What is vaccination card?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
A vaccination card is the record of every vaccine your pet has had: the date, the vaccine and batch, often as a peel-off sticker from the vial, the vet's signature and stamp, and the next due date. In India it carries names such as DHPPi and Tricat. Licences, boarding sitters, airlines and sitters ask to see it.
Also called vaccination record, vaccine card, vaccination certificate, pet vaccination book, vaccination booklet.
Key facts
- WSAVA says the record should show the date, who gave the vaccine, the vaccine name, lot or serial number, expiry date and maker, and the site and route. WSAVAstudy
- Peel-off vaccine labels make this record keeping easier, and it is mandatory in some countries. WSAVAstudy
- WSAVA wants certificates to include a field for how long the vet expects the protection to last. WSAVAstudy
- Mumbai's BMC dog licence needs rabies and leptospirosis certificates signed and stamped by a registered vet. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
- Merck's travel-planning advice lists the rabies certificate among the documents to carry with a pet. Merck Veterinary Manual
How do you read an Indian vaccination card?
Most cards are a booklet with one line or sticker per vaccine. These are the names you will see.
- DHPPi or DHPPiL
- The dog core combination: distemper, hepatitis (adenovirus), parvovirus and parainfluenza, with L for leptospirosis. US cards say DHPP or DA2PP. MSD Animal Health Indonesia
- 7-in-1 or 9-in-1
- A maker's count of components, not a veterinary term. Check what the sticker lists. WSAVAstudy
- ARV or anti-rabies
- The rabies vaccine, on its own line. Licences and airlines ask about this one first. Municipal Corporation of Delhi
- FVRCP, RCP or Tricat
- The cat core vaccine against panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus. Tricat is a brand name. MSD Animal Health New Zealand
- KC, Bb or Bordetella
- A kennel cough vaccine, non-core, often asked for by boarding sitters. WSAVAstudy
- Next due
- The date your vet has written for the next dose. WSAVA wants cards to say how long protection is expected to last. WSAVAstudy
Who asks to see the vaccination card in India?
City licensing first. Delhi's MCD asks for an anti-rabies vaccination certificate from a registered vet, and its registration ends when that vaccination expires. Mumbai's BMC asks for rabies and leptospirosis certificates, signed and stamped, uploaded with the application. Other cities have their own lists; check your city's licence page.
Then anyone who cares for or moves your pet. Boarding sitters, day-care groups and groomers check that core vaccines, rabies and often kennel cough are current. For a move abroad, the Animal Quarantine and Certification Service examines the pet in person before issuing the export certificate, and countries such as the UK want a rabies blood test from an approved laboratory on top of the vaccine record.
What should you check on the card before a stay or a trip?
Five minutes with the card a month ahead saves a missed stay.
- Every line has a date, the vaccine name or sticker, and the vet's signature and stamp. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
- Rabies is in date for the whole stay or trip, not just the day you leave. Municipal Corporation of Delhi
- Leptospirosis is in date; if 18 months or more have passed, two doses will be needed. WSAVAstudy
- Any vaccine the sitter asks for, such as kennel cough, was given far enough ahead; ask your vet at least two weeks before. WSAVAstudy
- You have a clear photo of every page on your phone and a copy for the sitter or host. Merck Veterinary Manual
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
What should a pet vaccination certificate show?
- The date of each vaccine, the vaccine name, its lot or batch number and maker, often as the vial's peel-off sticker, the vet's signature and stamp, and the next due date. WSAVA also wants certificates to say how long the vet expects protection to last, which helps sitters and owners.
I lost my dog's vaccination card. What do I do?
- Ask the vet clinic that vaccinated your dog for a copy from its records, since vets keep the vaccine details in the pet's file. If you cannot get the records, your vet may advise revaccinating, or for core vaccines a blood antibody test. Keep a photo of the new card on your phone.
Is a vaccination card enough to fly a pet abroad from India?
- No. It is one document among several. Countries such as the UK and the USA also ask for a microchip, a rabies blood test from an approved laboratory and a health certificate, and India's AQCS must examine the pet and issue an export certificate. Start months ahead.
Does a sitter need to see my pet's vaccination card?
- Yes, it helps. A sitter who looks after other pets or takes yours on walks needs to know its rabies and core vaccines are current, and an emergency vet will ask for it. A photo of every page kept with the care sheet is enough for most bookings.
Keep reading
Related terms
More in vaccines and parasites
- BabesiosisBabesiosis is a disease of dogs caused by Babesia, tiny parasites that live in and destroy red blood cells. It is spread mainly by ticks, and in India one species, Babesia gibsoni, also spreads through dog fights and blood transfusions. Signs are anaemia with pale gums, weakness, jaundice and red or brown urine. Dogs that recover can relapse.
- Booster vaccineA booster is a repeat dose of a vaccine that tops up or confirms a pet's protection. Puppies and kittens get a booster at about 26 weeks after their first course. After that, modern core vaccines for distemper, parvovirus and panleukopenia protect for years, while leptospirosis, kennel cough and most killed vaccines need a booster every year.
- Brown dog tickThe brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, is the most common tick on dogs in the tropics, including India. Unlike most ticks it lives and breeds indoors, in homes and kennels, as well as outdoors. It spreads ehrlichiosis and one form of babesiosis, the infections Indian owners call tick fever, so tick control is needed all year.
- Core vaccinesCore vaccines are the vaccines every dog or cat should have, wherever it lives, because they protect against widespread, serious diseases. For dogs they cover distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus; for cats, panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus. In India rabies is core for both, and WSAVA also treats leptospirosis vaccine as core for dogs where the disease is endemic.
- DewormingDeworming is giving a pet medicine, chosen by your vet, to kill intestinal worms such as roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms. Puppies can be born with roundworms and catch more from their mother's milk, so deworming starts in the first weeks of life. Some dog and cat worms can infect people, especially children, so regular deworming protects the family too.
- DHPPi vaccineDHPPi is the combined core vaccine for dogs printed on many Indian vaccine cards. The letters stand for distemper (D), hepatitis from canine adenovirus (H), parvovirus (P) and parainfluenza (Pi). DHPPiL adds leptospirosis (L). It is the same vaccine group that US cards call DHPP or DA2PP, and puppies start it at 6 to 8 weeks.
- EhrlichiosisEhrlichiosis is a disease of dogs caused by Ehrlichia canis, a bacterium carried by the brown dog tick. Signs appear 1 to 3 weeks after infection: fever, dullness, bleeding such as nosebleeds or bruising, and enlarged lymph nodes. Some dogs seem to recover but carry the infection silently and later develop a severe chronic form.
- Flea and tick preventionFlea and tick prevention means regularly protecting a pet from these parasites with a product your vet recommends, plus checking the coat and treating the home. Tropical guidelines say dogs and cats in places like India should be protected all year, including indoor pets. Use products licensed for the species, and never put a dog product on a cat.
- FleasFleas are small, wingless, blood-feeding insects. The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, is the most common flea on dogs and cats worldwide, and the main flea on dogs studied in India. Fleas cause itching, flea allergy, tapeworm and, in heavy infestations, anaemia in puppies and kittens. Most of the flea life cycle happens in the home.
- FVRCP vaccineFVRCP is the core combined vaccine for cats. It protects against feline viral rhinotracheitis (herpesvirus), calicivirus and panleukopenia. Indian cards often show a brand name from the vial sticker instead, such as Tricat. Kittens start at 6 to 8 weeks, with doses every 2 to 4 weeks until 16 weeks or older, then a booster at about 26 weeks.
Keep exploring
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation: Manual for application for dog licence (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Planning for travel with pets (opens in a new tab)
- MSD Animal Health Indonesia: Nobivac DHPPi (product page) (opens in a new tab)
- Municipal Corporation of Delhi: Standard operating procedure for pet dog registration (opens in a new tab)
- MSD Animal Health New Zealand: Nobivac Tricat Trio (product page) (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Rabies blood tests (opens in a new tab)
- AQCS, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying: Export of pets (dogs and cats) (opens in a new tab)
- WSAVA: 2024 guidelines for the vaccination of dogs and cats (WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group, Journal of Small Animal Practice) (opens in a new tab)