Guides · Updated October 29, 2026

What to bring to a vet visit

A vet appointment is short. Walking in with the right records and notes means less time reconstructing history and more time on the actual problem.

For every visit

• Your pet, safely restrained. Dogs on a leash with a secure collar or harness; cats and small animals in a carrier. A towel or blanket from home in the carrier helps many cats.
• A current medication list. Every prescription, flea/tick/heartworm preventive and supplement: the name, strength, how you've been giving it, and when the last dose was. "The little white pill" is hard for a vet to work with.
• Vaccine history. Especially if this clinic didn't give the shots. Dates matter more than the vaccine brand.
• What and how much your pet eats. Brand and formula of food, treats, and any recent change.
• Your questions, written down. It's easy to forget the one thing you meant to ask once the exam starts.
• Insurance details, if you have pet insurance and the clinic files claims for you.

Extra for a first visit to a new vet

• Records from previous vets — invoices, vaccine certificates, lab results and any discharge notes. Many clinics will request records from your old vet, but it can take days; bringing copies avoids repeat tests.
• Rabies certificate, if you have one. A tag alone usually isn't enough for a clinic's records.
• Adoption or breeder paperwork for young or newly adopted pets, which often lists early vaccines and deworming.
• Microchip number, if you know it, so the clinic can check it's registered.

Extra for a sick or injury visit

• A short timeline. When did it start? Is it getting better, worse or the same? Has it happened before?
• Changes in eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, energy or behavior — including things that seem unrelated.
• Photos or video of anything that comes and goes: a limp, a cough, a seizure, an odd breathing pattern. Symptoms often stop as soon as you reach the clinic.
• A fresh stool or urine sample, only if the clinic asks for one. Ask them how to collect and store it.
• Packaging of anything your pet may have eaten — a plant, a medication, a food or a chemical. Product labels help the vet assess risk quickly.

Questions worth asking

• What do you think is going on, and what else could it be?
• What signs mean I should call back or go to an emergency clinic?
• For any new medication: how and when do I give it, for how long, and what side effects should I watch for?
• When should we follow up, and which vaccines are due next?