Animal Intake Form Template

Give your team everything they need before an animal walks through the door. This animal intake form template captures owner contact details, species and breed, sex and age, vaccination status, current medications, behavioral traits, and the reason for the visit — all in one structured form. Whether you run a veterinary clinic, animal shelter, boarding facility, or grooming salon, this template adapts to your intake workflow.

Use this template

Last updated 21 August 2026

Fields in this template

Owner / Guardian Full Namerequired
Email Addressrequired
Primary Phone Numberrequired
Emergency Contact Name & Phone
Animal's Namerequired
Speciesrequired
Dog · Cat · Bird · Rabbit · Guinea Pig · Hamster / Gerbil · Reptile · Horse / Equine · Farm Animal · Wildlife / Wild Animal · Exotic / Uncommon Species · Other
Breed
Sexrequired
Male (intact) · Male (neutered) · Female (intact) · Female (spayed) · Unknown
Approximate Agerequired
Approximate Weight (lbs)
Vaccinations Current For
Rabies · Distemper / DHPP · Bordetella (Kennel Cough) · Leptospirosis · Feline Leukemia (FeLV) · FVRCP (Feline combo) · Influenza · Unknown / No records available
Current Medications
Known Allergies or Medical Conditions
Reason for Intakerequired
Routine wellness / check-up · Illness or injury · Boarding / day care drop-off · Grooming appointment · Surrender / rehoming · Wildlife rescue · Foster placement · Adoption application · Training program enrollment · Emergency
Behavioral Traits (check all that apply)
Good with dogs · Good with cats · Good with children · Bite history · Fear-reactive · Resource guarder · Escape artist · Separation anxiety · No known behavioral concerns
Additional Notes for Staff

Who uses this template

Veterinary clinics and hospitalsAnimal shelters and rescuesBoarding and daycare facilitiesDog groomers and pet stylistsWildlife rehabilitation centersFoster and adoption programsEquine boarding operationsPet sitting and dog walking services

About this template

An animal intake form is the foundation of safe, informed animal care. Whether a dog is arriving for a routine grooming appointment or a stray cat is being surrendered to a shelter, having structured information on hand before the animal arrives protects both the staff and the animal. A bite history flag, a note about a known allergy, or a list of current medications can make the difference between a routine visit and a medical emergency.

This template is designed to serve a wide range of animal care contexts. Veterinary clinics use it to gather pre-visit medical history. Boarding facilities rely on it to capture feeding schedules, medication instructions, and behavioral quirks. Shelters use it during surrender intake to document an animal's background and improve rehoming success. The behavioral traits checklist — which flags bite history, reactivity, and resource guarding — helps staff make informed handling decisions the moment an animal arrives.

Deploying this form through formformform means owners can complete intake paperwork before they arrive, reducing front-desk bottlenecks during busy appointment times. Forms are submitted directly to your team's inbox and stored in your dashboard for ongoing reference. For facilities that serve repeat clients, exportable submission data can be used to build and maintain client records without manual data entry.

16 form ideas you can build with this template

Veterinary New Patient Intake

Collects pet name, species, breed, age, weight, vaccination records, medical history, current medications, and reason for visit

Animal Shelter Surrender Form

Gathers owner contact, surrender reason, animal behavior assessment, medical records, spay/neuter status, and rehoming preferences

Boarding Facility Intake

Collects emergency contact, dietary restrictions, medication schedule, behavioral quirks, veterinarian info, and special care instructions

Wildlife Rescue Intake

Gathers species identification, injury description, location found, finder contact, wildlife permits, and rehabilitation assessment

Foster Animal Placement Form

Collects foster home environment, existing pets, experience level, animal preferences, temporary care commitment, and foster training completion

Grooming Service Intake

Gathers pet temperament, coat condition, matting severity, previous grooming issues, sensitive areas, and styling preferences

Animal Adoption Application

Collects adopter household, pet ownership history, veterinary references, home environment, lifestyle match, and adoption readiness screening

Emergency Veterinary Intake

Gathers presenting symptoms, injury timeline, current vitals, prior treatments attempted, insurance information, and triage priority

Exotic Pet Intake Form

Collects specialized species care, habitat requirements, diet specifics, handling experience, permitting compliance, and exotic vet access

Animal Training Program Intake

Gathers behavioral issues, training goals, socialization history, aggression assessment, handler experience, and program expectations

Equine Boarding Intake

Collects horse medical records, farrier schedule, feeding program, turnout preferences, blanketing needs, and emergency veterinary authorization

Pet Sitting Client Intake

Gathers daily routine, feeding instructions, medication administration, behavior triggers, emergency protocols, and home access details

Animal Rescue Transport Form

Collects origin/destination, transport crate requirements, medical holds, quarantine status, and cross-state health certificates

Reptile Husbandry Intake

Gathers species, enclosure setup, temperature/humidity needs, feeding schedule, shedding history, and specialized care requirements

Animal Daycare Intake

Collects socialization level, play style, separation anxiety, vaccination proof, emergency contact, and daily care authorization

Laboratory Animal Protocol Form

Collects research protocol number, species justification, housing requirements, veterinary care plan, and IACUC approval documentation

What's included

Species dropdown covering dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, equines, wildlife, and exotic animals

Vaccination checklist with common vaccines for both dogs and cats

Current medications and allergies fields for pre-visit medical review

Behavioral traits checklist including bite history and reactivity flags

Reason for visit dropdown with 10 intake scenarios from routine wellness to emergency

Emergency contact field separate from primary owner information

Sex field captures intact vs. altered status relevant to medical care

Open notes field for special handling instructions or care nuances

How to create an animal intake form

1
Click 'Use this template' to load the animal intake form into formformform — all sections and fields are pre-built.
2
Adjust the species dropdown to focus on the animals your facility serves — a small animal clinic may remove 'Horse / Equine' and 'Farm Animal'; a wildlife rehab center may add specific species categories.
3
Customize the reason for visit dropdown to match your facility's intake scenarios — remove options that don't apply and add any specialty services you offer.
4
Update the vaccination checklist to reflect the vaccines most relevant to your species mix — add equine vaccines or remove feline options if you're a dog-only boarding facility.
5
Set your notification email so staff are alerted immediately when a new intake form is submitted — especially critical for emergency and surrender intakes.
6
Share the form link in appointment confirmation emails, on your website's 'New Clients' page, or embed it in your online booking system for seamless pre-visit intake.

Best practices for your animal intake form

Send the form before the appointment

email the intake form link in the appointment confirmation so owners complete it from home rather than in a busy waiting room, improving data quality and accuracy.

Flag behavioral warnings prominently

ensure bite history and reactivity options in the behavioral traits checklist are reviewed by staff before handling the animal, not after.

Ask about medications specifically

a generic 'medical history' question misses current medications; a dedicated field for medications and dosages ensures staff have the clinical details they need.

Distinguish intact from altered in the sex field

spay/neuter status is clinically relevant for dosing, anesthesia, and disease risk; a single 'Male/Female' option loses this information.

Require emergency contact for all boarding intakes

even if the owner is reachable, a secondary emergency contact is essential when you can't reach the owner and need to make medical decisions quickly.

Use the additional notes field as a catch-all

inform owners that this is the place to share any information that doesn't fit neatly into the structured fields, such as feeding preferences, anxiety triggers, or previous bad experiences at other facilities.

Export and archive intake forms

use formformform's CSV export to build a historical record for repeat clients, making it easy to compare health and behavioral notes across visits over time.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use this form for both dogs and cats?

Yes. The species dropdown, vaccination checklist, and all other fields are designed to accommodate multiple species. The vaccine checklist includes options for both dogs and cats, and owners can check 'Unknown / No records available' if they don't have documentation.

Is this form suitable for a wildlife rescue intake?

Yes, with minor customization. Add 'Wildlife' as a species category and include fields for 'Location Found' and 'Finder Contact' in the reason for visit section. You may also want to add a field for initial injury assessment or triage notes.

Can owners fill this out from their phone before arriving?

Yes. All formformform forms are fully mobile-responsive and work on any device. You can send the form link in a booking confirmation text or email and owners can complete it from their phone before they arrive.

How do I receive the intake information when someone submits?

formformform sends an instant email notification with all submission details to your configured inbox the moment a form is submitted. You can also view all submissions in your dashboard and export them to CSV for record-keeping.

Can I add a field for uploading vaccination records?

Vaccination records rarely need to travel by a separate email. Add an Upload field and a photo or scan arrives with the intake itself, up to 2 MB per file, which usually skips the back-and-forth entirely. If an owner doesn't have a digital copy on hand, keep the option to bring physical records to the appointment or email them to your clinic ahead of time, and list your clinic's email in the form instructions as a fallback.

Can this form handle surrender or rehoming intake?

Yes. The reason for visit dropdown includes a 'Surrender / rehoming' option, and the behavioral traits checklist, medical history fields, and additional notes give shelter staff the documentation they need to assess and place the animal appropriately.