Guides

Pet vaccination records, explained plainly.

Every guide starts with a direct answer, links the official source for anything legal or medical, and ends with one thing you can do. Written to be checked against your vet, not to replace them.

Before the stayBoarding, daycare, groomingRequired vaccines, timing rules and checklists for the moment someone takes your pet in.

Vaccines explainedSchedules and boostersPuppy and kitten series, rabies, DHPP, FVRCP, and 1-year vs 3-year.

Paperwork & rulesRenting, travel, state lawRabies by state, pet addendums and health certificates.

Records & toolsKeeping and sharingLost records, digital vs paper, and free tools.

Before the stay

Boarding, daycare, grooming. Required vaccines, timing rules and checklists for the moment someone takes your pet in.

What vaccines does my dog need for boarding?The vaccinations most kennels require before a dog can board (rabies, DHPP, Bordetella, often influenza), the timing rules, and what counts as proof.

Groomer vaccine requirements: what to bringGroomers almost always require rabies and often Bordetella; cat groomers ask for rabies and FVRCP. What they check, when, and how to prove it fast.

Bordetella for boarding: timing and how long it lastsWhat the Bordetella vaccine protects against, why kennels, daycares and groomers require it, the three forms, and how often it is given.

Cat boarding vaccine requirements (FVRCP and rabies)What catteries and boarding facilities typically require for cats: rabies, FVRCP, and sometimes FeLV. Timing rules and what counts as proof.

Dog daycare requirements: vaccines, tests, temperamentWhat dog daycares typically require before day one: rabies, DHPP, Bordetella, often influenza, a fecal test, spay or neuter, and an assessment.

What records do pet sitters need?The pet sitter checklist: vet contact, emergency authorization, medications and doses, allergies, vaccination status, microchip number and feeding routine.

How early to vaccinate before boardingMost kennels want vaccines at least 7–14 days before a stay. Why the gap exists, which vaccines need longer, and how far ahead to book the vet.

How to share your pet’s records with a groomerStep by step: put the certificates in PawPass, make a share link with an expiry, send it or show the QR code at the door, and revoke it afterwards.

Vaccines explained

Schedules and boosters. Puppy and kitten series, rabies, DHPP, FVRCP, and 1-year vs 3-year.

Puppy vaccination schedule: week by weekWhat a puppy is vaccinated with at 6–8, 10–12, 14–16 weeks and after, when rabies is given, and when a puppy is ready for daycare and boarding.

Cat and kitten vaccination scheduleA cat vaccination schedule by age: the FVRCP series and rabies for kittens, FeLV, the first boosters, and how often adult and indoor cats need each.

Rabies vaccine: 1-year vs 3-year explainedWhy the first rabies vaccination is always good for one year, when a 3-year product applies, and how state and county rules can override the label.

DHPP vaccine for dogs: what it covers and whenDHPP (also DAPP or DA2PP) protects dogs against distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus and parainfluenza. The puppy series, boosters and kennel rules.

Vaccine titers for dogs: when they replace boostersWhat a titer test measures, which vaccines it can stand in for (distemper, parvo, panleukopenia), why it never replaces rabies, and who accepts it.

Leptospirosis and Lyme vaccines: does your dog need them?What leptospirosis is, which dogs are at risk, how the vaccine is given (two doses, then yearly), and why some kennels now require it.

A kitten’s first year: the paperwork, in orderThe records a kitten generates in year one: the FVRCP series, FeLV, rabies, testing, microchip and neutering, and how to keep them for the cattery later.

A puppy’s first year: the paperwork, in orderEverything a puppy generates in year one: the vaccine series, rabies, microchip, license, spay or neuter, and how to keep it for the first kennel stay.

Dog vaccine schedule: puppy to adultA dog vaccination schedule by age: the DHPP and rabies puppy series, first boosters, and how often adults need rabies, DHPP, Bordetella and more.

The canine influenza vaccineDog flu (H3N2 and H3N8), how it spreads in daycares and kennels, the two-dose vaccine and annual booster, and why more facilities require it.

The feline leukemia (FeLV) vaccineWhat FeLV is, why all kittens are vaccinated, which adult cats keep getting boosters, and why catteries ask about it.

The FVRCP vaccine, explainedFVRCP protects cats against feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia. The kitten series, boosters, and why indoor cats still need it.

Paperwork & rules

Renting, travel, state law. Rabies by state, pet addendums and health certificates.

How to get a copy of your pet’s rabies certificateAsk the clinic that gave the vaccination; it keeps the record and can reprint the certificate, usually the same day. What to do if that clinic has closed.

Proof of rabies for a pet addendum: what landlords wantWhat a landlord needs to see for a pet addendum: the signed rabies certificate, often a license, and sometimes breed, weight and a photo.

Flying with a dog: health certificate checklistWhat airlines and destinations require for a dog: health certificate windows, rabies timing, microchips, titers for some countries, and the order.

Is a rabies tag proof of vaccination?No, not on its own. The tag links to a record; kennels, groomers, landlords and airlines want the signed certificate with the date, product and vet.

Moving to a new state with pets: records checklistWhat to gather before a move: vaccination records, the rabies certificate, the new county’s license rules, and what a landlord’s pet addendum asks for.

Microchip registration checklistA microchip only works if it is registered to you and the details are current. What to check, where it is registered, and what to update when you move.

The pet health certificate, explainedWhat a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection is, who can issue it, the usual 10-day window, when it needs USDA endorsement, and what to bring.

What is a rabies certificate, and what has to be on it?What a rabies vaccination certificate contains, who can sign it, why a tag is not a substitute, and how long it stays valid.

Rabies rules by stateWhether your state sets the rabies rule or leaves it to counties, what proof is accepted, and where to confirm. All fifty.

Records & tools

Keeping and sharing. Lost records, digital vs paper, and free tools.

Lost your dog’s vaccination records? How to get them backWhere a dog or cat’s vaccination records actually live, who can reprint them, what to do if the clinic closed, and how to stop losing them again.

Digital vs paper pet records: what businesses acceptMost kennels, groomers and landlords accept a clear photo or PDF of a vaccination certificate. Airlines and border officials usually want originals.

How to share your pet’s records with a new vetAsk the old clinic to send the full medical record to the new one, and bring your own copy of the vaccination history so nothing is repeated unnecessarily.

Adopting a rescue: records to ask the shelter forWhat to ask a shelter or rescue for at adoption: vaccinations with dates, rabies certificate, spay or neuter, microchip transfer, tests and medical notes.

Breeder puppy records: what to give new ownersThe records a breeder should hand over with a puppy: vaccinations and deworming with dates, vet exam, microchip, health testing, and what is due next.

Best apps to keep pet vaccination records (2026): what to look forHow to choose an app for pet vaccination records: sharing with no app on the other side, reminders, attachments, clinic independence, privacy.

How to photograph a vaccine certificate so it is acceptedFlat, in daylight, all four corners, the signature and lot number legible. What a kennel or airline needs to read on the photo, and what gets rejected.

Pet insurance claims: the records that make them go throughInsurers want the full clinical history, itemized invoices and dated records from before the policy started. What to keep so a claim goes through.

Your vet closed. How to get the recordsWhere a closed clinic’s records go, who to ask (the buyer, the state veterinary board, the vaccine manufacturer), and what to do if nothing turns up.

Vaccine due-date calculatorEnter the date a vaccine was given and the product; get the next due date and a reminder date.

Printable vaccination recordA free one-page record to print and fill in, for the folder or the kennel that wants paper.

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