The Standard Handover, Done Properly
Bring vaccination history with dates, microchip number, ownership and insurance details if applicable, and the previous clinic's contact information with any release form they need. List current food by its full name, feeding amounts, parasite prevention history as recorded by the old clinic, and any ongoing supplements you give for joints or skin.
Add a weight timeline rather than a single number. A German Shepherd who has drifted down over six months raises different questions from one holding steady, and the new vet can only spot that drift if the older weigh-ins travel with the dog.
Hip, Elbow and Mobility Records
If your Shepherd has had hip or elbow scoring, X-rays, or an assessment for stiffness, include the reports themselves, not just your summary of them. Note when stiffness appears — after rest, after long runs, in cold weather — and whether stairs or jumping into a vehicle have become harder.
Also record activity honestly: how much exercise your dog actually gets on weekdays versus weekends. Mobility advice built on an imagined two-hour daily hike will miss the mark for a dog whose real routine is two shorter walks and garden time.
Digestion History With Dates and Details
Shepherds frequently arrive at a new clinic with a gut history, so make yours usable: list episodes of vomiting, loose stools, appetite loss, or gassiness with approximate dates, what was happening at the time, and what the previous vet found or ruled out. Note any episode of a swollen, tight abdomen or unproductive retching and how it was resolved — that is emergency history a new vet urgently wants flagged.
State which foods have been tried and abandoned and why. A list of three failed diets with dates saves the new vet from suggesting the first one again and tells them the problem is chronic rather than new.
Skin, Ears and Behavior Notes
Record itchy skin patterns, hot spots, ear infections, and any seasonal rhythm to them. Then add the handling page many owners forget: is your Shepherd relaxed at clinics, anxious in waiting rooms, reactive to other dogs in close quarters, or uncomfortable with certain handling? Does a muzzle, a side entrance, or a quiet first appointment help?
That page protects everyone. A large, strong, anxious dog is managed very differently from a placid one, and a team warned in advance can plan the visit so it stays calm and safe.
After the First Appointment
Ask the new clinic to scan and verify the microchip, confirm vaccine due dates, and tell you which old lab results or images they have requested. File the new visit notes, current weight, and any follow-up plan with your own copies the same day.
One more useful addition is a one-page summary you write yourself: age, current weight, main ongoing issues, and the three questions you most want the new vet to answer. Busy first appointments run on paperwork, and a short owner summary at the front of the folder makes sure your priorities — the stiff mornings, the recurring gut trouble — are discussed rather than squeezed out.
Kept current, the packet stops being a moving-day scramble and becomes your Shepherd's permanent travelling file. Stored together in KinsLe's Pet Passport, the hip reports, digestion timeline and vaccine record are ready for any vet visit, boarding stay or handoff.