Last updated 7 October 2026 — by Adrian Tan, SDM. Marketing guidance, not legal advice. Clause numbers refer to the Code of Ethics for Veterinarians (February 2012 edition, revised 27 March 2019) and section numbers to the Veterinary Practice Act 2026 as enacted; check with AVS or the Singapore Veterinary Council before relying on any point for a campaign.
Most marketing advice for Singapore vet clinics is borrowed from somewhere else. Agencies apply the medical clinic rules, or generic “local SEO for clinics” playbooks, or simply whatever a pet-shop competitor is doing on Instagram. None of those is the rulebook a veterinary practice actually answers to.
Veterinary advertising in Singapore has its own rules, and in 2026 they are in transition. Today, every licensed vet advertises under the Code of Ethics for Veterinarians, whose Annex C is a short, strict and surprisingly old-fashioned advertising code. Compliance with the Code is a condition of the vet’s licence. Meanwhile Parliament has passed the Veterinary Practice Act 2026, which creates criminal offences for advertising as a vet without qualification and disciplinary rules for specialist claims. Those parts are enacted but not yet in force.
This guide sets out what the Code actually says, how it applies to websites, Google Business Profiles, social media and paid ads, what changes when the new Act commences, and the separate rules for selling medicines online. It ends with a worked rewrite of a typical clinic campaign.
The rules at a glance
| Source | Status in October 2026 | What it covers | Consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code of Ethics for Veterinarians, Annex C (Veterinary Advertising) | In force; a condition of the vet’s licence | Content, tone and channels of practice advertising | Disciplinary action against the licensed vet |
| Code of Ethics, clauses 3.8-3.12, 6.1, 9.3.7, 12.3 | In force | Soliciting, boasting, cure guarantees, specialist claims, referral fees, record confidentiality | Disciplinary action |
| Veterinary Practice Act 2026, ss 29-33 | Enacted, not yet in force | Practising, advertising or holding out as a vet without qualification; representations by others | Fine up to S$50,000 and/or 12 months’ jail |
| Veterinary Practice Act 2026, ss 25, 34-35 | Enacted, not yet in force | Qualifications shown on signage; specialist titles | Disciplinary proceedings |
| AVS guidance on veterinary e-dispensary services, cl 10 | In force | Online sale and promotion of veterinary medicines | Licensing consequences |
Two points stand out. First, the binding rules today are professional, not criminal: the Code says compliance with it is a condition of the licence and that vets who breach it may face disciplinary action (clause 1.1). Second, the Code puts responsibility on the vet, not the agency, but the new Act will reach anyone who makes a false representation about a vet, which includes the people who write the ads.
What the Veterinary Practice Act 2026 changes
The Veterinary Practice Act 2026 (Act 11 of 2026) was passed on 8 April 2026 and received assent on 29 April. It moves the regulation of vets from a licence under the Animals and Birds Act to registration with a new statutory body, the Singapore Veterinary Council (SVC).
What is in force, and what is not
Only a small part of the Act has commenced. Section 2, Part 2 (which establishes the Council), section 14 and section 84 came into force on 1 August 2026. The practice ban, the title and advertising offences, the amendments to the Animals and Birds Act and the transitional provisions have not. The SVC said on 11 September 2026 that the move to SVC registration will happen progressively from 2027, with full implementation targeted for 2028. Until then, AVS remains the contact point for licensing and complaints.
For marketers, that means two things. Build campaigns to the Code of Ethics now, because that is what binds your client today. And build them so they will not need rewriting when the Act commences, because its offences are drafted widely.
The advertising and holding-out offences
- Section 29 prohibits an individual from practising veterinary medicine unless they are a duly qualified veterinarian.
- Section 30(1) makes it an offence for an individual who is not duly qualified to pretend to be a vet, to use a veterinary title, sign, uniform or badge, or, under limb (e), to advertise or hold themselves out as a veterinarian. There is a defence of no intent to deceive or gain, but it does not apply to limb (e) in prescribed circumstances.
- Section 30(6)-(8) extend liability to the employer or principal of an employee, agent or partner who commits the offence, subject to a due-diligence defence.
- Section 31 catches a person who causes or permits another to make such a representation about them.
- Section 32 makes it an offence for any person to make such a representation about someone else, with a no-intent-to-deceive-or-gain defence. “Any person” is the line agencies should note.
- Section 33 catches a registered vet who knowingly enables someone else to assume a veterinary title.
Sections 29 to 33 each carry a fine of up to S$50,000, imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both.
Specialist claims and displayed qualifications
Two further rules are disciplinary rather than criminal. Section 34(1)(b) says a vet who is not registered as a specialist must not advertise, or cause or permit another person to advertise, themselves as a specialist; section 34(2) covers causing others to make that representation, and section 35 stops a vet representing another vet as a specialist. Section 25 limits the qualifications a vet may display on cards, signboards, circulars, handbills and similar material to those entered in the register or approved by the Council.
Section 24 also requires the Registrar to publish the list of duly qualified vets, including each vet’s practice business name and address. Once that list exists, every “our vets” page can be checked against it in seconds, by a competitor or a complainant.
The Code of Ethics: the rules you advertise under today
The Code of Ethics for Veterinarians dates from February 2012, with the current version revised on 27 March 2019. The SVC’s code page, updated in August 2026, says the Code will remain applicable until further review by the Council. Its advertising rules sit in Annex C, supported by a handful of general clauses.
Annex C, clause by clause
| Clause | What it says (paraphrased) | What it means for a campaign |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Advertising must not harm colleagues or lower the profession’s standing | The test for anything not expressly covered |
| 1.2-1.3 | The vet or practice owner is responsible for ads run by another person on their behalf, and must have non-compliant ads corrected or withdrawn | Agency-run ads are the clinic’s responsibility; build in sign-off |
| 1.4 | Content limited to qualifications, areas of practice, practice arrangements and contact details; factual, accurate and verifiable; not misleading, sensational, persuasive, laudatory, comparative or disparaging | The core rule. Most consumer-style ad copy fails it |
| 2.1 | Objectionable: claims of superiority, secret remedies or exclusive methods, case reports, distributing printed publicity material | No “best vet”, no “only clinic using X”, no flyer drops |
| 3.1 | No advertising in a medium that sells space to only one practitioner per occupation | Avoid “exclusive vet partner” directory deals |
| 4.1 | A practice website is allowed, within the advertising guidelines | Websites are fine; the content rules still apply |
| 5.1 | Newspaper ads only to announce commencement, discontinuance, resumption, removal, sale or purchase of a practice, with limited content and frequency | Print advertising is effectively announcement-only |
| 5.2, 6.1-6.3 | Signed articles, talks and broadcasts must contain no advertising benefiting the author | Educational content must stay educational |
| 7.1 | No promoting drugs or appliances on behalf of a vendor | No paid product endorsements by vets |
| 8.1-8.2 | Signs of reasonable size, conservative, and must not announce special services | Shopfront and signage copy stays plain |
| 9.1-9.2 | Directory listings with equal visual prominence | No paid “featured” upgrades in professional directories |
| 10.1 | Modest letterhead | Applies to stationery and email signatures |
The general clauses that matter for marketing
- 3.8: no belittling other vets. Comparative ads are out twice over.
- 3.9: a vet shall not solicit clients.
- 3.10: avoid methods intended to attract public attention or to boast of superior knowledge or skill.
- 3.12: it is unethical for a vet to guarantee a cure. “Guaranteed results” and “100% success” fall here.
- 6.1: no specialty claim without recognised certification, although a practice may say it is limited to a species without implying specialist status.
- 7.2-7.3: commercial alliances must not sway judgement, and conflicts should be disclosed.
- 9.3.7: no paying or accepting referral fees. That rules out paid referral schemes between clinics, groomers and pet shops.
- 11.4: do not promote products whose ingredients you do not know.
- 12.3: medical records are confidential without the owner’s consent. This is the clause that governs patient stories and photos.
- 16.2: written fee estimates are preferred.
Applying a 2012 code to 2026 channels
The Code was written before Instagram Reels and Performance Max. It does not mention testimonials, social media, discounts, before-and-after photos or prices. What follows is our reading of how its clauses apply, labelled as interpretation: where the Code is silent, the safest course is to apply clause 1.4’s factual standard and clause 3.10’s ban on attention-seeking.
Website and Google Business Profile
Websites are expressly allowed (Annex C 4.1). Keep them to what 1.4 lists: who the vets are and their registered qualifications, the species and services you handle, opening hours, emergency arrangements, location and contact details. A services page that explains what a dental scale and polish involves is factual. A headline that says “Singapore’s most trusted vets” is laudatory and comparative.
The same applies to a Google Business Profile. The business description, services list and posts are advertising content. Category choice matters too: list the practice as what it is, and do not add categories for services you do not provide.
Reviews and testimonials
The Code does not ban testimonials, but it bars persuasive and laudatory content and anything that attracts public attention to superior skill. Organic reviews that owners leave on Google are not the clinic’s advertising. Republishing the most glowing ones on the homepage, or running them as ads, starts to look like the clinic making laudatory claims through someone else’s mouth. Our view: respond to reviews politely, do not curate them into ad creative, and never incentivise them.
Patient stories, photos and case reports
Annex C 2.1 lists case reports among objectionable advertising, and clause 12.3 makes medical records confidential without the owner’s consent. A Reel walking through a named dog’s surgery is close to both. Educational content about conditions, prevention and what to expect at a visit is safer, and does not need a patient. If you do feature a patient, get written owner consent, keep it educational rather than promotional, and avoid outcome claims.
Promotions, packages and prices
Price information is factual and is not prohibited; clause 16.2 even prefers written fee estimates. Discount-led promotions are harder. “50% off vaccinations this weekend only” is persuasive and attention-seeking, and it sits uneasily with clause 3.9 on soliciting. Wellness plans and vaccination packages can be described factually, with their terms, on the website. Keep consumer-protection rules on prepaid packages in mind as well.
Paid search and social ads
Nothing in the Code bans paid digital advertising, but its content rules apply to every ad. Search ads work well within them, because a factual ad that answers a search (“24-hour vet in Bukit Timah, open now, call 6xxx xxxx”) is exactly what clause 1.4 contemplates. Display and social ads built around emotional hooks, superlatives or limited-time offers are where clinics drift out of bounds. Note also clause 3.1: some directory and marketplace products sell an “exclusive” spot to one clinic per area, which Annex C prohibits.
Specialist, species and service claims
“Specialist” is the claim most likely to cause trouble now and after the Act commences. Under clause 6.1, a vet must not claim a specialty without recognised certification. Under section 34 of the Act, once in force, advertising oneself as a specialist without specialist registration becomes a disciplinary matter in statute, as does representing a colleague as one (section 35).
The Code does allow a practice to say its work is limited to particular species. So:
- Acceptable: “A cat-only practice.” “We see rabbits, guinea pigs and other small mammals.” “Our vets have a special interest in dentistry” (stated factually, without implying specialist status).
- Risky: “Exotic pet specialists.” “Singapore’s feline experts.” “Specialist orthopaedic surgery” from a vet who is not a registered specialist.
Service claims need the same care. “24-hour” must mean a vet is actually available around the clock, not that a phone line forwards to voicemail. “Emergency” should describe what the clinic can actually do on site.
Selling medicines and products online
Clinics that run an online shop or e-dispensary face a separate rulebook. AVS’s guidance on veterinary e-dispensary services says at clause 10.2 that prescription medications must not be advertised. Clause 10.3 sets out twelve further limbs, including:
- no endorsement by any veterinary professional, or by a person of celebrity, social or professional status (limb (j));
- no false claim of endorsement by a public authority (limb (i));
- no use of NParks or AVS names or logos (limb (k));
- no refund offers (limb (l)).
Put that together with Annex C 7.1 (no promoting drugs or appliances for a vendor) and clause 11.4, and the practical rule is simple: a vet should not appear in ads for products, and prescription medicines should not appear in ads at all. Over-the-counter products such as food and accessories can be sold and described, subject to general consumer law. The guidance still defines “veterinarian” by reference to section 53 of the Animals and Birds Act, so expect it to be updated when the new Act commences.
Worked example: rewriting a clinic campaign
A two-vet clinic in the west asks its agency for a campaign to grow new-client bookings. The first draft and a compliant rewrite look like this.
| First draft | Problem | Compliant version |
|---|---|---|
| “Singapore’s best vets, voted #1 by pet parents” | Superiority and laudatory claim (Annex C 1.4, 2.1) | “Two vets, small-animal practice in Clementi, open seven days” |
| “Exotic pet specialists” | Specialist claim without certification (cl 6.1; VPA s 34 once in force) | “We see rabbits, guinea pigs and other small mammals” |
| “Guaranteed recovery or your money back” | Guaranteeing a cure (cl 3.12) | Remove; explain the treatment process instead |
| Reel of Bobo’s surgery, before and after | Case report; record confidentiality (Annex C 2.1, cl 12.3) | Reel explaining signs of dental disease, no patient |
| “Refer a friend, get S$30 credit” | Soliciting; attention-seeking (cl 3.9, 3.10) | Remove; let organic word of mouth do the work |
| Flyer drop across nearby HDB blocks | Distributing printed publicity material (Annex C 2.1) | Factual search ads for the clinic’s area |
| Dr Tan recommends this joint supplement | Promoting products for a vendor (Annex C 7.1); endorsement (AVS cl 10.3(j)) | List the product in the shop without a vet endorsement |
The rewrite is plainer, but it is not weaker. In vet search, the people who click are usually near the clinic, worried about a specific problem, and looking for availability. A factual ad that answers “who, what, where, when” matches that intent better than a superlative.
Why this matters now: the market
The number of vet clinics competing for the same searches has grown. AVS’s public registry of licensed veterinary centres, dated 24 July 2026, lists 125 centres. Some agency pages still quote “over 90 clinics”, which is out of date. On the demand side, AVS reported more than 91,000 licensed dogs in early 2025, and the pet cat licensing scheme ended its transition on 31 August 2026 with more than 111,000 cats licensed, according to Minister of State Alvin Tan as reported by Malay Mail. NParks had put the figure at about 66,000 on 18 July, so many owners registered in the final weeks.
The number of vets has grown even faster. A Workers’ Party MP told Parliament during the Bill’s debate that there were about 674 licensed vets in September 2025, up from 122 in 2006. More clinics and more vets chasing local search demand is exactly the setting in which aggressive copy creeps in, and in which a competitor is most likely to complain about it.
How the rules are enforced
We found no published AVS or SVC disciplinary case about vet advertising. AVS’s complaint guidelines, updated in June 2026, say that misconduct includes breaches of the Code of Ethics, and that assessment may take 12 months or longer. So the realistic risk today is a complaint, often from another practice, followed by a long process the clinic has to answer. Once the Act’s offences commence, a false holding-out or a representation made about someone else becomes a criminal matter with a S$50,000 ceiling, and the specialist register becomes something anyone can check against.
Conclusion
Veterinary advertising in Singapore runs on a short, strict code. Annex C limits clinic advertising to factual information about qualifications, services, arrangements and contact details, and rules out superiority claims, case reports, flyers, product endorsements and anything persuasive or laudatory. The Veterinary Practice Act 2026 will add criminal offences for false holding-out, including by people who write ads about vets, and statutory discipline for specialist claims. Clinics that build their marketing to the Code now will not need to rebuild it when the Act commences.
If you run a vet practice and want search and social campaigns built to these rules from the start, that is the kind of work our performance marketing team in Singapore does; see our client case studies for results. Related guides cover pet sale and pet shop advertising rules, physiotherapy and allied health advertising, TCM clinic advertising rules, health product advertising in Singapore, protected professional titles in advertising and SEO for clinics in Singapore. For the bigger picture, start with our complete guide to performance marketing in Singapore.
Frequently asked questions
Can a vet clinic in Singapore advertise on Google and Facebook?
Yes. The Code of Ethics does not ban digital advertising, and a practice website is expressly allowed. But every ad must meet Annex C’s content rules: factual information about qualifications, services, arrangements and contact details, and nothing misleading, sensational, persuasive, laudatory, comparative or disparaging.
Can a vet clinic call itself the best vet in Singapore?
No. Annex C treats claims of superiority as objectionable advertising, and clause 3.10 asks vets to avoid boasting of superior knowledge or skill. Describe what the practice does, who works there and when it is open instead.
Can a vet advertise as an exotic pet or feline specialist?
Not without recognised specialist certification (clause 6.1). Once the Veterinary Practice Act’s provisions commence, advertising as a specialist without specialist registration is also a statutory disciplinary matter. A practice may say it limits its work to particular species, such as “cat-only”, without implying specialist status.
Is the Veterinary Practice Act 2026 in force?
Only partly. The provisions establishing the Singapore Veterinary Council came into force on 1 August 2026. The practice ban and the advertising and holding-out offences have not commenced. The SVC says the move to SVC registration will be progressive from 2027, with full implementation targeted for 2028.
Can vet clinics post patient photos and surgery videos?
Be careful. Annex C lists case reports as objectionable advertising, and clause 12.3 keeps medical records confidential without the owner’s consent. Educational content without a patient is safer; if you feature a patient, get written owner consent and keep the content educational, not promotional.
Can a vet clinic advertise medicines in its online shop?
Not prescription medicines. AVS’s e-dispensary guidance prohibits advertising prescription medications and bars endorsements by veterinary professionals or celebrities. The Code also bars vets from promoting drugs or appliances on behalf of a vendor.
