If I change phone, do I lose the whole history?

If the data is tied to your account and syncing is on, signing in with the same credentials on the new phone gives you the record back as it was. The exported backup is there precisely as a safety net for the cases where that is not enough: an unrecoverable account, syncing never switched on, local data not yet uploaded. With an exported copy you do not depend on a single condition for the history to remain yours.

How often should I back up?

It depends on how much the record changes. For a healthy adult animal, a full export every three months keeps pace with the news well. The sturdier rule, though, is by event rather than by calendar: remake the copy whenever something happens that you would not want to rebuild from memory, like a new drug, a report or a dose change. A quarterly reminder only covers the stretches when nothing happens.

Can I hand the exported file straight to the vet?

Yes, and it is one of the best uses of the backup. A file readable without the app lets a new clinic see vaccine history, treatments and weights at once, without making you recount everything out loud. Choose the most universal format you can and make sure attachments are included. If you share through a link, set an expiry or revoke access once the visit is over.

Does the backup include the photos and attached reports?

It should, but it is the first thing to verify by opening the file you just created. Some exports carry only the text and leave the images in the app: in that case the copy looks complete but drops exactly the proof that matters most. If you notice the attachments are missing, export the images separately as well and keep them in the same folder as the backup.

Using Animiyo20 minLevel: BeginnerUpdated on August 20, 2026

Exporting and backing up your pet's data

Keep your pet's health history safe: what to export, how to do it step by step, where to store the copies and how often to refresh them.

Audience: Pet owners, Breeders
Species: Dog, Cat, All species
Scope: Valid everywhere, Italy, European Union

What you need before you start

La scheda dell'animale già compilata in Animiyo, anche solo con i dati principali
Un servizio di archiviazione nel cloud o una cartella sincronizzata dove salvare i file
Cinque minuti di calma senza notifiche, per non interrompere l'esportazione a metà

A pet's record in Animiyo grows month after month: vaccines, weights, treatments, test results, notes from the vet. It becomes precious exactly when you need it in a hurry, at an unfamiliar clinic, on holiday, the day the phone ends up in the water. Yet almost nobody thinks about taking a copy out until they lose it. This guide explains how to export the data into a file that reads on its own, without depending on the app, and how to store it so it is reachable even when there is no connection and no time. It is not a job for experts: twenty minutes the first time, a few minutes at every update.

Why a copy outside the app changes everything

Data that lives in a single place is not safe data. As long as the health history exists only inside the app, it depends on a phone that can break, an account you might lose access to, and a connection that will not be there at the wrong moment. A backup is not for the ordinary day: it is for the bad day, which is precisely why it has to be prepared while everything still works.

New phone: the data follows you without the fear of starting again from an empty record.
Emergency far from home: you show the on-duty vet weights, allergies and treatments without hunting for the app password.
Handing over care: whoever looks after the animal for you gets a complete file instead of answers from memory.
Paperwork for travel or insurance: a dated exported copy is worth more than a blurry screenshot.

What is actually worth exporting

Not everything carries the same weight. Some information can be rebuilt in half an hour, some never comes back once it is lost. Before you press export, decide what absolutely has to be in the copy, so you avoid both a bloated useless file and a backup that looks complete but leaves out the one thing you will later need.

Priority of what belongs in the backup. The right column says how hard the data is to recover if you lose it.
Data	Priority	If you lose it
Identity and microchip	High	Recoverable from the registry, but slowly
Vaccine history with batches	High	Hard: the stickers do not come back
Current treatments and doses	High	Error prone if rebuilt from memory
Reports and blood tests	High	Only if the clinic still holds them
Weight trend	Medium	Single values are lost, and so is the trend
Notes and daily diary	Medium	Unrecoverable: it is personal memory
Clinic contacts and references	Low	Easy to find again

Exporting the data step by step

The sequence below is for a full backup. Take your time the first round: understanding where the file lands and in what format it comes out saves you surprises when you genuinely need to open it in a rush.

Open the record and find the export option
From the animal's record, go into the documents section or the record settings. The export function gathers what you have logged into a single file, so you do not have to copy it entry by entry.
Choose the range and the content
If you are asked, select the whole history and not just the latest period. A partial backup is handy for sharing a single visit, but the safety copy needs the entire story.
Prefer a format that reads without the app
A PDF or a text file opens on any device, even someone else's. A proprietary format is useful for reimporting, but on its own it is not enough: when you can, get both versions.
Check the attachments are included
Open the file you just created and confirm the report photos and stickers are really there. A backup that points to images still stuck in the app is not a self-contained copy.
Rename the file with name and date
A name like pet-name-backup-2026-08-20 sorts itself and tells you at a glance how old it is. Use the year-month-day format so copies stay in chronological order.
Save the copy in at least two different places
One in the cloud, one on a device you keep with you. A single copy on the same phone that might break is not a backup: it is the same risk under a different name.

Where to store the copies so they help

A perfect backup saved somewhere you cannot remember is worth as much as no backup. The practical rule is the same one used for important data in general: three copies, on two different media, with at least one kept away from the others. Applied to a pet it becomes simple and needs no professional tools.

One copy in the cloud, synced, so you find it from any device with your credentials.
One local copy on the phone or computer, which opens even offline in an emergency.
One copy shared with a trusted person, useful if you lose phone and access together.
A printed version of the life-saving basics, allergies and current treatments, inside the document holder or the carrier.

Checking and refreshing the backup over time

An old backup gives false confidence: you think you are covered and instead the latest treatment is missing, the very one that matters. The copy needs refreshing whenever the history changes substantially, and it needs testing at least once, because a file that will not open is not a backup, it is a broken file.

Open the fresh copy on another device straight away: if it reads there, it will read when it is needed.
Re-export after every important event: a new vaccine, a change of treatment, a significant report.
Set a recurring reminder for a full backup, for example every three months, even if nothing has changed.
Delete versions that are too old, keeping only the last complete one and the previous year's, to avoid confusion.
Check once a year that the trusted person still has access to the shared copy.

Frequently asked questions

If I change phone, do I lose the whole history?: If the data is tied to your account and syncing is on, signing in with the same credentials on the new phone gives you the record back as it was. The exported backup is there precisely as a safety net for the cases where that is not enough: an unrecoverable account, syncing never switched on, local data not yet uploaded. With an exported copy you do not depend on a single condition for the history to remain yours.
How often should I back up?: It depends on how much the record changes. For a healthy adult animal, a full export every three months keeps pace with the news well. The sturdier rule, though, is by event rather than by calendar: remake the copy whenever something happens that you would not want to rebuild from memory, like a new drug, a report or a dose change. A quarterly reminder only covers the stretches when nothing happens.
Can I hand the exported file straight to the vet?: Yes, and it is one of the best uses of the backup. A file readable without the app lets a new clinic see vaccine history, treatments and weights at once, without making you recount everything out loud. Choose the most universal format you can and make sure attachments are included. If you share through a link, set an expiry or revoke access once the visit is over.
Does the backup include the photos and attached reports?: It should, but it is the first thing to verify by opening the file you just created. Some exports carry only the text and leave the images in the app: in that case the copy looks complete but drops exactly the proof that matters most. If you notice the attachments are missing, export the images separately as well and keep them in the same folder as the backup.

What to do next

Export the animal's entire history into a file that reads without the app, confirm it carries the report photos and stickers too, then store the copy in at least two different places with a name and a date. Open the file straight away to check it works, remake the backup after every important event, and set a quarterly reminder for the quiet stretches.