Advice from the Veterinarian for Taking Your Pet Home: How the Clinic Writes Advice That Pet Owners Can Understand
After a visit to the veterinarian, the pet owner should be able to care for the animal at home without having to guess. During the visit, the pet owner often receives a lot of information in a short amount of time, and most of what is said verbally is forgotten. Written discharge instructions make it possible to review prescriptions, restrictions, and follow-up appointments at one’s own pace after returning home.
This article discusses what constitutes good discharge instructions, how clinics can ensure their quality, and how AI can generate personalized advice directly from the patient’s medical record.
What Good Discharge Instructions Include
The advice given at the end of the visit should be based on what was actually decided during the visit and apply specifically to the animal in question. The following elements should be included when relevant:
- Medications: which medications have been prescribed, listed by the same names as on the packaging.
- Dosage and schedule: how much to give, how often, and for how long.
- Missed Dose: What the Pet Owner Should Do If a Dose Cannot Be Administered as Prescribed.
- Activity and Rest: What Restrictions Apply and for How Long.
- Food and Water: Any special instructions regarding feed and water intake.
- Wounds and Bandages: How to Care for and Monitor the Area.
- Follow-up visit: when the follow-up appointment is scheduled and whether anything needs to be followed up on before then.
- Contact Information: The clinic’s phone number and the appropriate way to contact the clinic outside of regular business hours.
The clinics should use the same medication names and instructions as in the other documents from the visit. If the verbal and written information differ, the pet owner will not know which applies.
Warning signs should be specific to the animal
The most important part of discharge instructions is often the explanation of when the pet owner should get in touch. General phrases such as “contact us if the condition worsens” are rarely sufficient, since the pet owner does not know what constitutes a normal course of recovery following this particular treatment.
Therefore, describe what changes the clinic should be notified of regarding the animal in question, and what is to be expected during the first few days. Also specify when the situation is so urgent that the pet owner should contact the on-call veterinarian if the clinic is closed.
Explain what the pet owner should do at home
Discharge instructions are more helpful when they explain what the pet owner should monitor and for how long. Depending on the treatment, this may include:
| Area | What Pet Owners Can Do |
|---|---|
| General Condition | If the animal recovers in accordance with the prognosis provided by the clinic |
| Appetite and Fluid Intake | If the animal eats and drinks as expected after the visit |
| Activity and Rest | How the animal copes with the permitted activity |
| Toilet Habits | Changes compared to what the clinic has described as normal |
| Wound or bandage | What the area looks like at the checkpoints specified by the clinic |
It also helps to ask the pet owner to keep track of any changes during the first few days. This makes it easier to describe what happened when you follow up.
Prepare the pet owner for a follow-up call
When a pet owner calls the clinic, the call goes more smoothly if the right information is on hand. The discharge instructions can therefore conclude with a short list of what the pet owner should have in front of them:
- what symptoms or changes have been observed and when they began
- how the overall situation has evolved since the visit
- which prescribed medications have actually been administered, and the time of the most recent dose
- photos of wounds or swelling, if the clinic requests them
- the written discharge instructions and medication packaging
Quality assurance before the advice is sent
Discharge instructions should be based on the documented consultation and the completed medical record entry. Before the instructions are shared with the pet owner, the responsible staff member must verify that they are consistent with the agreed-upon plan. This verification may include:
- that the medications, doses, and duration of treatment are consistent with the prescription
- that restrictions and follow-up visits are consistent with the medical record
- that the warning signals are relevant to the animal in question
- that the clinic's contact information is accurate, even outside of business hours
- that the language is understandable to someone without veterinary training
Clinicians who write discharge instructions by hand often spend time rephrasing the same information that is already in the medical record. This is one of the areas where AI can make the biggest difference.
Advice on Returning Home with AI in Vetz
Vetz generates personalized discharge instructions directly from the medical record. Since the instructions are based on the medical record notes, they draw on the same information regarding medications, restrictions, and follow-up care that the veterinarian has documented, and are worded to be clear and understandable to the pet owner.
The workflow is linked to medical record-keeping. During the conversation with the pet owner, Vetz listens and creates a structured draft of the medical record; the veterinarian reviews and approves the record; and the discharge instructions are generated based on the approved notes. How the medical record workflow functions is described in “AI-Based Medical Record-Keeping for Veterinarians” and “How Vetz Works.”
The same quality assurance process applies to AI-generated discharge instructions as to handwritten ones: the responsible staff member reviews the instructions and verifies them against the medical record before they are given to the pet owner. For more information on how to save time, see “Save Time with AI for Veterinarians,” and an overview of all features is available on the Vetz features page.
You can try Vetz for free for 14 days. Clinics that want to see how discharge instructions are generated within their own workflow can schedule a demo.