The short answer for your dog's folder
Keep both formats, and give each one a different job. Paper is the copy that works with a dead phone, no signal in a rural clinic car park, or a boarding reception that wants to photocopy a signed rabies certificate on the spot. Digital is the copy you can find in seconds, send ahead to a new groomer or emergency clinic, and recover completely if the paper folder is soaked, misfiled, or left at home. For most dogs the health record that matters in a hurry is short — rabies proof, core vaccinations, microchip number, current weight, and ongoing conditions — so duplicating it is a small job with an outsized payoff.
Which documents deserve a paper original
Treat signed and stamped paperwork as your paper tier. A rabies certificate with a clinic stamp, a vaccination card filled in by hand, a microchip registration letter, and any health certificate issued for travel or boarding all carry more weight on paper because another person may need to inspect the signature rather than trust a screenshot. Store those sheets in one labelled folder per dog, newest at the front, and keep it where a family member could find it without asking you. If your dog has a long-running condition, add the most recent vet summary sheet so an unfamiliar clinician can see the history without scrolling through years of invoices.
What the digital copy does better
A clear phone photo or scan beats paper whenever speed and sharing matter. Photograph each new booster slip before you leave the clinic, while the handwriting is still easy to check against your dog's name and the date given. Name the files plainly — dog, document, and visit — so a search finds the rabies page rather than forty unnamed images. Digital copies also protect the story behind the numbers: a photo of a lump chart, a dental note, or a discharge sheet can be enlarged and read clearly, where a folded paper copy fades. Back the folder up in a second place so one lost phone does not take the only copy with it.
A routine that keeps both copies current
The system fails when updating it feels like a project, so attach it to the visit itself. At the clinic, ask for the printed slip, photograph it in the car, and file both before the next walk. Once in a while, flip through the paper folder and remove superseded vaccination cards so nobody hands over an expired page in a rush. Check that the microchip number on the paperwork matches the number on your dog's registration, and that your phone number is current on both. If a sitter or boarder is given copies, note what you shared so outdated pages can be replaced next time.
When one copy has to stand in for the other
If paper is all you have at an emergency visit, read the microchip and vaccination details aloud slowly and ask the clinic to note them rather than surrendering your only original. If digital is all you have, offer to send the file directly to the clinic or boarding reception so staff work from the full page, not a glare-covered screen held across a desk. Either way, replace the missing format within a few days while the visit is fresh. A record you can produce calmly, in whichever form the moment demands, is worth far more than a perfect archive you cannot reach.
Keeping both copies current is exactly the habit KinsLe supports through the Pet Passport, which gathers your dog's records into one portable packet ready for vet visits, travel, boarding, and handovers.