How do you keep track of your pet’s medical history, his/her vaccinations, medications, formal training?  What do you do when you travel with your pet, are you prepared for any medical emergencies while traveling?

I keep Sampson and Delilah’s medical histories in a three ring binder.  They each have their own binder and the first page has their name, their date of birth, the name, address and phone number of our vet; as well as our emergency contact information.  Inside the binder in order by date, I have copies of their vet records showing dates for vaccinations, any illnesses they might have had, along with the medication they received, certificates for any obedience classes they attended and copies of their town licenses.  These are slipped inside sheet protectors (so I don’t have to punch them) and they are easy to move about, if you’ve got one out-of-order, or have forgotten one.  In the back of Sampson’s book, I have a print out of symptoms of bloat in dogs, as well as what to do should you suspect your dog has bloat.  Bloat is the 2nd leading killer of dogs after cancer.  Since I have two rather large dogs, bloat is always a concern for me, so I want to be prepared.

When we travel with our dogs, their binders go with us.  The dogs have their own bag in which I store, their food bowls, some toys, any medications they are on, some treats and their binders.  If a situation ever arises where I need to prove that my dog has had their rabies shot, I have copies of it.  When Delilah took ill in New Hampshire three years ago, I grabbed her binder and took it with me to the emergency vet.  In an emergency situation you may not always be able to think clearly enough to answer questions, but if all the information is at your finger tips, all you have to do is flip to the last couple of pages.

It probably takes me all of two minutes to add their latest records to their binders, and those two minutes are so worth the protection it provides my sweet babies.

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