Moving with Pets: How to Transfer Vet Records to a New City
A move means a new vet, and a new vet means starting fresh with a provider who knows nothing about your pet's history. How smooth that transition goes depends almost entirely on what records you bring with you. A new vet with complete records can pick up where the last one left off. One with nothing has to start from scratch, repeat tests, and make decisions without context that could matter.
The pet-related tasks in a move are easy to defer until everything else is sorted, but the steps below are worth completing before you go rather than after.
Before the move
Request your pet's complete records
Contact your current vet and request a full copy of your pet's medical records before you move. Ask for visit notes, lab results, imaging reports, vaccination history, and prescription history. Request these while the clinic is still your active provider and the relationship is intact. Processing record requests takes longer when you are a former patient than a current one.
Many clinics now offer patient portals where you can download records yourself. Download everything before you move. Portal access sometimes ends when you stop being an active patient, or when the clinic updates its systems.
Get a vaccination certificate
Paper rabies certificates are often issued separately from the general medical record. If you do not already have the most recent one, ask for it specifically. Some states have different Rabies vaccination requirements, and boarding facilities in a new city will ask for proof of current vaccinations before they accept your pet.
Check the requirements at your destination. Some states have specific rules around Rabies vaccination timing, and if you are moving internationally, the requirements are considerably more complex. The AVMA's pet travel resources are a good starting point for international moves.
Stock up on medications
If your pet is on any ongoing medications, get a supply that will last through the move and the first few weeks in the new city. Setting up with a new vet takes time, and getting a prescription renewal from a vet who has never seen your pet requires a first appointment, which may not happen immediately. Running out of a chronic medication during this gap is worth planning around.
Update microchip registration
Microchips are permanently implanted but the registration details that link the chip number to you are not automatically updated when you move. Log in to the registry where your pet's chip is registered and update your address and phone number before the move. Pets are most likely to get lost during the disruption of a move; this is exactly when you want the registration to be current.
If you do not know which registry your pet's chip is registered with, your vet can look it up using the chip number. The AAHA maintains a universal lookup tool that searches multiple registries.
Finding a new vet
Start looking for a new vet before you arrive if possible. Clinics in dense urban areas often have waitlists for new patients, and if your pet has a chronic condition that requires regular care, you want a vet established before you need one urgently. Ask for recommendations from online community groups in your destination city, or check whether your current vet has any contacts or referral relationships in that area.
For pets with complex conditions, a specialist (internist, dermatologist, cardiologist) may be the most important find. Primary care vets can usually refer you, but knowing in advance whether there is a specialist you may eventually need makes sense before a crisis forces the search.
The first appointment at the new clinic
Bring your records and a brief written summary of your pet's current medications, known conditions, and allergies. A new vet will typically do a full physical examination to establish their own baseline. They may recommend baseline bloodwork if your pet has not had it recently. This is standard, not redundant.
If your pet has a complex chronic condition, call ahead to let the clinic know before booking. Ask whether they offer extended first appointments for new patients with significant histories. Coming in with 10 years of records for a pet with multiple conditions in a 20-minute appointment slot is not enough time.
Moving checklist for pet owners
- Request complete records from current vet before moving
- Download records from any clinic patient portals
- Get a copy of the most recent rabies certificate
- Check vaccination requirements at the destination
- Stock a 4–6 week supply of any ongoing medications
- Update microchip registration with new address and phone
- Research new vets before arrival
- Book a first appointment with new vet within 4–6 weeks of arriving
- Send records to new clinic before the first appointment
- Update pet insurance policy with new address if applicable
Your pet's records travel with you
Store your pet's complete health history in Pett. Access it anywhere, share it with a new vet in seconds. Free to download.