How to Organize Your Dog's Vet Records (So You Never Lose Them Again)

Article by Devin Mudcat Kelly

We Were on the Edge of Ecuador, Somewhere Near Peru, When the Panic Began to Take Hold

I had a sudden, unpleasant flashback to that shabby hostel room back in Baños. Thunder and I rushing out the door to catch the next chicken bus. His medical folder sitting right there on the neatly-made bed.

I had forgotten it.

Fuck.

No rabies certificate. No vaccination records. No official proof that my dog wasn't some flea-bitten revolutionary hellbent on toppling the health and hygiene of the Republic of Peru.

My own papers were in order, though. So I had a choice: turn back, or get creative.

The border crossing was a sleepy bridge over a nameless river carving through a tired town. Just a rickety span of concrete, a bus stop, and a few haciendas selling trinkets in the hazy afternoon sun. No fences. No real lines. Just a couple of bored guards and the illusion of order.

I got off the bus on the Ecuador side and told Thunder, "Wait here, dude."

He didn't.

A pack of dusty strays emerged from the haciendas like jackals slinking out of a mirage. They circled Thunder, sniffed him, welcomed him like a long-lost cousin. Then they were off—tails high, trotting through town like they ran the place. Which, of course, they did.

I crossed the border alone, head down, heart thumping, hoping nobody would ask about the dog. Nobody did.

Once I was stamped into Peru, I turned back and scanned the sand for my mutt. There he was—surrounded by his newfound gang, panting and proud, clearly having the time of his life.

I gave a low whistle. One note.

Thunder broke formation and trotted across the bridge with the full pack charging behind him—a desert stampede of fur and lolling tongues. They stormed past the guards like they'd done it a thousand times. The border agents barely looked up. Just another gang of neighborhood dogs crossing over for scraps, or trouble, or both.

Thunder sat beside me on the Peruvian side, grinning like a seasoned smuggler.

We were in.

But Here's the Thing

I was sweating through my shirt, heart still pounding, thinking: This is insane. Why am I smuggling my own dog because I forgot a piece of paper?

But the truth is, it was never just about one piece of paper.

Even when I had Thunder's records, they were scattered everywhere. Buried in an email from a vet clinic in Colombia. A PDF in my Downloads folder from two laptops ago. A photo in my camera roll somewhere between 47 screenshots of hiking trails, a dozen Thunder photo-bombs, and a bunch of blurry sunsets.

The problem wasn't that I didn't have the records. It's that I had no system.

And if you've ever traveled with your dog—or switched vets, or dealt with an emergency at 2 a.m.—you know exactly what I'm talking about.

The Persistent Headache of Managing Vet Records

Most people use one (or a chaotic combination) of these methods:

Paper Folders / Vaccination Booklets

They work until they don't—lost in Ecuador, coffee-stained in Arizona, left at the vet, or just... gone.

Pros: Easy to hand to a vet, no tech required
Cons: Easy to lose, can't access remotely, gets damaged, hard to share

Emails / PDFs from Vets

Theoretically accessible anywhere. In practice? Buried under 10,000 unread messages with filenames like "IMG_2847.pdf" or "document_final_FINAL_v3.pdf."

Pros: Digital, theoretically accessible anywhere
Cons: Buried in inbox, scattered across accounts, random filenames, can't share easily

Photos on Your Phone

Quick to snap at the vet. Impossible to find six months later when you actually need it.

Pros: Quick and easy to capture
Cons: Disorganized, mixed in with thousands of other photos, no context, can't search

Vet Portals

Official records from the vet—if you can remember your login. And the login for the other vet. And the emergency clinic from that one time.

Pros: Official records from the source
Cons: Different login for every clinic, not portable, clunky interface, can't consolidate records from multiple vets

Spreadsheet or Notes App

Works great if you're disciplined about updating it. Which you're not. Neither am I.

Pros: Organized (if maintained), searchable
Cons: Manual data entry, no document storage, easy to forget to update, can't share easily

None of these work well on their own.

Here's how to fix it.

What You Actually Need to Track

Before we get into organization methods, let's talk about what actually matters:

1. Vaccinations

The non-negotiables:

• Rabies (required for travel, boarding, crossing borders)

• DHPP/Parvo (core vaccines)

• Bordetella (kennel cough—required for most boarding facilities)

• Leptospirosis, Lyme (depending on where you live/travel)

What to track:

• Vaccine name

• Date administered

• Expiration/due date

• Vet clinic that administered it

2. Medications

Current medications (heartworm preventatives, flea/tick treatments, prescriptions), including dosage, frequency, and any known allergies.

Why this matters: If your dog has an emergency, the vet needs to know what he's on. Fast. Not "I think he's on something for his stomach" but the actual name, dosage, and when he started taking it.

3. Health Events

Surgeries, injuries, illnesses, allergies, chronic conditions. Anything that might come up if your dog needs emergency care and you're not at your regular vet.

4. Documents

• Rabies certificate (the official one, not just the booklet entry)

• Health certificate (for international travel)

• Microchip registration number

• Bloodwork/lab results

• X-rays and imaging reports

Border agents, airlines, and kennels don't care about your email from the vet. They want the official document. On paper or on your phone. But they want to see it.

How to Actually Organize Your Dog's Vet Records (The Manual Method)

If you're going to get your dog's records in order—and you should, before you're standing at a border crossing sweating through your shirt—here's a system that works:

Step 1: Gather Everything in One Place

This is the hardest part because it requires hunting down years of scattered records.

• Dig through emails. Search "vet," "vaccination," "rabies," your dog's name

• Check Downloads, Desktop, Documents, Google Drive, Dropbox

• Look through your camera roll

• Call your vet(s) and ask them to email you everything—vaccines, visit summaries, lab results, the works

• Dig through any physical folders, files, or that drawer where random paperwork goes to die

Get it all in one place first. Then you can organize it.

Step 2: Digitize Paper Records

Scan or photograph all paper documents. Save them as PDFs with clear, consistent filenames:

• Rabies_Vaccine_2024.pdf

• Spay_Surgery_2023.pdf

• Emergency_Vet_Visit_Dec2024.pdf

Use a format that makes sense to you, but be consistent. Future you will thank you.

Step 3: Create a Master Tracking Document

Use a spreadsheet or document to track the key info at a glance:

Keep this updated after every vet visit. Set a calendar reminder if you need to.

Step 4: Store Everything in the Cloud

Use Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud. Create a main folder called [Dog's Name] - Vet Records and organize by category:

• Vaccines/

• Medications/

• Vet Visits/

• Lab Results/

• X-rays & Imaging/

• Health Certificates/

Pro tip: Share access with family members, pet sitters, or dog walkers so they have it in an emergency.

Step 5: Keep a "Go Bag" Version

Save the most critical documents (rabies certificate, core vaccines, microchip info, current medications) in a separate folder labeled "Emergency Records."

Print a one-page summary and keep it:

• In your travel bag

• In your car

• With your dog's gear

• At your pet sitter's place

This is what you grab when you need something right now.

Why I Built VetDex

I followed this system for years. It worked better than the chaos I'd been living in before.

But it was still a pain in the ass.

After the Ecuador incident—and years later when I got turned away at the Italian border because I couldn't produce Thunder's current rabies certificate—I kept thinking: Why is this so hard?

We have apps for everything. Banking, travel, fitness, meal planning. Why not animal health records?

So I built one.

VetDex is basically a digital health passport for your dog (or cat, or horse, or any animal). Here's how it works:

1. Store all your animal's records in one place: vaccines, medications, vet visits, documents (PDFs, photos, lab results)

2. Access it from any device, anywhere: phone, tablet, laptop

3. Share it instantly with a vet, border agent, or boarding facility via QR code or link (no login required for them)

4. Get reminders when vaccines or meds are due (coming soon)

VetDex is live. It's free during beta. And I need your help making it better.

Try it here: https vetdex.app

But even if you don't use VetDex, the manual system above will save you a ton of headaches. Trust me—I learned this the hard way.

Start Today

Organizing your dog's vet records takes a little effort upfront, but it saves massive stress later—whether you're traveling, switching vets, or dealing with an emergency.

Pick one of the methods above and start today. Even 10 minutes will make a difference.

Thunder's been gone for a while now, but the headache of vet record tracking remains. Peggy and I just adopted Ares and Athena—two puppies, brother and sister, already causing chaos and stealing hearts. At least now I have all their vet records in one place, accessible anywhere, anytime. No more scrambling. No more smuggling dogs across borders with street gangs.

What's your system for organizing vet records? If you try VetDex, tell me what works and what sucks. I want to hear from you.

Feel free to reach out!

Always. Forever. No matter what.

— Devin Mudcat Kelly