Triage rubric
How Vigilpaw decides urgency.
The decision criteria below are the same rules the classifier applies to every pet-parent message and intake form. Each rule names the signal or trigger phrase, the threshold that fires it, and the action the system recommends. Hand this page to a pilot clinic, a reviewer, or anyone who asks why a case scored the way it did.
| Concern | Signal / trigger phrase | Threshold | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| toxin exposure | Ingested a known toxin (chocolate, xylitol, grapes/raisins, lilies, antifreeze, rodenticide, prescription meds, or an unknown pill) Many toxins are time-critical; induction of vomiting is only useful within a narrow window after ingestion. | Any exposure, any quantity, any time | Emergency — act now |
| trauma | Hit by a car, fell from a height (>1 m / a few feet), attacked by another animal, or any penetrating wound Internal injury can outrun external signs by hours. | Single event — no symptom-duration window | Emergency — act now |
| lethargy | Unresponsive, fainted, collapsed, or had a seizure lasting longer than 2 minutes, or repeated seizures | Any single episode, or >2 min / >1 episode | Emergency — act now |
| lethargy | Pale, white, blue, or grey gums Points to poor perfusion or anaemia — shock can be imminent. | Any observation | Emergency — act now |
| vomiting and diarrhea | Persistent vomiting or diarrhea, blood in vomit or stool, OR refusal to drink for more than 12 hours Escalate sooner if the pet is a puppy/kitten, very small, or already dehydrated. | > 12 h, OR blood visible | Book a vet visit |
| appetite | Lethargic AND not eating for more than 24 hours in an adult dog or cat | > 24 h with low energy | Book a vet visit |
| vomiting and diarrhea | Mild GI upset — single episode of vomiting or soft stool, slight appetite drop, in an otherwise bright, hydrated pet Re-evaluate if it persists beyond 24 h, recurs, or new signs appear. | 1 episode, no blood, drinking normally | Monitor at home |
| puppy / kitten | Any vomiting in a puppy under 6 months OR a kitten under 6 months Young animals dehydrate and hypoglycaemically crash much faster than adults. | 1 episode — escalate if blood is present or vomiting continues past 6 h | Book a vet visit |
| puppy / kitten | Vomiting with blood OR vomiting persisting past 6 h in a puppy under 6 months or kitten under 6 months | Blood present, OR > 6 h continuous | Emergency — act now |
How to use this page
This is the audit-grade reference the classifier is built on. When a pilot clinic asks “why did this case score book a visit?”, walk them to the relevant rule and read the signal + threshold aloud. The action label next to each rule is the same label the assistant emits in chat and in the queue.
No editing UI yet. The rule set is frozen for the pilot — changes ship via a typed constant in code, reviewed by a vet before deployment. A self-serve editor is on the roadmap.