Changing vets? What to bring, and how to move your pet’s records
Moving to a new vet clinic goes better when the history comes too. What to ask your old clinic for, what to bring on the day, and how long it can take.
General information, not veterinary advice. Every clinic does this a little differently, so check with yours.
People change vets for all sorts of reasons: a move, a clinic that’s closer, a vet who sees more animals like yours. The first appointment is the easy part. The history is what tends to get lost on the way.
A new vet who can see your pet’s past vaccinations, results and reactions can pick up where the last one left off, instead of starting from scratch. Here’s how to make sure that happens.
Ask your old clinic to send the records
The simplest way is to ask your current clinic to send your pet’s full history to the new one before the first appointment. Most clinics need that request to come from you, usually in writing or on their own form, because the records include your details as well as your pet’s.
Ask for everything, not just the vaccination certificate: the clinical notes, test results, imaging reports, any specialist letters, and the medicines your pet has been given. Give them the new clinic’s name and email address so it goes straight there.
Allow some time. Some clinics turn a request around the same day; others ask for a week or more. RSPCA Victoria’s clinics, for example, ask owners to allow at least a week. If you’re working to a date, say so when you ask.
A few clinics charge to copy a long history, so it’s fair to ask about that up front.
Keep a copy for yourself
While you’re asking, request a copy for your own files too. Clinics don’t always hear back from each other quickly, and an after-hours emergency vet won’t have your regular clinic’s notes at 2am.
A folder on your phone with the vaccination certificate, the last test results and the list of medicines covers most situations.
What to bring to the first appointment
Even if the records are on their way, bring the basics with you.
- The vaccination certificate, with the dates and the vaccines given (C3 or C5 for dogs, for example, or F3 for cats).
- Your pet’s microchip number, and the desexing certificate if you have one.
- The name and dose of every medicine, supplement and parasite treatment your pet is on, and when each was last given. A photo of the packets works.
- Anything your pet has reacted badly to before, from a medicine to a vaccine.
- Your pet insurance details, if you have a policy.
- Notes, photos or short videos of anything you want to ask about. A ten-second clip of a cough or a limp shows a vet more than a description can.
Tell the new vet how you like things done
A first visit is also a good time to set things up the way you want: how you’d like to hear about results, who else is allowed to bring your pet in, and what you’d want to happen in an emergency if the clinic can’t reach you.
Where Quanterium fits
This is the problem Quanterium is being built to fix. Instead of your pet’s history living in one clinic’s software, the record stays with you: vaccinations, visits, results and medicines in one place, ready to share with whichever vet you see.
It’s in development and not available yet. Until it is, a copy of your records and the list above will get you most of the way.