The Instinct Portal is a secure, web-based portal that gives pet owners 24/7 self-service access to their pet's medical records, prescriptions, upcoming appointments, and reminders. In Instinct EMR, the portal connects directly to your practice's data, so there's nothing for staff to manually upload.
Staff permissions
Two permissions control access to portal admin settings. Assign these in Staff Admin → Manage Roles & Permissions.
Permission | What it allows |
admin_manage_pet_owner_portal | Configure portal settings in Admin |
admin_view_pet_owner_portal | View portal settings in Admin (read-only) |
Note: The per-document portal-sharing toggle in the patient chart is available to all staff with chart access; it is not controlled by either permission above.
Enabling the portal (Admin)
Go to Admin → Pet Owner Portal Settings.
Toggle Enable Pet Owner Portal on.
Enter your desired subdomain (e.g., animalhospital); this becomes your portal URL.
Configure which medical record categories to share with pet owners.
Specific Chart Documents can be chosen to be internal-facing and not visible to pet owners in the portal
For Diagnostics and Imaging, select the status at which diagnostics and imaging will be shared with the pet owner: To Review, To Share, or Completed.
For example, setting Diagnostics and Imaging to Completed will only allow those record types to be viewed when they are changed to Completed in Instinct by your staff.
Select Save.
Warning: The portal subdomain cannot be changed after saving. Confirm the exact subdomain before clicking Save. If a change is needed, contact [email protected]. |
Once enabled, share your portal URL with clients. There is a Copy URL button located in the Pet Owner Portal settings page.
How pet owners access the portal
We recommend including the Pet Portal URL in your practice’s email signature, in communication snippets, or reminder templates.
Pet owners sign in using a link; no password required.
The pet owner visits your practice's portal URL and enters the email address associated with their account in Instinct.
Pet Owner Portal Welcome page
Once a client’s associated email address is entered, a secure login link will be sent to their email within ~30 seconds.
When a valid email is entered, the screen will display the “Magic link sent” message
The client will select Sign In to “Hospital Name” to access the portal.
The link is valid for one hour. If it expires, pet owners can request a new one from the login page; no staff involvement is needed. Sessions remain active for 24 hours.
Note: Portal login is limited to email addresses directly associated with the client account in Instinct. If a pet owner's email is not recognized, direct them to contact the practice to verify the email on file. |
What pet owners can see and do
After signing in, pet owners land on their Pets page, which shows all of their active pets (deceased pets are excluded) with a summary of each pet's current status.
From here, they can navigate to:
Medical Records: View, download, and print records organized by pet and year. Only records your practice has enabled for sharing are visible. Staff have granular control over which document types and individual documents appear.
Prescriptions: View all prescriptions dispensed by the practice, including medication name, dosage, directions, refills remaining, and prescribing provider. Draft and voided prescriptions are never visible.
Appointments: View upcoming scheduled appointments and past visit history. Pet owners can confirm appointments directly from the portal.
Reminders: View upcoming and overdue preventive care reminders for each pet.
Settings: View account information and clinic contact details, and upload a photo for each pet.
Note: Pet photos are shared with Instinct EMR. Any photo a pet owner uploads through the portal will appear in Instinct EMR. Any photo already uploaded into Instinct EMR by the practice will be visible to the pet owner in the portal at launch. Practices should review existing pet photos in Instinct EMR before enabling the portal. |
Direct Booking
If your practice has enabled Direct Booking, pet owners can also schedule appointments directly through the portal. See How Pet Owners Schedule Appointments Online and Enable and Configure Direct Booking in the Pet Owner Portal for full details.
Note: Direct Booking is available for single-location practices only and requires a separate setup step in Admin settings. |
Frequently asked questions
Can pet owners edit their account information through the portal?
No. Account details are view-only in the portal. Any changes must be made by staff in Instinct.
Can pet owners message the clinic through the portal?
No, the portal does not currently include messaging.
Can a pet owner log in with an email that isn't their primary account email?
Yes, if the email is associated with their client account in Instinct. A client account with multiple associated emails can log in with any of them. Emails on alternative contacts (not the main client) cannot be used.
Will pet owners see all documents from the practice?
Only documents in categories your practice has enabled, from templates configured for sharing, and that have reached the appropriate completion status. Staff can also hide individual documents on a case-by-case basis by selecting the three-dot menu of any document and changing the Pet Portal Sharing Off or On, or by using the Pet Portal Sharing toggle within a document.
What happens when the portal is disabled?
Pet owners lose access immediately. All settings and the subdomain are preserved—re-enabling the portal restores everything as configured.
Can multi-location practices use one portal?
It depends on how Instinct is set up. Practices sharing a single Instinct database use one portal URL. Practices with separate databases per location each need their own portal setup. If you're unsure how your practice is configured, contact [email protected] before setting up the portal.
Still need help?
Contact support via live chat or email [email protected]