Best pet vaccine reminder apps for dogs and cats, compared

A good pet vaccine reminder app stores the date each shot was given and the due date from your vet's card, then warns you early. For records, look at Pet Health & Vaccine Tracker, Vettie or PawProof, or Pet Vaccine Tracker: PDF on Android. I built Pawlarm, which adds vaccine check ins to a care plan but doesn't store certificates.

Key points

• Four jobs: log the date given, store the due date your vet wrote, remind you early enough to book, and show proof when a kennel or sitter asks.
• Scanning a vet card: Pet Health & Vaccine Tracker and PawProof read a vaccine record with the camera.
• Proof for boarding: Pet Vaccine Tracker: PDF on Android and PetVax on iPhone make a vaccine card you can send.
• Inside a full care plan: Pawlarm adds vaccine and vet check ins next to meals, walks and monthly flea doses. It doesn't store certificates.
• Your vet sets the dates. No app here replaces the card your vet gives you.
• I built Pawlarm. Everything about the other apps comes from their own store listings, read on 4 November 2026. I haven't used them.

What should a pet vaccine reminder app do?

It should hold two dates per vaccine, the day it was given and the day it's due, and ping you early enough to book a visit. A fourth job matters if your pet boards: showing proof. A reminder alone works if your vet's card is safe. Records alone don't, because nothing warns you.

1. Log the date given. The RSPCA says to keep your vet's record safe. An app is a second copy, not a replacement.
2. Store the due date from the vet card. Don't let the app guess. Vaccines differ, and a rabies product can be licensed for 1 or 3 years.
3. Remind you before the due date. A ping on the day is too late to book. A week or two ahead is more useful.
4. Give you proof. A kennel, daycare or sitter may want to see it. A photo of the card or a one page PDF does the job.

Which vaccines will you be tracking?

For dogs, the core vaccines are distemper, parvovirus and adenovirus, plus rabies where the law or the disease calls for it. For cats, panleukopenia and the two cat flu viruses. Puppies and kittens get a series of shots, then adults get boosters every 1 to 3 years.

The two big guidelines agree on the shape. WSAVA, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, says to start no earlier than 6 weeks, repeat every 3 to 4 weeks until 16 weeks, consider a dose at about 6 months, then boost core shots no more often than every 3 years. That's for dogs and for low risk cats. The American Animal Hospital Association's 2022 dog table gives at least three puppy doses between 6 and 16 weeks, one more within a year, then every 3 years.

The yearly ones catch people out. WSAVA lists leptospirosis as yearly where it's a risk, and AAHA lists leptospirosis, Lyme, Bordetella and canine influenza as lifestyle vaccines with yearly boosters. For cats going into a boarding cattery, WSAVA suggests revaccinating 1 to 2 weeks before the stay.

So one dog can easily have three different due dates. My dog vaccine schedule from puppy to adult covers each shot in detail, and the puppy vaccine schedule reminders post covers the first few months.

How do the pet vaccine reminder apps compare?

They split three ways: record vaults that read your vet card, simple due date trackers, and broader care apps that include vaccines. This table uses what each listing said on 4 November 2026. Listings change, so check before you install.

App	Built around	Reads a vet card	Proof to share	Where
Pawlarm	Care plan with vaccine and vet check ins	No	A care sheet of reminders, not proof	iPhone and Android
Pet Health & Vaccine Tracker	Vaccine records and reminders	Yes, scans a certificate	Vaccination summary PDF	iPhone, iOS 26
Vettie: Pet Vaccine Reminder	Given to due, as a line	No	Not stated	iPhone
PetVax: Pet Vaccine Tracker	Schedule from birth date	No	Digital vaccine card	iPhone
PawProof: Pet Vaccine Tracker	Photo of vet documents	Yes, reads the photo	Records for vet or boarding	iPhone
Pet Vaccine Tracker: PDF	Boarding proof	Card photos, no reading	One page PDF	Android
PetNoter	Records and reminders	Not stated	Records and documents	Android and iPhone
PetDesk	Your vet clinic's reminders	No	Through your clinic	Android and iPhone

App by app

Pawlarm. The app I built, listed as Pawlarm: Dog Whistle, Pet Care on both stores. It isn't a vaccine vault. You enter your dog or cat's breed and age, and it builds a care plan where vaccines are one part, next to meals, walks, grooming and monthly flea and heartworm doses. More on what it does for vaccines below. App Store, Google Play or the Pawlarm page.

Pet Health & Vaccine Tracker. The fullest vaccine record app I found. Point the camera at a certificate and it reads the vaccine, date and clinic on the phone. It offers starter schedules based on AAHA, WSAVA and BSAVA guidelines and makes a vaccination summary PDF. It needs iOS 26.

Vettie: Pet Vaccine Reminder. A clear idea: each vaccine is a line from the day it was given to the day it's due, and a broken line means overdue. It logs batch numbers and keeps everything on the phone.

PetVax: Pet Vaccine Tracker. It works out a schedule from your pet's birth date and species, then reminds you and makes a digital card for clinics, daycares and pet hotels. Check its dates against your vet's, since guidelines vary by country.

PawProof: Pet Vaccine Tracker. Snap a photo of a vet document, and it reads it, logs the vaccine and sets a reminder before the next one is due. Going by the listings, that's the least typing of any app here.

Pet Vaccine Tracker: PDF. The Android pick for boarding. Core templates for dogs and cats, photos of the paper card, and a one page proof PDF for daycare or a sitter. It says plainly that it doesn't connect to vet portals.

PetNoter. Vaccines, boosters, medicines, deworming and vet visits in one record, on both stores.

PetDesk. Built around your vet clinic, with appointment requests and reminders synced to your calendar. It's only useful if your clinic uses it.

Two more apps come up in searches: DogCat, with a vaccination tracker in a broad care calendar, and PetLife: Pet Vaccine Reminder, with alerts before the due date.

What does Pawlarm do for vaccines, and what doesn't it?

Pawlarm reminds you to sort vaccines out at the right life stage, and then holds the exact dates your vet gives you as reminders. It doesn't choose vaccines, work out a schedule, read a vet card or store certificates. If you need proof for a kennel, pair it with one of the record apps above.

What it does, from the app's own code:

• Puppies and kittens get a Vaccine series check in 14 days after setup, with a note to ask your vet for the exact dates.
• Adults get a yearly Annual checkup and vaccine review.
• Seniors get two wellness checkups a year, six months apart.
• Your vet's dates go in as their own reminders, one time or yearly. Tap Done or Snooze on the notification, and if you miss a yearly or one time item it waits on Today for 7 days.
• History shows when each reminder was done or skipped.

There's no separate early warning setting, so set the reminder a week before the due date and name it "Book booster". That one habit is how I'd catch a booster before it's due.

How do I set up vaccine reminders that actually work?

Copy the due dates from your vet's record on the day of the visit, set each reminder a week or two early, and keep a photo of the card. That's it. Most missed boosters happen because the date lived only on paper in a drawer.

1. Photograph the card before you leave the clinic.
2. Add one reminder per vaccine, because a yearly leptospirosis shot and a three year core booster won't line up.
3. Set it early. For a cat going into a cattery, WSAVA's 1 to 2 weeks before the stay is a good lead time.
4. Tick it off when it's done, so next year's date starts from the real visit.

If your pet care is more than vaccines, see my wider list of pet care reminder apps for medicines and the daily routine.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an app that reminds me when my dog's vaccines are due?

Yes. Pet Health & Vaccine Tracker, Vettie, PetVax and PawProof on iPhone, and Pet Vaccine Tracker: PDF and PetNoter on Android, all remind you about vaccine due dates. Pawlarm adds vaccine and vet check ins inside a care plan, and you add each date your vet gives you.

Can an app store my pet's vaccine certificate?

Some can. Pet Health & Vaccine Tracker scans a certificate, PawProof reads a photo of a vet document, and Pet Vaccine Tracker: PDF keeps photos of the card and builds a proof PDF. Pawlarm doesn't store certificates, so keep the paper record or a photo as well.

How often does a dog need vaccines?

Puppies get shots every 3 to 4 weeks until about 16 weeks. WSAVA says adult core boosters are needed no more often than every 3 years, while leptospirosis and some lifestyle vaccines are yearly. Rabies follows local law. Your vet sets the actual dates for your dog.

Do vaccine apps work for cats?

Yes. Pawlarm, PetVax, PawProof and Pet Vaccine Tracker: PDF name dogs and cats in their listings, and the others cover pets in general. Cats follow their own schedule: WSAVA lists panleukopenia and the two cat flu viruses as core, with boosters every 1 to 3 years.

Does Pawlarm track vaccines?

It reminds you about them. Young pets get a vaccine series check in, adults a yearly vaccine review and seniors two checkups a year. You add each date your vet gives you as its own reminder. Pawlarm doesn't pick vaccines or store certificates.

Sources

• App Store and Google Play listings for every app in the table, read on 4 November 2026: Pawlarm on Google Play, Pawlarm on the App Store, Pet Health & Vaccine Tracker, Vettie, PetVax, PawProof, Pet Vaccine Tracker: PDF, PetNoter, PetDesk, DogCat and PetLife.
• WSAVA vaccination tables for dogs and cats.
• AAHA, 2022 core and noncore vaccines for dogs.
• RSPCA, Dog vaccinations.

How I wrote this

On 4 November 2026 I searched the US App Store and Google Play for vaccine reminder apps, read each listing, and added the apps AI search tools named that day. I didn't install or test the other apps, and left out ratings and download counts. The same day I read the WSAVA and AAHA tables and the RSPCA page, and checked Pawlarm's vaccine reminders in its code.

This is general information, not medical or veterinary advice. Ask your doctor or vet.

By John Osakwe, founder of Etest Tech Hub. I have built apps and websites since 2015, including Etest CBT, FizzFree and Pawlarm.