Before a client can pick a vet and a slot, they need an account — and once a slot is picked, the clinic often needs a few short answers before the visit. This page covers both pieces: how the booking portal handles registration, login, password recovery, and profile editing, and how clinic-defined intake questionnaires appear inside the booking flow.

For the orientation overview see How online booking works. For the visit type and slot picker that sits between login and questionnaires, see Selecting services and time slots.

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In short: New clients register with email + a 6-digit code, picking a password and accepting comms preferences. Existing clients sign in. Forgotten passwords reset via the same code mechanism. Once a slot is picked, any clinic-defined questionnaires for the chosen visit type appear before the confirm screen.

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Why this matters

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Don't ask clients for the same thing twice. It's easy to assume online registration creates a duplicate of an existing client. It doesn't — Lupa detects when an email already matches a client on file and offers a "claim your existing record" path instead. Treat the portal account as the digital handle on the existing client record, not a separate parallel one.

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What you get Why it helps
Email-verified accounts Every account is created via a one-time code sent to the client's email, so the email on file is always confirmed.
Existing-client linking If the email matches a client already on file, registration links the new account to that record instead of creating a duplicate.
Self-serve recovery Forgotten passwords reset via the same code mechanism — reception isn't pulled in to issue resets.
Up-to-date contact info Clients edit their own name, phone, address, and comms preferences. The clinic's record stays current without manual updates.
Pre-visit context Intake questionnaires capture symptoms, medications, fasting status, or anything else the team needs before the consult, attached to the appointment.

Account access flow

The portal recognises four distinct entry states. Which screen the client lands on depends on whether they have an account, whether their email matches an existing client, and what they're trying to do.

Client state Wizard heading What they do
Has a portal account Enter your details if you already have an account Sign in with email + password.
No account, never been to the clinic Register Provide email, verify with code, create full client + pet profile.
No account, but already a client of the clinic Register → We have found an account on file for you! Provide email, verify with code, set a password to claim the existing record.
Has account, can't log in Forgot Password Reset password via emailed 6-digit code.

Logging in

The first screen of the portal — when the client isn't already signed in — is titled Enter your details if you already have an account.

It's a simple email + password form with three actions:

After successful login the wizard remembers the client on the same device until they explicitly Sign Out from later screens.

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Lockout-free. There's no account lockout after repeated wrong-password attempts in the booking portal. Repeated failed attempts simply show the same "invalid email or password" message; the client can keep trying, or click Forgot Password.

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