Medication tracking
How to keep track of your dog's medications
Why more reminders do not fix missed doses, and what to record instead.
You set a reminder. It went off while you were driving. You swiped it away.
Now it is evening and nobody can answer a simple question: did the dog get his tablet? Your partner thinks you did it. You think they did. The safest assumption is that nobody did, and the safest action depends on a drug neither of you wants to guess about.
This is not a memory problem, which is why adding another alarm does not fix it. It is a record problem.
Four things that actually help
A reminder is not a record
An alert you can swipe away tells you a dose was due. It does not tell you whether anyone gave it. Those are different questions, and the second one is the one you are actually asking at 9pm.
Name who is responsible, per dose
Most missed doses in a multi-person household are not forgotten. They are assumed. Each person believed the other had done it. A shared log where someone marks the dose as given removes the assumption entirely.
Monthly medication needs a different system from daily
Daily doses attach to a routine: breakfast, the evening walk. Monthly ones — heartworm, flea and tick — have no routine to attach to, which is exactly why they get missed. They need a date, not a habit.
Track the refill, not just the dose
Running out on a Sunday is its own failure mode. Note the date the current supply ends and give yourself a week.
What to write down for each medication
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Medication name | Exactly as printed on the label, including the strength |
| Dose and form | Half a tablet, 2ml, one chew — not "his usual" |
| Timing | The times of day, and whether it goes with food |
| Last given | The date and who gave it. This is the field that prevents double-dosing |
| Refill date | When the current supply runs out, not when the prescription expires |
| Prescribing vet | So anyone can call with a question without going through you |
If a dose has been missed
Call your vet. What to do next depends on the specific drug and how late it is, and for some medications making it up is more dangerous than skipping it. This page cannot answer that and neither can a search result.
Reminders that wait for an answer
Pet Dossier keeps a dose visible until someone confirms it was given, and records who did it. Everyone caring for your dog sees the same list, so nobody has to remember what anybody else did.
Common questions
What should I do if I missed a dose of my dog's medication?
Call your vet or the prescribing clinic. The right action depends entirely on the medication, the dose and how long ago it was due, and for some drugs doubling up is genuinely dangerous. Do not guess, and do not take instructions from the internet, including from this page.
How do I stop two people in the house double-dosing the dog?
Keep one shared record that someone marks when the dose is given, rather than two people each keeping their own reminder. The question that matters is not 'was a reminder sent' but 'did anyone confirm it was given'.
How do I keep track of medication for more than one dog?
Keep a separate schedule per dog, even when the medications are the same. Shared lists are where the wrong dog gets the wrong strength, which matters most when the dogs are different sizes.
What information does a sitter need about medication?
The name and strength, the dose, the exact timing, whether it goes with food, where it is kept, and what to do if the dog spits it out. Leave everything in its original packaging so the label confirms what you wrote.
Handing medication over to someone else? What to tell your dog sitter →
Pet Dossier organises information you provide. It does not give veterinary advice, does not replace your veterinarian, and nothing here should be used to decide a dose.