Cookie Policy
The cookies, pixels, and tracking technologies we use on growdvm.com, grouped by category with name, purpose, retention period, and the third party that sets each one.
1. What this Cookie Policy covers
This Cookie Policy is a companion document to our Privacy Policy. It explains the specific cookies, pixels, and similar technologies our Site sets in your browser, what each one does, how long it lasts, and the third party (if any) responsible. We update this list as our stack changes.
2. Categories we use
- Necessary. Required for the Site to function. Includes the cookie that remembers your consent choices. These cannot be disabled without breaking core functionality.
- Analytics. Help us understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve content, fix friction, and prioritize what to build.
- Advertising & Targeting. Let us measure ad performance and reach similar clinic owners across Meta and Google. These are the cookies that participate in cross-context behavioral advertising.
Analytics and Advertising cookies are off by default. They turn on only after you accept them via the consent banner or the modal. If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we force Advertising cookies off regardless of your selection.
3. Cookie inventory
3.1 Necessary
| Name | Party | Purpose | Retention | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gdvm_consent | first-party | Stores your cookie consent choices (necessary / analytics / advertising) | 12 months | GrowDVM |
| gdvm_visited | first-party | Distinguishes first-time vs returning visits so we can fire the right marketing event (stored in localStorage, not a true cookie, but listed here for transparency) | Persistent (cleared when site data is cleared) | GrowDVM |
| __cf_bm | third-party | Bot management and traffic analysis on our content delivery and security layer (set only when fronted by Cloudflare) | 30 minutes | Cloudflare |
3.2 Analytics
| Name | Party | Purpose | Retention | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | third-party | Google Analytics 4. Distinguishes individual users | 2 years | |
| _ga_D5D594KCTH | third-party | Google Analytics 4. Persists session state per GA4 property | 2 years |
3.3 Advertising & Targeting
| Name | Party | Purpose | Retention | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| _fbp | third-party | Meta Pixel. Browser identification for ad attribution and audiences | 90 days | Meta |
| _fbc | third-party | Meta Pixel. Stores the last Facebook click ID for ad attribution | 90 days | Meta |
| fr | third-party | Meta. Encrypted user ID used to deliver and measure ads | 90 days | Meta |
| _gcl_au | third-party | Google Ads conversion linker. Associates conversions to ad clicks | 90 days | |
| _gcl_aw | third-party | Google Ads. Stores the most recent ad click (gclid) | 90 days | |
| IDE | third-party | Google DoubleClick. Measures and serves advertisements on Google properties | 13 months |
Some of the above third-party providers may set additional cookies that vary by country, ad campaign, or platform version. The list reflects the cookies we expect to see in a typical session; if your browser console shows a cookie not listed here, please let us know at privacy@growdvm.com and we will update this Policy.
4. How to manage your preferences
- On this Site: to toggle Analytics and Advertising individually.
- Browser settings: most browsers let you block or delete cookies from individual sites. See your browser's help center for instructions.
- Global Privacy Control: enable GPC in your browser (built in to Brave / DuckDuckGo, available via extension elsewhere). We honor GPC as a valid opt-out of advertising.
- Industry opt-outs: NAI and DAA WebChoices offer cross-vendor opt-out registers.
- Do Not Sell or Share: visit our Do Not Sell or Share page to opt out specifically of sharing for cross-context behavioral advertising.
5. Contact
Questions about this Cookie Policy or any of the technologies listed above: privacy@growdvm.com.