Keeping detailed pet records

Vaccination records are just the start. Over time, you will learn things about each pet that your staff needs to know. Maybe a dog gets anxious around large breeds. Maybe a cat needs medication at a specific time. Maybe a dog twisted its ankle during play time and you need to document what happened.

Petsoft has a few tools for this. They live on the pet's profile page.

Logging an incident

An incident is anything out of the ordinary that you want to record formally. Fights, injuries, escapes, bites, or even near misses.

To add one, open the pet's profile and go to the Incidents tab. Click Add Incident and fill in the details:

• Date and time
• What happened
• Who was involved (pets and staff)
• What you did about it
• Whether the owner was notified

note

Incidents are not visible to the pet owner in the portal unless you specifically choose to share them. They are meant for internal records and liability protection.

Adding notes

Notes are less formal than incidents. Use them for behavioral observations, feeding preferences, or anything else that helps your team care for the pet.

Some examples of good notes:

• "Barks at men with hats but warms up after five minutes"
• "Will not eat unless the bowl is placed in the back corner of the run"
• "Needs a midday nap; do not schedule play time before 1 PM"

Notes show up on the daily schedule and the occupancy board so whoever is working that day sees them without digging through the profile.

Vet information

Every pet should have a vet on file. Go to the Vet tab on the pet profile and add the clinic name, phone number, and address.

If there is an emergency and you cannot reach the owner, this is who you call. Some states require you to have this information on file for licensing purposes, so it is worth keeping current.

You can also record the pet's microchip number and any existing medical conditions. These fields are optional, but they can save time in an emergency.

Medications

If a pet takes medication during their stay, you record it on the reservation, not the profile. The medication schedule prints on the daily meds report so your staff know exactly what to give and when.

However, you can note chronic medications on the profile so you know to ask about them at drop-off. Something like "Takes daily thyroid medication" is useful context even if the owner brings the pills with them.

Document uploads

You can attach files to a pet's profile. Vaccination certificates are the most common, but you can also upload:

• Vet clearance letters
• Medication instructions
• Photos of injuries (for incident documentation)
• Behavior assessment forms

Files are stored securely and are only visible to logged-in staff. Pet owners can see vaccination documents if they are marked as shareable, but not internal incident photos.

Searching notes and incidents

If you need to find every pet that has bitten another animal, or every incident from last March, use the search filter on the Incidents page. You can filter by date range, pet, or keyword.

This is useful for insurance claims, state inspections, or just spotting patterns. If the same dog has three incidents in two months, it might be time for a conversation with the owner about whether your facility is the right fit.

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Incident vs note: when to use what

	Incident	Note
Formality	Formal, documented record	Informal observation
Examples	Injuries, fights, escapes, bites	Feeding preferences, behavior quirks
Owner visibility	Hidden by default; share if needed	Hidden from owner portal
Staff visibility	Incidents page + profile	Daily schedule + occupancy board
Searchable	Yes, with filters by date/pet/keyword	Via profile

Decision tree: incident or note?

Incident documentation checklist

Item	Required?
Date and time	Yes
Description of what happened	Yes
Pets and staff involved	Yes
Actions taken	Yes
Owner notified	Yes
Photos or supporting documents	Recommended