A vaccination schedule is one of the most regularly recurring jobs in a clinic and one of the easiest to miss. When dates are scattered across a diary or patient cards, nobody notices the overdue dose, and owners rarely call on their own. This article covers the clinic side: how to set up a vaccination schedule, how to monitor it with a weekly routine, and how to tie it into your software. In VetBis, vaccine definitions, packages, dated dose plans and overdue-dose tracking run through the vaccination tracking screens.
Why vaccination schedules fall apart
- Dose intervals vary by species, age and product, and the maths is done by hand.
- When a vaccine is given, the next date is not written down.
- There is no list of which patients are overdue.
- Nobody sends a reminder unless the owner calls.
- The vet who vaccinates and the person who enters the record are different people, so entries slip to the evening or never happen.
- Vaccine stock and administered doses are not linked.
None of this strictly needs software to fix, but without software discipline is hard to sustain.
The vaccination plan is the clinic's decision
Which vaccine is given at what age and at what interval is the vet's decision; the software applies it and does not make it. For the general framework, vets consult international guidelines. The WSAVA vaccination guidelines, for example, distinguish core from non-core vaccines and recommend tailoring vaccination to each patient's risk. Local regulation, regional disease status and your clinic's protocol are layered on top. Put your protocol in writing before you enter it into software.
1. Set up vaccine definitions and packages
Define the vaccines your clinic uses: name, species, manufacturer, number of doses and an administration note. Then build species-based packages: puppy package, adult annual package, kitten package, adult cat package. A package defines once which dose follows how many days later, so you never recalculate for each patient.
| Example package | Logic | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy package | First dose and follow-up boosters | The vet, per clinic protocol |
| Adult annual package | Yearly repeat | The vet |
| Cat package | Dose order by species and age | The vet |
The names in the table are examples only; your clinic protocol sets the intervals and contents.
2. Apply the plan to the patient
Applying a package to a patient creates a dated dose plan. You can preview the plan before saving it, and the vet adjusts the dates if they do not fit the patient. When a dose is given it is marked complete and the next dose stays on the calendar. A cancellation or postponement is noted with its reason. The patient card shows past and upcoming doses together.
The planning method is package-based: it is not a wizard that generates doses automatically from species and breed, but a flow that applies the package you defined to the patient. That design keeps the vet's decision in charge.
- Dose 1Given
First dose given
- Dose 2Planned
Second dose planned
- Dose 2Overdue
Planned date has passed
- BoosterPlanned
Booster added to the calendar
- YearlyNowPlanned
Yearly repeat date created
Live flowAnnual reminder 5 / 5
Steps
- 1Plan appliedA vaccine package is chosen for the patient.
- 2First dose recordedDose date and lot are entered.
- 3Next dose plannedThe next date appears on the calendar.
- 4Overdue shows upA missed dose is flagged in the list.
- 5Annual reminderThe yearly repeat is scheduled.
Sample patient; the veterinarian sets dose intervals.
3. Monitor overdue and upcoming doses
Look at two lists as a weekly routine:
- Patients whose dose falls in the next 14 days
- Patients whose dose has passed without being given
The vaccination compliance view on the dashboard and in reports shows how well patients follow the schedule. In the weekly meeting, look at the names on the overdue list rather than one headline figure: each name is a phone call and a closing note. For reports see the reporting page.
4. Set up reminders properly
A reminder has two parts: when it goes out and through which channel. In VetBis you define reminder rules and the owner's contact permissions, and reminder records are kept. Delivery by SMS, WhatsApp and e-mail needs an external provider connection and is in preparation; until those channels are connected, messages are not sent automatically. Until then, phoning from the overdue list is a practical method that works. Even once a channel is connected, record consent in line with the KVKK permission rules before sending.
A short phone script speeds things up: the patient's name, the overdue vaccine, a proposed appointment time and the habit of noting the outcome of the call.
Rabies vaccination and the VETBIS mix-up
Rabies vaccination is mandatory in Turkey and has official registration processes. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry runs a system called VETBİS (the Veterinary Information System). VetBis is a clinic management software from MTY Teknoloji; it is not the same as the ministry system. VetBis keeps the vaccination record in your clinic but does not notify the ministry system automatically. Keep making mandatory notifications through the relevant official channel, and confirm the current rules for official processes with the authority.
Record discipline: the vaccination-day flow
- At check-in, the vaccination history and the next dose are checked.
- The vet examines the patient and assesses fitness for vaccination.
- The vaccine is given; product, batch/serial information and date are entered.
- The dose is marked complete the same day and the next date becomes visible.
- The owner is told the next dose date and, ideally, the appointment is booked on the spot.
Vaccine stock and expiry dates are part of the same discipline; see the inventory article for detail.
Weekly vaccination follow-up checklist
- The 14-day upcoming dose list has been pulled
- Overdue doses were called and the outcome noted
- Given doses were entered the same day
- Vaccine stock and expiry dates were checked
- An appointment was booked for the next dose
- No messages were sent to owners without permission
Frequently asked questions
Does the software decide the vaccination plan? No. Your clinic defines the packages and intervals; the software calculates the dates and tracks them.
Are reminder messages sent automatically? Not at the moment. Rules and permission records are kept; SMS, WhatsApp and e-mail delivery is waiting for an external provider connection.
Can I report rabies vaccination to the ministry through VetBis? No. VetBis keeps the vaccine in the clinic's own record and does not notify the ministry system automatically.
How do I find patients with overdue doses? From the overdue list in the vaccination tracking screen and from the compliance view.
Conclusion
When the vaccination schedule is built as packages and dated plans, the calculation burden disappears and the overdue list becomes routine. To keep vaccination records alongside the patient file, also see patient management.