Customers ask what forms Petboost can do, and what to use for something more advanced. Petboost has its own form builder, with custom fields, sections, e-signatures, a choice of sending after booking or requiring the form before booking, and per-service assignment. Forms do not support conditional logic or branching. For those, a third-party form can sit alongside Petboost.
What Petboost offers
Petboost has a form and data collection system built for pet businesses.
Custom fields on profiles
Custom fields add your own questions to every pet or pet owner profile:
- 8 field types: Text, Textarea, Number, Dropdown, Yes/No, Date, Street Address and Location
- 3 visibility levels: Staff Only, Client Visible and Client Editable
- Instant display: a field appears on every matching profile as soon as you add it
- Client self-service: a Client Editable field syncs to the pet owner portal, where clients update it
- Where: Fields & Forms, on the Pet Owner Fields or Pet Fields tab
The intake form builder
Build structured questionnaires and send them to clients:
- 12 field types: Text, Textarea, Number, Dropdown, Yes/No, Date, Signature, Info Block, Multi Select, Street Address, Time and File Upload
- Sections: group related questions under named headings
- Per-service assignment: link a form to specific services or to all services
- Frequency: every appointment, or once per client
- When to collect: send after booking, by SMS and email; require it before booking in self-serve checkout; or send it by hand from the client's profile
- Electronic signatures: collect legally binding e-signatures in a form
- File uploads: the client attaches one photo or PDF per File Upload field, up to 10 MB
- Submission tracking: see who has completed their paperwork and who is still pending
- Where: Fields & Forms, on the Forms tab
Sending forms when a booking is made
- A form goes out when a booking is made for a service it is linked to
- It is delivered by SMS and email at the same time
- When your team makes the booking, they choose Fill for owner or Send to owner
- A shareable link lets you send a form through any other channel
- It works for online bookings and for bookings your team makes
Other information Petboost collects
- Petprint tab: coat colour, allergies, medications, temperament, microchip and insurance
- Care & Grooming Templates tab, when you offer grooming: head, body and feet preferences with reference photos
- Vaccination Certificates, on the Petprint tab: certificate upload, date tracking and expiry reminders
- Paperwork tab: uploaded documents, signed agreements and waivers
- Emergency contacts: vet and emergency contact details on owner profiles
See Custom Fields and Intake Forms for the full guide.
Build a form in sections
Group related questions under headings, such as health, feeding and home access.
- Open Fields & Forms and select the form, or select Add Form to start one.
- On Builder, select Add Section and fill in the Section title.
- In the section, select Add Field, choose the field type and type the Question.
- Optional: switch on Required to make the answer mandatory.
- Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Info blocks are always optional. See Intake Forms Guide for every field type and the form templates.
Choose when the form is collected
Four settings decide who gets a form and when.
- Open Fields & Forms and select the form.
- Open the Settings tab.
- Under Frequency, choose Once per client or Every appointment.
- 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 the services.
- Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Check the form as a client sees it
Every field in a form is shown to the client. Preview the form to check how it reads before you send it.
- Open Fields & Forms and select the form.
- Select Preview at the top of Builder, or Preview as client on the form summary card.
- Fill it in, and leave a required question empty to see the message a client gets.
What Petboost does not offer
For needs beyond the built-in form builder, Petboost does not offer:
- Conditional logic, such as showing a question only when an earlier answer is yes
- Multi-page forms with page-by-page navigation. Sections are supported, but not separate pages
- Other field types, such as sliders, rating matrices or ranking questions
The form builder covers standard intake needs without that complexity. Conditional logic and multi-page flows add a lot to the form screens for a small number of uses, and third-party form tools work alongside Petboost for the businesses that need them.
Recommended alternatives for advanced needs
If you need conditional logic or complex multi-page flows, these tools work alongside Petboost.
Google Forms (free)
Unlimited questions and responses, conditional logic that shows questions based on answers, file upload fields, and responses saved to Google Sheets. Best for free, simple conditional forms.
To use it with Petboost, create your form in Google Forms and share the link with clients after booking, by hand or by email. Copy the key information into Petboost profiles or custom fields. See forms.google.com.
Typeform (from $35 AUD a month)
A conversational form experience, with logic jumps for conditional questions, design and branding options, and payment collection in forms. Best for branded forms with conditional logic.
To use it with Petboost, design branded forms in Typeform, then embed them on your website or share the links. Refer to the responses when you work in Petboost. See typeform.com.
JotForm (free tier, paid plans from $47 AUD a month)
Over 10,000 form templates, conditional logic and payment integration, PDFs generated from submissions, and a mobile app for offline forms. Best for advanced features such as PDF generation or HIPAA-compliant forms.
To use it with Petboost, build a custom form or start from a template, then share it by link or embed it. Summarise the responses in Petboost pet notes or custom fields. See jotform.com.
When to use what
| Need | Use |
|---|---|
| Standard intake questions (health, diet, emergency contacts) | Petboost intake forms |
| Electronic signature collection | Petboost intake forms (Signature field) |
| Per-service paperwork sent automatically | Petboost intake forms |
| Business-specific profile data | Petboost custom fields |
| Conditional logic (if X, show Y) | Google Forms or Typeform alongside Petboost |
| Complex multi-page assessment (30+ questions) | Google Forms or Typeform alongside Petboost |
| Photo or PDF uploads within a form | Petboost intake forms (File Upload field) |
| PDF generation from submissions | JotForm |
Frequently asked questions
Does Petboost support conditional logic in forms?
No. Every field in a form is shown, and none is shown or hidden based on earlier answers. Use a separate form for each use case, or a third-party form alongside Petboost if the questionnaire must branch.
Can I embed external forms into Petboost?
Not directly. Share the external form's link by email or SMS after booking, or embed the form on your own website. Clients complete it separately.
Does Petboost support electronic signatures?
Yes. Add a Signature field to any intake form, and clients sign on their own device. Signed submissions are stored against the client's profile, on its Fields & Forms tab.
Can Petboost forms collect file uploads?
Yes. Add a File Upload field to the form. The client attaches one photo or PDF, up to 10 MB, and you open the file from the response.
Related guides
- Custom Fields and Intake Forms
- Intake Forms Guide
- Sending Forms to Clients
- Form Responses
- Linking Forms to Services
- Kiosk Mode: walk-in terms on a front-desk tablet
