What already exists, officially
Two documents have official standing, and your notebook does not replace them:
- Identification: in France, for example, it is compulsory before 4 months for a dog, and before 7 months for a cat born after 1 January 2012, by microchip or tattoo. The animal is entered in the national I-CAD register, which must be updated if you change address or phone number[1]. Check the rules where you live.
- The European pet passport, to travel within the European Union with a dog, cat or ferret: it is issued by an authorised vet and records the animal’s description, its microchip number and its rabies vaccination. The first rabies jab is given from 12 weeks of age, and you then wait at least 21 days before travelling[2].
At the very least, note the microchip number and where these documents are kept: that is what you look for the day your pet goes missing or goes travelling.
What is worth noting
| What | What you note |
|---|---|
| Vaccines | The date, the vaccine, the next booster date given by the vet. |
| Flea and worm treatments | The product, the date applied, the next one: a due date that is easy to let slip. |
| Treatments | What the vet prescribed, the dose and the duration, ticked off day by day. |
| Weight | A weigh-in now and then, at the same time of day: the curve says more than a single figure. |
| Vet visits | The date, the reason, what was said, the invoice. |
| Symptoms | When it started, how long it lasted, a photo: the vet will ask. |
| Food | The brand, the portion, the times, what is off limits. |
| Contacts | The vet, the out-of-hours clinic, the insurer if there is one. |
For the person looking after your pet
Going away for a few days means handing over what you know by heart: the food portion, the morning tablet, the vet’s number, the favourite hiding place. Put it in one up-to-date document rather than scattered messages: they will not need to call you.
Keeping it up without effort
- One notebook per pet, and inside it a category per subject: care, food, vet.
- A reminder for every due date you already know: the next flea treatment, the next vaccine.
- Paperwork as photos, attached to the day’s memo: the prescription, the invoice, the label on the food bag.
- A deletion date on what should not stay: the log of a ten-day treatment, once it is over.
Sources
- French Ministry of Agriculture, L’identification des animaux de compagnie, une obligation légale qui les protège (in French), 17 June 2025.
- Your Europe (official EU portal), EU rules on travelling with pets and other animals in the EU.
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