Veterinary Intake Form: What to Collect for New Pet Patients

Veterinary intake is unique because your patient can't fill out the form. Everything you know about the animal's history, symptoms, and behavior comes from the owner, and owners vary wildly in how much they know and how well they communicate it.

A good veterinary intake form asks the right questions in plain language, captures complete pet health history, and collects owner billing information in a single flow.

Owner Information

The owner is your client. The pet is your patient. Start with the client:

Full name
Address
Phone (cell and home/work)
Email
Preferred contact method
How they heard about the practice (referral tracking)
Emergency contact (in case the owner can't be reached during a procedure)

For multi-pet households, you'll want the owner information linked across patients. But for the intake form itself, keep it simple: one form per pet, owner information at the top.

Pet Information

The core patient record:

Pet name
Species: dog, cat, bird, rabbit, reptile, other (with conditional follow-up for species/type)
Breed: dropdown or searchable field for common breeds, free text for mixed
Date of birth or approximate age
Sex: male, female, male neutered, female spayed
Weight: current or approximate
Color/markings: for identification
Microchip number: if applicable

Species selection should drive conditional logic throughout the form. A dog intake asks different questions than a cat intake, which asks different questions than an exotic pet intake.

Reason for Visit

New patient wellness exam
Sick visit (describe symptoms)
Vaccine update
Dental cleaning
Surgical consultation
Behavioral consultation
Second opinion
Emergency

For sick visits, follow up with: when did symptoms start, is the condition getting better or worse, and has the pet been treated for this before?

Vaccination History

Is the pet current on vaccinations?
Upload previous vaccination records (file upload)
For dogs: rabies, DHPP, bordetella, leptospirosis, canine influenza, Lyme
For cats: rabies, FVRCP, FeLV
Date of last vaccines, if known
Any adverse reactions to vaccines

A file upload field for existing vet records saves significant time. Most owners have digital records from their previous vet or can photograph a vaccine certificate.

Medical History

Known medical conditions or diagnoses
Previous surgeries (spay/neuter, dental extractions, mass removal, orthopedic, other)
Ongoing medications (name, dose, frequency)
Known allergies (food, medication, environmental)
History of heartworm (and current prevention status)
Flea and tick prevention (product and schedule)
Previous hospitalizations

Diet and Nutrition

What the pet eats matters clinically:

Current food brand and type (dry, wet, raw, homemade)
Feeding schedule and portion size
Treats and table food
Recent diet changes
Appetite: normal, increased, decreased
Any food allergies or sensitivities

Behavioral Information

Behavioral history is part of the veterinary intake, not a separate form:

How does the pet behave at the vet? (calm, anxious, aggressive, fearful)
History of biting or scratching staff
Any known triggers for anxiety or aggression
Behavioral concerns at home (destructive behavior, separation anxiety, aggression toward people or animals, house soiling)
Household environment: indoor only, outdoor access, other pets, children in home

The vet behavior question is a safety issue for your staff. If a dog has bitten a vet tech before, you need to know that before the exam, not during it.

Lifestyle and Environment

Indoor, outdoor, or both
Exercise level and type
Access to pools, lakes, or wildlife (relevant for leptospirosis, parasites)
Travel history (relevant for regional diseases)
Boarding or daycare attendance
Contact with other animals

Insurance and Billing

Pet insurance is increasingly common:

Pet insurance carrier and policy number (if applicable)
Billing address if different from home address
Preferred payment method

Consent

Consent for examination and treatment
Authorization for emergency treatment if owner can't be reached
Financial responsibility acknowledgment
Consent for anesthesia (if applicable for the visit)
E-signature

Building a Veterinary Intake Form

Formisoft works well for vet practices because conditional logic handles the species-specific branching naturally. A single form adapts based on whether the patient is a dog, cat, or exotic animal: different vaccine checklists, different diet questions, different behavioral assessments.

Use the AI builder to generate the base form, customize with drag-and-drop, and send it to pet owners via email before the appointment. They fill it out at home where they can check medication bottles and vaccination records, and your front desk gets structured data instead of handwritten forms with dog hair on them.

Try Formisoft free and build your veterinary intake form.