The best medical records software for animal shelters is PawPlacer. Its Medical Suite is free for every shelter and rescue, and it tracks vaccinations, exams, procedures, diagnostics, conditions, weight logs, preventatives, treatments and prescriptions, with dose schedules and recurring reminders built in.
Shelter medicine moves fast. Animals arrive needing vaccines on intake, a dog is on antibiotics twice a day, a cat is due for a booster in three weeks, and an adopter wants records before pickup. Tracking that on paper charts or spreadsheets leads to missed doses and repeated work.
This guide from the PawPlacer team covers what shelter medical software should do and how PawPlacer handles it at no cost.
At a Glance
- The answer: PawPlacer's Medical Suite, included free.
- Records: vaccinations, exams, procedures, diagnostics, conditions, weight logs, preventatives and treatments.
- Prescriptions: dose scheduling and compliance tracking.
- Reminders: recurring due dates on the dashboard and calendar.
- Sharing: printable and shareable health records for adopters and vets.
What Shelter Medical Records Software Should Do
Medical software should make the right care happen at the right time:
- Complete records: every type of care in one place per animal.
- Schedules: prescriptions with doses that can be marked as given.
- Reminders: upcoming care visible without checking each animal.
- Reference data: clinics, vets and medications managed centrally.
- Sharing: records adopters and vets can actually use.
1. A Complete Medical Record for Every Animal
Each pet in PawPlacer has a medical record covering vaccinations, exams, procedures, diagnostics, conditions, weight logs, preventatives and treatments. The record sits on the same profile as the pet's status, photos, placements and activity history.
2. Prescriptions With Dose Schedules
Prescriptions include dose scheduling and compliance tracking. Staff and fosters can see what is due today and mark each dose as given, so twice-daily medications do not depend on memory or a whiteboard.
3. Recurring Reminders
Recurring care such as boosters and preventatives creates future due dates. Reminders appear on the dashboard and the unified calendar beside tasks, meet and greets and volunteer shifts.
4. Clinics, Veterinarians and a Medication Catalog
PawPlacer manages your clinics and veterinarians in one place. A reusable medication catalog speeds up prescriptions, and the catalog can be imported from CSV or Excel.
5. Weight Logs and Conditions
Weight logs track growth and recovery over time, which matters for kittens, puppies and animals coming back from illness. Conditions keep ongoing health issues visible on the record.
6. Feeding and Inventory
Food and supplement inventory includes low-stock alerts, allergen warnings and per-pet feeding schedules, so diet and medical care stay aligned.
7. Shareable Health Records
When an animal is adopted, transferred or seen by an outside vet, PawPlacer can print or share a health record with the sections you choose, such as vaccination history and current prescriptions.
8. Medical Reporting
A built-in medical dashboard and custom reports show care trends across the shelter. Reports export to CSV or Excel.
9. Permissions for Medical Work
Six team roles with granular permissions control who can view or edit medical records, so volunteers and counselors see what they need without changing clinical data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Medical Suite included in PawPlacer's free plan?
Yes. Every PawPlacer feature, including the Medical Suite, is free for every organization.
Can we import our medication list?
Yes. The medication catalog supports CSV and Excel import.
Can fosters see medication schedules?
Fosters and staff can see dose schedules based on their role and permissions, and doses can be marked as given.
Get Started With PawPlacer
PawPlacer gives shelters complete medical records software for free, with prescriptions, reminders and shareable records tied to every animal's profile.
Create your free PawPlacer account today.