Attaching photos and reports to a visit in Animiyo

A file saved in the wrong place is almost worse than a lost one: it gives the illusion that everything is in order until you open it and realise it belongs to a different episode. Tying a report to the visit it came from rebuilds the context by itself. Whoever reads it later, whether that is you in two years or a vet meeting the animal for the first time, immediately understands when that value was measured, after which symptom, and with which treatment underway.

Not everything deserves space, but some categories of document genuinely change clinical decisions and are worth keeping within reach. The rule is simple: attach whatever another vet would rather see than repeat.

• Blood and urine reports, in PDF where possible, because they preserve the numbers and the laboratory's reference ranges.
• Photos and videos of visible signs, such as a limp, a skin lesion or a red eye, taken before the picture changes.
• Diagnostic imaging like x-rays and ultrasound scans, or at least a photo of the screen if you are not given the file.
• The prescribed treatment sheet, with drug name, dose and duration, so it does not depend on your memory.
• Estimates and invoices, useful for budgeting and for a possible insurance claim.
• Vaccine stickers, which carry the vial batch and expiry and matter for travel.

1. 1

   Open the animal's profile and go to the documents area

   If the visit already exists in the history, open it. If it does not, create it first with the correct date: an attachment needs an event to hang from.

2. 2

   Choose where the file comes from

   You can take a photo on the spot, pick an image from the camera roll, or import a PDF received by email or message. For reports always prefer the original PDF to a screen photo, it stays legible and searchable.

3. 3

   Give it a name that makes sense a year from now

   Replace names like a long string of numbers with something plain, for example full blood panel or chest x-ray. The name is the first thing you will read when searching in a hurry.

4. 4

   Add a short note of context

   One line is enough: why the test was run, who performed it, what the vet said. It is the piece no file contains and the piece that makes the attachment understandable.

5. 5

   Check it is on the right visit and save

   Confirm the date and the event title before you commit. An attachment pinned to the wrong visit is as hard to find as one never uploaded.

A blurred or dark photo forces a repeat visit to see in person what the image could have shown. A few habits turn the shot into a piece of clinical data.

• Natural light in front of the animal, never a direct flash that flattens colour and relief.
• A scale reference next to the lesion, such as a coin, so the size actually reads.
• Two framings: a wide one that shows where the problem sits and a sharp close up.
• For a limp or a tremor, a ten second video says more than ten still photos.
• Add the date in the note if you take it later, because a photo without a time frame loses half its value.

Filing is worth little if you cannot then find the document the moment you are asked for it. With clear names and context notes the search becomes instant, and sharing with the clinic saves you from forwarding scattered emails or repeating tests already done.

1. Filter the history by document type when you want all the lab reports together.
2. Open the single visit to see attachments and notes in their context, not as loose files.
3. Generate a shareable summary when you change vet or prepare a specialist appointment.
4. Export a copy of the most important documents at least once a year and keep it off the phone.