dog with bandage on paw at vets

Clinical Records

All you need to know about clinical records

Clinical records are the notes kept by the clinic concerning your pet including: 

  • Details of examination, recommendations and treatments 
  • Medication prescribed and/or supplied 
  • Test results 
  • Fee estimates or quotations
  • The reasons if treatment has been limited or declined by the client 
  • Contact details 
  • Recommendations or discussion about referral

All you need to know about clinical records

All the records made by the clinic, including images, are the property of the clinic. However, if you wish to see any of those records relating to your pet then subject to relevant right and obligations under data protection laws, your clinic will usually be able to provide you with a copy of any relevant clinical records that they hold. 

Please note if you have changed veterinary clinics, the new clinic will request your approval to get a copy of your pet’s records from your previous vet to assist with continuity of care. If your pet was previously registered to a different owner, however, records from this period will not be available to you. 

There may be a discretionary charge of £10 to cover costs for this service.

You and your pet’s details are only accessible by members of the clinic team and are treated by us as confidential. These will usually only be passed on to other clinics with your request or approval.

Your permission may be implied to share relevant information for example when an insurance company seeks clarification or further information about a claim under an insurance policy for your pet. 

Veterinary clinics may also disclose information to the relevant authorities (eg RSPCA, SSPCA) when justified by animal welfare concerns, where there is a wider public interest or the public are potentially at risk, or where disclosure is required by law.

Please note registration of a dog with the Kennel Club permits a vet who carries out a caesarean section on a bitch, or surgery to alter the natural conformation of a dog, to report this to the Kennel Club.

There is no specific set time to hold clinical records. In the vast majority of cases, no data will be deleted during the life of your pet. After a pet has passed away, records are usually held for a minimum for five years.

Yes, and that means that our vets take signing vaccination cards very seriously. A pet must be well identified on their vaccination card, for example the inclusion of a microchip number, or description of a distinctive marking. The owner must also be named, including if they are a breeder and will be selling the pet. Vaccination cards without all the appropriate information on will not be signed. 

These records are made as closely as possible to the time of the events being recorded, and any amends or corrections later are done separately and marked as a change, without removing the original entry. If you disagree with anything in your pet’s clinical record, please raise it with the clinic.  While the clinic may add a note of such discussion, they cannot change the original entry.

Please also see our Privacy Policy for further information on how we handle personal data we hold about you.