Pet symptom timeline for a vet visit

Some changes should not wait for an appointment. BluePearl Pet Hospital lists trouble breathing, straining or being unable to urinate, a suddenly swollen belly, collapse, uncontrolled bleeding, and several bouts of vomiting in 24 hours among the signs that need care now.³ Vaughan-Richmond Hill Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Ontario says the same about trouble breathing and trouble passing urine.⁷ Call the vet or an emergency clinic first. For a seizure, use What to write down after a seizure.

In the exam room, which change came first is hard to remember. A few dated lines keep the order. AAHA’s specialist visit guide tells owners to bring the timeline of changes in behavior or condition, and Ohio State’s Veterinary Medical Center asks you to be ready to explain the symptoms you notice.^{1, 2}

Write what you saw or heard, not what you think it is. “Left half of dinner and vomited once at 9 p.m.” is something the vet can use. “An upset stomach” is a guess. Naming it is the vet’s work. If you are not sure what you saw, say that. A blank is better than a word added to sound precise.

These notes describe what you saw. They do not diagnose anything. The vet does that.

Say what usual looks like for this pet, then what changed. A cat who skips one meal is not the same story as a cat who always skips breakfast.

If you cannot remember the date, tie it to an event, such as “the week after the holiday.” Aura Veterinary Center’s guide to pet history says a rough start tied to an event is far more useful to the vet than “a while ago.”⁵

You do not need a score for how serious it felt. You need what was different, how often or how long, and the day or time you noticed. Skip a row you did not see.

AAHA’s feline life-stage guidelines say to record body weight so a change can be seen over time.⁶ A weight without a date cannot be compared with the next one.

Film the change when you cannot count on it happening in the room. A limp on the walk, a cough at night, a lump that is hard to find once your pet is on the table. Zoetis Petcare’s vet visit guide gives the example of filming a cat that has become slower on the stairs.⁴

Keep the clinic’s diagnoses and test results as the clinic’s own papers. Medication details go on the pet medication list, and the bag is the vet appointment packing list.

There is no account on this page. Nothing you type here is saved or sent. Print it when the lines are filled, or copy them onto your phone.

To type it as sentences instead and print it in the vet summary layout, use the vet visit summary maker.

Read the filled-in example once, then use your own dates.