veterinary clinic marketing written to the board's price, name and texting rules

Tennessee lets a clinic advertise prices, but the board decides what the number has to include. A spay special or a dental cleaning offer that leaves out the anesthesia or the bloodwork is the kind of ad it disciplines.

The board's advertising rule treats a fixed fee as covering every professionally recognized part of the service. If the price on a landing page is for the surgery alone, the page has to say so. Any related service that costs extra, such as pre-anesthetic labs, pain medication or an e-collar, must be named in the ad as an added fee.

The same rule sets four more lines for a fee ad:

• A range of fees. "Dental cleanings from X to Y" is allowed only if the ad states what moves a pet toward the top. Grade of dental disease, extractions and the pet's weight are the usual factors.
• A discount. It must be lower than what you normally charge for that service, with the same parts and quality as the full-price visit. A "Dental Month" price that drops the radiographs fails both tests.
• How long the price holds. You honor it for the whole period the ad names. With no end date printed, the price stands for 30 days from the last day the ad appeared. If another run of the ad is already booked further out, it stands until that one.
• Bait and switch. An offer you do not intend to sell is banned outright. The board may ask for your sales records at the advertised price to check.

In practice, every price on the site, in Google Ads and on a Facebook boost needs an end date and a short line on what is included. That one habit covers most of the rule.

The board's rule reaches the social posts and review pages a clinic treats as casual. A cute patient photo, a glowing quote and a thank-you gift to a groomer can each count as advertising.

The board's advertising rule lists what it calls unethical conduct in an ad. The parts that touch everyday marketing:

• Patient of the week. Publishing identifiable facts about a client or a patient needs the client's consent first. A pet's name, photo and diagnosis on Facebook qualifies. Add a consent line to the intake form and keep the signed copy.
• Testimonials. A quote about the quality of your care must be reasonably verifiable. Pull quotes from your public Google reviews, with the reviewer's first name, rather than from an unnamed card.
• Better than the rest. A claim that your team, equipment or care is superior to other clinics is out unless you can prove it. "Best vet in Knoxville" cannot be.
• Specialist and diplomate. These words are only for credentials the AVMA or NAVTA recognizes. A general practitioner with a strong dental interest is not a dental specialist in an ad.
• Fear and promises. Ads may not play on an owner's anxiety in an excessive or unfair way, or create an unjustified expectation about results. A heartworm ad built on a dying dog photo is the risk.

Referral programs need the most care. The same rule bars giving or receiving any fee or consideration from a third party for the referral of an animal. A gift card to the groomer, breeder or rescue that sends you new puppies fits that wording. Have counsel read any referral reward before it launches. Not legal advice; confirm with counsel.

Tennessee puts a legal deadline on every new puppy and kitten, and the certificate prints the next due date. That makes rabies the cleanest reminder a clinic can send, as long as the text follows the state's calling law.

The state rabies law makes it unlawful to keep a dog or cat six months or older that has not had the shot. Pets may be vaccinated from three months, and the vaccine is given by a vet or under a vet's supervision. The certificate has to show the date the pet should be revaccinated. So a new-puppy series can promise the owner one thing the law backs: the visit that keeps them legal before six months.

Build the recall from that certificate date:

• Three months. The first booking link goes out with the puppy or kitten series, naming the six-month deadline in plain words.
• The revaccination date. Reminders start a month before the date on the certificate, with a link to book rather than a phone number.
• Public rabies clinics. The facility rules let only public rabies clinics and mobile units see many clients at temporary locations. A parking lot shot day needs that structure, so check before you promote one.

Then the texting law. Tennessee's do-not-call statute treats a text that promotes a purchase as a solicitation, the same as a call. A client you have served in the last 12 months counts as an existing customer and is exempt. A client last seen 14 months ago is not, which is exactly who a lapsed-client discount reaches.

The hours rule applies on top. The statute's timing section keeps these calls and texts inside 8 in the morning to 9 at night unless the person has agreed otherwise. Send the evening batch by 8:30 p.m., Central and Eastern, since the state spans both.

Sales texts to numbers on the state list need registration. The Tennessee Public Utility Commission's telemarketer FAQ puts the register at $500 a year. Most clinics skip that by texting promotions only to clients seen within the year, or to people who opted in on a form.