Vaccination certificates

The Veterinary Council of New Zealand (VCNZ) has received complaints from the public who are mistakenly viewing pet vaccination certificates as whole health records/pre-purchase certificates, which they are not. Vaccination certificates are a certificate to say the animal has been deemed fit enough to be vaccinated - even if there are other health issues.

The NZVA, in consultation with the Veterinary Professional Insurance Society and VCNZ have come up with some wording for you to put on vaccination certificates to protect you, and avoid confusion with your clients. This wording can be printed on label stickers for certificates.

“This is a certificate of vaccination. It is confirmation that the animal was fit for vaccination at the time, having no detectable abnormalities that precluded vaccination/s being administered. It is not a certificate of the animal's general health.”

If there are any relevant findings on clinical exam, then there should be a note in the vaccination certificate to indicate this, with the full clinical record in the clinic.