Dogs & cats · Updated August 31, 2026
Pet Medication & Supplement Tracker
Missed and doubled doses almost always come from the same place: two people in a house, each assuming the other did or did not do it. A tracker on the fridge fixes that, because "given" is only true once somebody has initialled it. It also gives your vet something better than memory at the next appointment — a week of ticks tells them whether a course was actually completed, which changes what the next step should be.
The front of the sheet is a list of what your pet takes, copied off the labels rather than from memory. Behind it is a week of rows to initial, space for refills, and a place to record anything you noticed after a dose. Nothing on this sheet tells you what to give or how much: those come from the label your vet dispensed, and if the label and this sheet ever disagree, the label wins.
How to use it
- 1Fill in the medication list from the labels themselves — name, the strength printed on the box, the amount to give and when. Copying from memory is how errors start.
- 2Put the sheet where the medication is kept, not where the pet is fed, and keep a pen with it.
- 3Initial each dose as it is given, not at the end of the day. An empty cell should mean 'not given', which only works if it is filled in at the time.
- 4If a dose is missed, write it in the missed-dose table rather than guessing whether to catch up — ask your vet what to do, because the answer differs by drug.
- 5Note anything that changed after a dose: vomiting, unusual drowsiness, itching, a refusal to eat. Dates and times make that useful to your vet.
- 6Take the sheet to the next appointment, along with the bottles themselves if you can.
What is on the sheet
Pet and prescriber
- Pet name, Species / breed, Current weight, Veterinary practice, Practice phone, Pharmacy phone
What this pet takes
Copy each line straight from the label. Include supplements, flea, tick and worm preventives, and anything given only occasionally.
- 6-row table: Medication or supplement, Strength on label, Amount to give, When, Started, Prescribed for
Week of ______________
One row per dose. Initial the time column as you give it, not afterwards. Leave a cell empty only if the dose was not given.
- 16-row table: Date, Medication, Amount, Morning, Midday, Evening, Night
Missed or late doses
Write it down rather than deciding on the spot. What to do about a missed dose depends on the drug — ask your practice.
- 4-row table: Date, Medication, What happened, What the practice advised
Anything you noticed after a dose
Vomiting, drowsiness, itching, a change in appetite or drinking, a refusal to take the next one. Note the date and how long after the dose.
- 6 ruled lines
Refills and stock
- 5-row table: Medication, Amount left, Refill due, Ordered / collected
For the next appointment
Questions and anything the vet should know before deciding what happens next.
- 5 ruled lines
Worth knowing
- Never give a human medicine to a pet unless your vet has prescribed it for that animal. Several common ones — paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin among them — are toxic to cats and dogs.
- Never give one pet's prescription to another animal, even the same species and a similar size.
- Ask when you collect a medication whether it should be given with food, and whether it can be split or crushed. Some tablets stop working if they are cut.
- If you use a weekly pill organizer for your own tablets, keep the pet's separate and label it plainly — mix-ups between household members and pets are common enough that pharmacists warn about them.
- Check expiry dates when you refill, and ask your practice how to dispose of what is left over rather than binning it.
- Photograph the completed sheet before a sitter or boarding stay so there is a copy that does not travel with the paper.
This is a form for recording what you observe, not a diagnostic tool. Nothing on it replaces an examination. If your pet is in distress, contact a veterinarian rather than filling in a sheet.