Terms of participation

1. Who can join

You must be 18 or older, live in South Africa, and be the owner of the dog or cat you sign up (or be responsible for it with the owner's permission). Please give true and complete information, and tell us if something changes, such as an address or your pet's health.

2. What joining means

• Joining is free. There is no cost to you and no obligation to take part in any trial.
• When a trial suits your pet, we invite you with the details: what the product is, how long it runs, and what you will get. You can say no.
• Being on the panel does not guarantee you will be invited to a trial.

3. Taking part in a trial

If you say yes, please:

• follow the instructions we give you for the trial (for example how to set up the bowls and when to feed),
• answer the daily check-in honestly and on the right day, from your own observation of your own pet. Each day can be sent once, and days are completed in order,
• feed only the trial food you were given as the test portion, and keep the other foods you normally give as usual,
• keep the trial food and the brand details confidential: please don't share the trial product, its brand or the results publicly or on social media.

We supply the trial food free and, unless we tell you otherwise, you keep any leftover. If a trial offers a reward, we say so in the invitation.

4. Your pet's welfare

Your pet's wellbeing always comes first. Tell us about allergies, health conditions and special diets when you join and before each trial. Do not start a trial if you think the food is unsuitable for your pet. If your pet seems unwell, refuses food or has a reaction, stop the test straight away and contact your vet, then let us know. PetIP is not a veterinary service and does not give veterinary advice.

5. Your information and photos

How we handle your personal information is explained in our privacy notice. In short, your name and contact details are never shown to brands.

You keep ownership of the photos and videos you send. By sending them for a trial, you allow PetIP to use them, with your pet's name or a code but not your name, in reports for the brand that asked for that trial and in PetIP's own records. We won't use your photos in public advertising without asking you first. Please don't send photos with people's faces or identifying details in them.

6. Leaving the panel

You can leave at any time, with no reason needed, by emailing privacy@petip.co.za or replying STOP to any WhatsApp message from us. We may also remove someone from the panel, for example if information was untrue or the instructions were not followed.

7. Limits of our responsibility

The foods in our trials are products made by other companies. We choose trials with care, but we don't make the products and can't guarantee how every pet will react to them. To the extent the law allows, PetIP is not responsible for harm that follows from ignoring the instructions or the welfare advice above. Nothing here limits any right you have under South African law that cannot be limited.

8. General

These terms are between you and PetIP, a brand of ME Investments (in formation) and are governed by the law of South Africa. We may update them; if we make a change that matters, we will tell panel members and the date above will change. Questions? Email privacy@petip.co.za.