Migrate from PAWS to HighLevel

PAWS stores pet owners as primary contact records with name, phone, email, and address. These map directly to HighLevel Contacts. Owner email is used to resolve ownership and link pet Custom Objects to the correct contact. Multiple pets per owner result in multiple Custom Object records linked to one Contact.

PAWS animals (pets) do not have a direct HighLevel equivalent because HighLevel's standard objects are people-centric. We create a 'Pet' Custom Object in HighLevel to store each animal record. The Custom Object links to its owner Contact via a relationship field. Pet name, breed, age, weight, species, and color become Custom Object fields.

PAWS vaccination charts with dates, vaccine types (rabies, distemper, bordetella), and due dates become Custom Object fields on the Pet record. Each vaccination type gets its own date field (Last_Rabies_Vaccination__c, Last_Distemper_Vaccination__c) and next-due date field. Vaccination status is stored as a pick-list field for filtering in HighLevel Smart Lists.

PAWS appointments for grooming, boarding, or veterinary visits import as HighLevel Calendar events linked to the owner Contact. Service type and notes from the appointment become the event description or a linked Task with subject, due date, and custom field for service category. Past appointments become historical Task records; future appointments import as calendar events.

Deworming history from PAWS, including product name, date administered, and next due date, maps to dedicated custom fields on the Pet Custom Object. A Deworming_Status__c pick-list field captures overdue, current, or completed state for use in automated workflow reminders in HighLevel.

PAWS billing records (one-time charges, package purchases, boarding fees) do not have a native HighLevel equivalent. We map them to a custom Invoice Custom Object linked to the Contact, storing amount, date, line items, and payment status. Recurring service packages (e.g., monthly grooming plans) can alternatively map to HighLevel Opportunities with custom fields for service details.

Pet photos and document attachments from PAWS (vaccination certificates, medical records PDF) re-upload to HighLevel Files and attached to the corresponding Pet Custom Object record. File size limits in HighLevel apply (standard attachment limits per record). Inline images are re-hosted and linked.

PAWS automated notifications for vaccination due dates and appointment reminders are a platform-native feature with no direct HighLevel equivalent. These automations must be rebuilt in HighLevel using Workflow triggers (date-based or field-change triggers) and communication actions (SMS, email). FlitStack provides an automation map exported from PAWS as a rebuild reference.

PAWS boarding reservations linking a pet to specific check-in and check-out dates map to a 'Reservation' Custom Object for the booking details and a linked Opportunity for the associated revenue. Dates, duration, and special instructions become custom fields; total fee maps to the Opportunity amount.

PAWS staff or practitioner records who manage appointments map to HighLevel User accounts by email match. Unmatched staff members are flagged before migration. Owner assignment on pet records and appointments resolves to the matched HighLevel user; records without a match are assigned to an admin fallback user.

PAWS labels applied to pets or owners (medical alert, VIP client, new patient) migrate as HighLevel Tags on the relevant Contact or Pet Custom Object. Tags preserve segmentation for workflow triggers and Smart List filters in HighLevel. Multiple tags per record are fully supported.