The standard packet a Westie should arrive with
A West Highland White Terrier's handover starts with the same core as any dog's: vaccination history with dates, microchip number as registered, flea and worming prevention history, whether he is neutered, and the previous practice's details so the complete clinical notes can be transferred. Add his age, weight, and daily diet, including treats and table scraps, because food plays into both his waistline and his skin. Note any past operations, dental work, or hospital stays with their discharge summaries. A new vet meeting a Westie for the first time will work through this core file in minutes — and then start asking about the topic that dominates this breed's medical life, which is why the next section of your packet matters so much.
Skin history is the centre of a Westie's file
No section of a Westie's records earns its space like the skin history. West Highland White Terriers are the breed most associated with chronic itchy, allergy-prone skin, so hand over a timeline: when itching started, which seasons flare it, where on the body it appears, and what has been tried in what order — medicated baths and how often, food trials and what changed, ear treatments, and periods when the skin was calm. List every ear infection with dates, since in Westies ears and skin are usually one story, not two. Add your own observations about triggers you have noticed at home, such as itching after walks in long grass or after particular foods, because those patterns are exactly what a new vet needs to continue management rather than restart it.
Teeth, joints, and general history
Under the skin section, give the supporting history its due. Dental notes should record extractions, scaling, and any retained or crowded teeth, because small terrier jaws collect tartar and a new vet will want to know what has already been removed. Joint history matters in an ageing Westie: note stiffness after rest, reluctance on stairs, or a leg held up occasionally, with dates. Record any digestive episodes, pancreatitis scares, or appetite changes that were investigated, and lumps that were checked and cleared. Vaccination reactions, however mild, belong in the file too, along with how he generally copes with visits — a vet who knows a Westie is stoic will look harder for pain he is hiding.
Notes that matter more for an older Westie
If your Westie is in his senior years, add a page of home observations a new vet cannot get from tests alone. Note any dry cough, changes in breathing at rest, or reduced stamina on walks, because older Westies can develop lung changes that show first as subtle exercise intolerance. Record appetite, thirst, sleep patterns, and whether he still manages stairs and the garden step. Mention eyesight and hearing changes you have noticed, bumping into furniture in dim light or sleeping through the doorbell. These everyday details, dated roughly, give a new practice a baseline for senior monitoring from the very first visit instead of building one over a year.
Handing it over so nothing restarts from zero
Send the packet ahead of the first appointment if the practice allows it, confirm the microchip registry holds your current address and phone number, and bring a short list of current concerns so nothing is forgotten in the room. After the visit, add the new notes to the same file — skin timelines only work when they stay unbroken across practices. Storing the whole record in KinsLe's Pet Passport keeps your Westie's skin history, dental notes, and vaccinations together in one portable packet, so a new vet inherits the full story rather than the first chapter.