Custom fields store information specific to your business on pet and pet owner profiles. Intake forms send clients a structured questionnaire before their appointments. Both are managed on Fields & Forms in the sidebar, and in Settings, then Fields & Forms.
Where custom field values show
- Pet field values sit in a Pet details card on the pet's Petprint tab and on the profile's Fields & Forms tab
- Pet owner field values sit in an Owner details card on Pet & Owner Details and on the profile's Fields & Forms tab
- On an appointment, filled values sit under Who & Details as their own cards, and in the Mission Control quick menu
Empty optional fields stay hidden on those cards. On a profile card, select Show empty fields to reveal them, or the pencil to edit.
Field types
| Type | Use for |
|---|---|
| Text | Short answers (allergies, preferred name, referral source) |
| Textarea | Longer notes (special instructions, medical history) |
| Number | Numeric values (weight goal, session count) |
| Dropdown | One choice from a list you define (size category, temperament) |
| Yes/No | Yes or no questions (desexed, reactive, requires muzzle) |
| Date | Date values (last vet visit, next vaccination due) |
| Street Address | An address, with suburb lookup |
| Location | A point chosen on a map |
Visibility
Each field has one of three visibility levels:
- Staff Only: your team sees it in the business app, and clients do not. Use it for internal notes such as "reactive, muzzle required" or "difficult pickup"
- Client Visible: clients can see the value in their portal but cannot edit it. Use it for information you share but control, such as "loyalty tier" or "allocated groomer"
- Client Editable: clients can see and update the value themselves. Petboost marks it (recommended). Use it for information clients keep up to date, such as "preferred pickup time" or "emergency vet name"
Add a custom field
Add a field for anything you want on every pet or pet owner profile.
- Open Fields & Forms and choose Pet Owner Fields or Pet Fields.
- Select Add Field. With no fields yet, you can also select Add First Field.
- Enter the Field Name. It is the label shown on profiles.
- Choose the Field Type.
- Choose the Visibility.
- Optional: switch on Required at booking. Clients must then fill the field in during booking or sign-up when it is empty, and the visibility changes to Client Editable so they can answer it.
- For a Dropdown, fill in each option under Dropdown Options. Select Add option for more than two.
- Optional: add Placeholder (optional) or Help Text (optional) to guide whoever fills it in.
- Select Add Field.
The same list, with Add Field, is in Settings, then Fields & Forms, under Required Fields & Custom Fields.
The field appears on every matching profile, pet or pet owner, as soon as you add it. Existing profiles show it empty until someone fills it in.
A required field that is not Client Editable shows Won't collect from clients on its row, because clients cannot answer it. Fields you mark required for customers carry an amber hint on the staff pet and owner forms. Staff can still save a partial record while they are on the phone: the hint shows what a complete record looks like and does not block the save.
To change a field, select the pencil on its row, make the change, then select Save Changes. To remove one, select the bin, then Remove Field: it comes off every profile and its existing values are no longer shown.
Make a built-in field required to book
Petboost's own profile fields can be required at booking too.
- Open Settings, then Fields & Forms.
- Choose Pet Fields or Pet Owner Fields.
- Open Built-in Petboost fields.
- Tick Required to book on the field. A ticked field must be provided before the booking can be confirmed.
- Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
When a field is unticked, it can still be filled in on a profile but does not block booking.
Edit custom field values
- Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the pet.
- Select the pencil on the Pet details card, on the Petprint tab, or the Owner details card, on Pet & Owner Details.
- Update the values, then select Save.
For a Client Editable field, pet owners can update the value from their portal. The change syncs straight away and your team sees it the next time the profile opens.
Intake forms
Intake forms are questionnaires you send to clients. They support sections, multiple field types and per-service assignment. A form can:
- Organise questions into named sections
- Apply to specific services or all services
- Go out every appointment or once per client
- Go out after booking, be required before booking in self-serve checkout, or be sent by hand
- Collect electronic signatures
- Track who has completed it, with a completion rate on its Responses tab
Form field types
Forms support 12 field types:
| Type | Use for |
|---|---|
| Text | Short single-line answers |
| Textarea | Longer notes |
| Number | Numeric values |
| Dropdown | One choice from a list you define |
| Yes/No | Yes or no questions |
| Date | Date values |
| Signature | Electronic signatures for waivers or agreements |
| Info Block | Read-only information or instructions within the form |
| Multi Select | Several options from a list you define |
| Street Address | Address with suburb lookup |
| Time | Time of day |
| File Upload | One photo or PDF from the client, up to 10 MB |
Forms do not include a map location picker. There is no Phone or Email field type; use Text for those.
Build a form
- Open Fields & Forms and select Add Form.
- Choose how to start: Start from scratch, or Preview on one of the Quick-start templates and then Choose this template.
- From scratch, enter the Form Name, and a Description (optional) if you want one, then select Add Form.
- On Builder, fill in the Section title, then select Add Field and choose a type for each question. Add Section starts another section.
- Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Choose who gets a form, and activate it
A new form is inactive, and nothing is sent until you activate it. It starts on All services, Once per client and Send after booking.
- Open Fields & Forms and select the form.
- Open the Settings tab.
- Under Frequency, choose Every appointment or Once per client.
- Under When to collect, choose Send after booking, Required before booking or Send manually.
- Under Apply to services, choose All services, or Specific services and pick them.
- Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
- Select Activate Form. On a narrow screen it is under Share form link & details.
How clients complete forms
Pet owners receive forms through their portal. Send after booking sends the form by SMS and email once a booking is confirmed, and Required before booking asks for it in self-serve checkout. Completed submissions are stored on the client's profile, on its Fields & Forms tab.
Clients can also complete a form from a shareable link you send through any channel, such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.
Link form questions to profile fields
A form question can be linked to a custom field. When a client submits the form, the answer fills in the field on their profile, so nobody types it twice. On Builder, select Add Linked Profile Field in a section and choose the field. Text, Textarea, Number, Dropdown, Yes/No and Date fields can be linked.
For example, with an "Emergency Vet" field on pet owner profiles, linking the form's emergency vet question to it sends the answer straight to the profile when the form is submitted.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use custom fields without creating a full form?
Yes. Custom fields (Pet Owner Fields and Pet Fields) work independently of intake forms. Add fields to profiles and your team can fill them in without ever sending the client a form.
What's the difference between custom fields and the Petprint tab?
The Petprint tab holds Petboost's built-in structured information: coat colour, allergies, medications, temperament, microchip and insurance. Custom fields are extra fields you define for information specific to your business that the Petprint does not cover.
Can forms include conditional logic?
No. Forms do not support conditional logic, such as showing one question only when another has a certain answer. Every field in a form is shown to the client. For a questionnaire that must branch, use a separate form for each case, or a third-party form alongside Petboost (see Custom Forms and Advanced Form Needs).
Is there a limit on custom fields?
There is no hard limit on the number of custom fields or forms you can create.
Can I deactivate a form without deleting it?
Yes. Select Deactivate Form on the form. An inactive form stops sending and keeps all its submissions and settings. Select Activate Form to turn it back on at any time.
Related articles
- Intake Forms Guide: create and manage intake forms step by step
- Sending Forms to Clients: auto-send, manual send and shareable links
- Form Responses: view and manage form submissions
- Linking Forms to Services: connect forms to specific services
- Pet Attributes (Petprint): Petboost's built-in structured pet information
- Getting Started with Customers & Pets: add customers and pets
- Managing Profiles: edit pet and owner information
- Custom Form Builder Alternatives: options for conditional logic and complex forms
