One Animal file Your pet's medical history is available digitally: findings, lab results, X-rays and ultrasound images, surgical reports, and the current medication plan—all in one place and accessible to any veterinary practice. We have been operating such a pet record since 2019, now under the name tierkrankenakte.de. In this article, we show what the digital pet record can do today, what has been fundamentally improved recently, and how we actually use it in our practices.

What an animal file is — and what it does

What has long been standard practice in human medicine is still lacking in many areas of veterinary medicine. Documents are scattered in folders, across different practices, or simply disappear after a move. A digital veterinary record closes precisely this gap.

The animal's file is linked to its 15-digit microchip number, not to a specific veterinary practice. It therefore belongs to the animal and its owner—and remains accessible regardless of who is currently treating it. This may sound trivial, but in an emergency, it determines the appropriate treatment.

• The current medication is immediately available — often the most important single piece of information for patients with heart, epilepsy or thyroid conditions.
• Acquaintance Intolerances Incidents during anesthesia are documented, instead of remaining in the owner's memory.
• Laboratory results They can be read over years; a single value rarely says as much as a series.
• Imaging The results from X-rays, ultrasound, CT scans and MRI scans are available before the appointment, instead of having to be sent later by mail or data carrier.

The owner alone determines what is in the animal's file. They create it, they decide on its contents, and they can delete it at any time. We, as the veterinary practice, only see what they have entered there.

Seven years of pet files: the story of mein.pet

How it all began

The idea for the pet record didn't originate on the drawing board, but rather during a consultation. In June 2019, mein.pet went online—a project of doc4pets GmbH from Karlsbad in northern Baden, a company backed by a group of owner-operated small animal practices in the Karlsruhe area. No investor, no business model, no advertising: The pet record was free from the start and is still run by volunteers today.

The starting point was an observation familiar to every veterinary practice: A stray animal arrives at the emergency clinic in the evening. The microchip reveals, via the pet registry, who owns it—but not whether it is epileptic, takes heart medication, or cannot react to a specific anesthetic. This is precisely where the animal file comes into play.

What has proven itself over the years

Seven years of operation is a long time for a digital service in veterinary medicine. What has remained constant is the core concept: an animal record that isn't tied to any practice management software, doesn't require an interface, and works in a browser. Almost everything else has changed—and that's what the next section is about.

From the name mein.pet to tierkrankenakte.de

In 2026, we moved our service to the website tierkrankenakte.de. The reason is simple: the new name says what it's about. Anyone looking for a pet's medical record will now find it. All old addresses redirect permanently, existing accounts remain unchanged, and not a single pet record was lost in the move.

The animal file in numbers

Numbers say more about distribution than any advertising promise. The figures as of summer 2026:

• Over 3400 holders We keep a record of the animal's condition.
• 3440 animals Each dog has its own file — from puppy to senior.
• Since June 2019 Operating continuously, without fees and without advertising.

This isn't a multi-million dollar platform, and it's not meant to be. It's a practical, hands-on service that grows precisely where pet owners and veterinarians actually need it.

Nine improvements to the digital pet record

In 2026, we completely overhauled the animal record. This resulted in nine changes—some technical, some visible, all arising from everyday practice.

1. Multiple animals under one account

That was the biggest problem. Previously, each animal needed its own account with its own email address: anyone who owned a dog and a cat had to manage two accounts and figure out which one was the right one at the vet's office. Today, one account can manage any number of animals, each with its own pet file and microchip number. When uploading a medical report, you select which animal it belongs to at the top.

2. Registration via email instead of chip number

The old registration system posed a security problem: the username was the microchip number, and the password was the animal's name. Both are found in the pet passport or on the dog tag, and the chip number can be read with any scanner. This is insufficient for storing health data. Now you log in with your email address and a password of your choice. Anyone who created their account before the change can still log in using the old method—the switch will only happen if you initiate it yourself.

3. The animal file finally reads like a file.

Previously, the view was a continuous wall of text: labels and values blended together, and empty fields appeared as actual test results. Today, each entry is a separate card with a border, the sections are color-coded, and the current medication is highlighted—in an emergency, the most important line. Empty fields disappear entirely instead of taking up space.

4. Images in uniform tiles

X-ray, ultrasound, and cross-sectional images now appear as uniformly sized tiles instead of being displayed in randomly sized increments. A single click opens the image in its original size without requiring you to leave the animal's file. PDF reports now have their own button displaying the full file name.

5. A separate entry point for veterinarians

Veterinary practices do not need an account or activation for the animal's medical record. The microchip number and call name are sufficient to access a patient's previous findings. The call name is intentionally included: the chip number alone would be too weak a key to health data. Every access is logged.

6. Merge accounts

Those who have multiple individual accounts from the old system don't have to keep them that way. An animal's medical record, including all findings, can be transferred to another account. Confirmation is done via the existing email address—no one can access someone else's health data simply by knowing an email address.

7. A faster page

We've done some serious cleanup under the hood: removed duplicate optimization plugins, rebuilt the cache, and disabled unnecessary scripts. The animal file loads noticeably faster—which is especially important in emergency situations when someone is using their phone in the examination room.

8. Data protection measures have been strengthened

Statistics scripts only run after consent is given, the transmission is end-to-end encrypted, and the servers and operators are located in Germany. An email address is sufficient for registration; we do not request your name or address. Those who wish to keep their pet's record completely anonymous can redact personal information in uploaded reports—we can assist with this.

9. New address, same access points

mein.pet has become tierkrankenakte.de. All previous addresses will continue to redirect, and all logins and pet records have been transferred. Nothing changes for you except the name in the address bar.

How the doc4pets group uses the pet file in everyday life

We don't just preach about the animal record, we work with it. In the practices of the doc4pets group, it is primarily used in four situations — in all four cases, the issue is that the animal's history is not readily available.

1. In the emergency service. A strange animal, an unreachable owner, a decision that can't wait. The animal file provides medication information and previous findings in under a minute.
2. When changing practices. Instead of waiting for referral documents, we see the lab results before the appointment. This saves the owner a second visit.
3. In chronic patients. Those who are employed for years need the career history, not a snapshot. This applies to Arthritis in older cats as well as for the Chemotherapy in dogs.
4. Before being referred to a clinic. The owner provides the microchip number and name, and the receiving clinic sees the same animal file. No data carriers, no stacks of paper.

The benefit becomes particularly clear in critically ill patients, for example when it comes to Antibiotics in a critically ill dog The key point is: which preparation was given when and in what dose is then not a footnote, but the basis for the next decision.

For whom an animal file is particularly worthwhile

Not every animal needs a pet file on its first day of life. However, there are points in an animal's life when it almost always pays off.

• After the first serious diagnosis. From this point on, a pattern emerges — and patterns are the fastest to disappear.
• For long-term medication. Heart, epilepsy, thyroid, kidney: Here, the emergency decision depends on the current dose.
• For free-roaming animals and travel companions. Anywhere an animal might encounter strangers.
• Before moving or changing practices. After that, accessing old documents becomes significantly more difficult.
• When there are several animals in the household. Since the changeover, all animal records are under one registration.

An animal file does not replace registration with a pet registry such as... Tasso and the EU pet passport. She supplements both with what is missing: the medical history.

Pet passport, pet register, digital file: the difference

These three are regularly confused during consultations. However, they perform very different functions, and only together do they provide a complete picture.

What it does	Pet passport	Pet Registry	Digital file
Prove the animal's identity	Yes	Yes	via the chip number
Identify the owner if the animal is found	only paper included	Yes	no
Document vaccinations	Yes	no	Yes, if deposited
Current medication shows	no	no	Yes
Laboratory values over time	no	no	Yes
X-ray and ultrasound images	no	no	Yes
Accessible remotely	no	Yes	Yes
Costs for the owner	Exhibition	mostly free	free of charge

The pet passport is a paper document and is only available if someone has taken it with them. The pet registry answers the question "Who owns this animal?", not "What's wrong with it?". And the digital version answers precisely the second question—but not the first. That's why we recommend using both.

What has changed specifically in everyday practice?

Two examples from last year illustrate the difference better than any list. Both are typical scenarios, but the situations are drawn from our everyday lives.

The hangover from vacation

A cat that roams freely disappears during the family's vacation and is found two hundred kilometers away. The veterinary clinic reading the microchip identified the owner via the registry—the family is abroad and unreachable. Without further information, anesthesia for the examination would have been risky. However, the registry did state that the cat is epileptic and what medication he is taking. The treatment was adjusted accordingly.

The female dog with the long history

An older female dog was on medication for kidney disease for several years. The owner moved to a different city twice for work. Despite this, the third veterinarian had a complete set of blood test results available—not just a single value from today, but the progression over six years. Only then could it be seen that the deterioration was slower than feared and the dosage could remain unchanged.

In both cases, medicine wasn't the problem. The only thing lacking was information—precisely when no one has time to look for it.

Our advice from seven years in business

Experience shows that those starting today do three things right and one typical mistake.

• Correct: Enter the current medication immediately when creating the form, not "later".
• Correct: Add a brief update after each major finding, instead of doing everything at once once a year.
• Correct: Make the chip number and call name known within the household — they are the key in an emergency.
• The typical mistake: They want to upload everything. Fifty images from a series of X-rays are of no use to anyone; three meaningful ones are.

Here's how to create your pet's file

The journey there takes only a few minutes and costs nothing. You need exactly three pieces of information — your name and address are explicitly not among them.

1. Choose an email address and password. The address will be your username; the password should have at least ten characters.
2. Enter the microchip number. The 15-digit number is found in the EU pet passport. It also includes the pet's name and species.
3. Submit initial documents. The most important factors are current medication, the latest lab results, and known intolerances.

You can add everything else gradually as findings become available. You can add more animals at any time and remove any entry again.

Which documents are useful?

Less is often more in this case. In an emergency, a medical practice needs a quick overview, not a file folder. This selection has proven effective:

• The current medication plan including preparation and dosage.
• Laboratory values the latest check-ups, especially in the case of kidney, liver and thyroid diseases.
• Imaging to relevant findings — not every image in a series, but the meaningful ones.
• Surgical and anesthetic reports, especially in the event of incidents.
• Diagnoses of chronic diseases with the date of the initial diagnosis.

A practical tip: Reports often include the owner's name and address. If you don't want to upload this information, redact it beforehand. We'll gladly show you what to look out for.

What practices can contribute

With the pet owner's consent, we can also post findings directly. Many owners find this a relief, as they don't have to worry about taking photos and uploading them themselves. Just ask us after the treatment.

Limitations: what the digital file is not

Honesty also means stating the limits. We occasionally encounter expectations that the system cannot and should not fulfill.

• It is no practice management system and does not replace the documentation obligation of the treating practice.
• There are no interface Regarding practice management software — access is via the browser, without installation.
• The content is not automatically complete. Only information that someone has deliberately stored is visible.
• It takes place no professional assessment the operator takes over; the assessment remains with the treating practice.
• Appointments, invoices and vaccination reminders are not part of the offer.

This very limitation is the reason why the service can remain free: there is nothing to sell except the benefit to the animal.

Frequently asked questions about the animal file

How much does the animal file cost?

Nothing. There are no fees for pet owners or veterinary practices, no subscription, and no advertising. The server and operation are handled by doc4pets GmbH, and the work is done on a voluntary basis.

Who can view my pet's file?

You can access it via your account — and so can any veterinarian you provide with the microchip number and nickname. That's precisely the purpose: to ensure the history is available in an emergency, even if you're not present. Every access is logged with the timestamp.

Is the chip number alone sufficient to open the door?

No, and that's intentional. The chip number can be read with any reader and is listed in the pet passport. The file only opens when the chip number is also included, along with the pet's name.

My pet doesn't have a microchip. Is it still possible?

The microchip number is the link between your pet and the paperwork and is therefore essential. If your pet is not yet microchipped, please have it done at your next appointment – it only takes seconds and is mandatory for travel within the EU anyway.

I have several pets. Do I need multiple accounts?

No, that was the case previously. Since the changeover, you manage all animals under one account, each with its own individual file. Old individual accounts can be merged later.

What happens when a doctor changes practices?

You don't need to do anything. The documents are attached to the animal, not to us. Even after moving to the other end of Germany, everything will remain accessible.

Can I delete entries again?

Individual findings as well as the complete file can be accessed at any time. Termination is possible informally via email, without notice and without giving a reason.

What about data protection?

The transmission is end-to-end encrypted, servers and operators are located in Germany and are subject to the GDPR. An email address is all that is required for registration. No data is used for advertising purposes, and no data is shared.

Does the pet file replace registration with Tasso?

No. A pet registry helps to reunite a lost animal with its owner. It doesn't contain the animal's medical history. Both together provide the complete picture in an emergency.

Where do I create the animal file?

Under tierkrankenakte.de. If you have any questions, simply ask us on your next visit — we will set it up together with you.

Animal records — the most important points in brief

If you only take four sentences with you, then these should be:

• The Animal file It combines findings, imaging and medication in one place and is linked to your pet's microchip number.
• It has been running since 2019, is used by over 3400 owners and is suitable for everyone. free of charge.
• Nine improvements from 2026 make them safer, clearer, and usable for multiple animals at the same time.
• In an emergency, a single line often makes all the difference – the current medication. It's worth taking ten minutes to figure it out.

Do you have questions about your pet's file or would you like us to set one up for you? Please contact us. You can find further articles on health and preventative care, for example, on... Dog drinks a lot and to Feline leukemia in cats.