How well do you actually know your pet? A quick test at the vet

The vet looks up from the desk and asks: "When was the last deworming? And that rabies shot, which batch?" You search your memory, then your phone, then the drawer at home. It's somewhere. You just don't know where.

Every dog's and cat's health story grows into a surprising pile of data within a few years, and it's usually scattered across a paper booklet, emails from the vet, and your own memory. This piece walks through what belongs to that story, what counts as an official document and what doesn't, and how to keep it all in one place for the moment you need it most.

What makes up your pet's health story

It isn't just vaccinations. Add it up, and every animal keeps its own little file:

• Identity: microchip number and the registry it's recorded in; breed, date of birth, description.
• Vaccinations & prevention: rabies and other vaccines with date and batch, deworming, tick and flea protection.
• Health over time: weight (and how it changes), allergies, long-term medications, past illnesses and procedures.
• Contacts: your vet, the nearest emergency clinic, and a way to reach you if your pet gets lost.
• Everyday care: which food, how much, any quirks worth noting.

None of these items is complicated on its own. The problem is that they never come together in one place.

Passport, chip, registry: what's official and what isn't

This is where people often get confused, so let's be clear, and the rules differ a little depending on which country you're in:

• In Czechia, microchipping dogs has been mandatory since 2020; a rabies vaccination is only valid for a chipped dog, and a puppy must be marked by three months of age at the latest. The rules are summarised by the State Veterinary Administration (SVS).
• In Slovakia, chipping has been mandatory since 2018, and since November 2019 every dog over 12 weeks must be chipped without exception. The record goes into the Central Register of Companion Animals (CRSZ). See the State Veterinary and Food Administration (ŠVPS).

In both countries the same principle holds: chipping alone isn't enough, the chip has to be registered, and you should make sure your contact details in the registry are correct and up to date. Without an accurate record, the chip number is just a number that won't bring a lost dog home.

And in both, there's the pet passport: the official EU travel document for trips abroad, which doubles as a vaccination record.

These are all official things, and no app replaces them. What's missing is your everyday "health booklet", a place where weight, allergies, due dates, and history are at hand without flipping through paper. That's exactly the gap a digital record fills.

Why it matters more than it seems

While everything's fine, it doesn't matter at all. Then one of these moments arrives:

• A vet visit is faster and more accurate when you can show the weight history and last vaccination right away.
• An emergency in the evening or on holiday, with a vet who doesn't know your dog, allergies and medications at hand can save precious time.
• Pet-sitting or handing over to family: whoever's caring for the animal knows what and when.
• A lost pet: the chip number and contacts immediately, not once you've found them at home.

Your pet's digital passport, what belongs in it

• microchip number + which registry it's recorded in
• vaccinations (rabies and others) with dates and batches
• deworming and parasite protection
• weight recorded over time
• allergies and long-term medications
• contact for your vet and the nearest emergency clinic
• food and any care quirks

Can you put your hands on all seven within thirty seconds? If not, you've got a small weekend task.

How to finally keep it together

The paper booklet has one flaw: it's always where you aren't. You leave it at home for the vet, in a different bag on holiday, and you can't read the vaccine batch off it anyway.

A digital record flips this. It's wherever your phone is, which is almost always. It reminds you of a due date before you miss it. And it can be shared with whoever's looking after your pet. Whichever approach you choose, the point is the same: one place you always have with you.

That's exactly why PetPal exists, a digital passport for dogs and cats, where every pet has its own profile, health records, and vaccination reminders in one place. No more digging through the drawer.

What to sort out today

You don't have to handle everything at once. Start with the most important thing: confirm that your dog's chip is actually registered (and that your contact details are current), and note the number and date of the last vaccination somewhere you'll find it a year from now. Fill in the rest gradually.

Set up a digital passport for your pet in PetPal: and next time at the vet, you'll answer the question about the vaccine batch before they've finished asking.