Identity, Vaccines and the Previous Clinic's Notes
Start with vaccination dates, microchip number, ownership details, and the previous practice's phone number, plus any release they require to send clinical notes. List current food and amounts, parasite prevention history, and any supplements you give.
Include a weight history with dates. Golden Retrievers gain quietly under a heavy coat, and a new vet judging body condition at one visit benefits from seeing whether your dog has crept up over a year or held steady since puppyhood.
The Lump Log: This Breed's Most Important Page
Make a dedicated list of every lump you and the previous vet have found: where it is, when it was first noticed, whether it was measured, sampled, or removed, and what the result was. If a lump was marked 'monitor,' note its size at last check so the new vet has a comparison point rather than a fresh guess.
Add any new lump you have noticed since the last visit, even a small one. Owners often apologize for mentioning pea-sized bumps; for this breed, a dated owner note about a new lump is genuinely useful information, and handing it over in writing beats remembering it in the car afterward.
Ears, Skin and Swimming
Record ear infections with dates and which ear, itching or hot spots, and any pattern you have noticed — after swimming, in particular seasons, or after diet changes. Say how often your Golden swims and whether you dry the ears afterward, since that routine is part of the clinical picture for a water-loving breed with heavy ear flaps.
Note shampoos or ear cleaners you actually use and how often. If a previous plan reduced infections from monthly to rare, the new vet should inherit that routine rather than replace it blind.
Joints, Energy and Appetite Changes
Include any mention of hip or elbow findings, stiffness after rest, slowing on walks, or reluctance with stairs, plus when you first noticed each. Note appetite changes, increased thirst, or energy dips with rough dates, even if they resolved — a new vet building a baseline for a middle-aged or senior Golden wants those observations on file.
If your dog has had any surgery, imaging, or blood work, list what was done and ask the old clinic to send the actual reports and images, not only summaries.
Closing the Loop at the New Clinic
Ask the new vet to scan the microchip, confirm vaccine dates were entered correctly, and record which lumps from your log they examined today and their measurements. Take home copies of new results and add them to your packet, updating the lump log while the visit is fresh.
It also helps to photograph your lump log page and keep a phone copy, because owners find new bumps at home, on walks, and during grooming — far from the folder. A dated phone note with a photo beside a coin for scale, added to the packet later, gives the new vet a growth timeline for a lump nobody has examined yet, which is often what decides whether it needs sampling now or watching.
That habit turns a pile of papers into a living record your dog's care actually runs on. Held together in KinsLe's Pet Passport, the lump log, ear history and vaccine record travel as one packet whenever your Golden's care changes hands.