How to Track Pet Vaccination Records for Your Pet Care Business

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A reliable tracking system protects your business and your clients' dogs.

Why Vaccination Tracking Fails

• Paper records get lost or misfiled
• Emails from vets aren't attached to client profiles
• Expiration dates aren't tracked — records that were valid last month may be expired today
• Staff at check-in don't know which dogs need updated records
• Clients don't realize their records have expired until they arrive

Building a Digital Vaccination System

1. Store records on the pet profile (not the client profile). Vaccination records belong to the pet, not the person. If a family has 3 dogs, each dog needs its own vaccination record.
2. Record expiration dates, not just upload dates. A Bordetella vaccine uploaded 13 months ago is expired. You need to track when it expires, not when you received it.
3. Set alerts 30 days before expiration. Give clients enough time to get to the vet before their next appointment. Waiting until check-in is too late.
4. Accept multiple upload formats. Vet receipts, forwarded emails, PDF exports, photos of paper records — clients should be able to submit records however they have them.
5. Block bookings for dogs with expired vaccines. If you can't book a dog without current records, you don't have to have the conversation at the door.

Required Vaccines by Facility Type

Client Communication About Records

• Include vaccination requirements in your booking confirmation
• Send a reminder 30 days before expiration: "Luna's Bordetella is expiring on [date]. Please have your vet send updated records to [email]."
• Give clients a direct upload link — don't make them call during business hours to submit a document