Living in Spain with a pet

English-speaking vets in Spain

If you have moved to Spain with your dog or cat, this is where to start: finding a vet you can talk to, and keeping your pet's paperwork in order.

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Quick answer

To find a veterinary clinic in Spain, consider proximity, services (emergencies, specialities), care and transparency. With your digital veterinary record you can share your pet's history with any clinic in seconds, also when you change clinic or in an emergency.

<p>Moving to Spain with a pet turns two ordinary things into a problem at once: finding a vet you can actually communicate with, and working out which paperwork your animal now needs. This page is for that — for residents and newcomers who would rather sort it out in English before the first appointment.</p>

<p>Three things tend to come up in the first months. <strong>The microchip</strong> your pet already has usually needs to be registered in the regional database where you live, which is not automatic when you arrive. <strong>The rabies vaccine</strong> is handled differently depending on the autonomous community, so what applied where you came from may not apply here. And the <strong>EU pet passport</strong>, which is what lets you travel back and forth, is issued by an authorised vet in Spain — your home-country document does not simply convert. The details vary by region, so confirm your case with the clinic and with the regional authority.</p>

<p>What travels with you regardless is your pet's history. Cartilla Veterinaria is a free digital record where you keep vaccinations, deworming, tests and medical events, so that a new vet in a new country starts from complete information instead of from what you can remember. You can show or share it in seconds, in any clinic, and it stays yours if you move again.</p>

<p>Elegir clínica empieza por identificar qué necesitas en cada momento. Una clínica generalista cubre revisiones, vacunación, desparasitaciones y consultas del día a día, y suele ser tu centro de referencia. Para imprevistos graves conviene saber qué clínica de urgencias atiende fuera de horario o a qué hospital derivan. Y si tu mascota tiene una condición concreta, las especialidades (dermatología, traumatología, cardiología, exóticos u oncología) marcan la diferencia en el diagnóstico y el seguimiento.</p>

<p>A la primera visita conviene llegar con la información ordenada para no olvidar nada importante. Lleva el historial médico de tu mascota, las vacunas que tiene puestas y sus fechas, las desparasitaciones aplicadas, el número de microchip y cualquier prueba o informe previo. También ayuda anotar síntomas, cambios recientes en su comportamiento o alimentación y las dudas que quieras plantear. Cuanta más contexto reciba el veterinario, más certera y rápida será su valoración desde el primer minuto.</p>

<p>Con Cartilla Veterinaria puedes compartir todo ese historial con cualquier clínica en un par de clics, esté o no registrada en el directorio: si cambias de centro, te mudas o necesitas una segunda opinión, la información viaja contigo y el nuevo veterinario parte de datos completos y actualizados. Las clínicas que aún no aparecen también pueden sumarse al directorio cuando quieran, sin que eso te impida usar la cartilla hoy con el profesional que elijas.</p>

<p>Mantener un historial veterinario al día también facilita las urgencias. Cuando una mascota llega a una clínica que no la conoce, el equipo gana tiempo si puede ver de un vistazo sus alergias, tratamientos crónicos, intervenciones previas y la última analítica. Tener esa información a mano evita repetir pruebas, reduce errores de medicación y permite tomar decisiones más rápido en los momentos en los que cada minuto cuenta para la salud del animal.</p>

By city

Where to look, city by city

barcelona

Barcelona: a large expat community and clinics used to dealing with international owners, emergencies and specialised services.

madrid

Madrid: wide coverage and extended hours, with several centres accustomed to English-speaking clients.

valencia

Valencia: local clinics for consultations, vaccination and follow-up, in a city with a growing international population.

We are adding cities gradually. If yours is not listed yet, the questions above apply just the same.

How to choose a vet when you don't speak Spanish yet

The usual advice about choosing a clinic still applies, but when you have just arrived a few things matter more than they otherwise would.

  • Language: ask directly whether someone on the team consults in English, and whether that person is there on the days you can go. Bringing a written summary of your pet's history helps even when they do.
  • Paperwork: ask whether the clinic issues the EU pet passport and whether they can register or update your pet's microchip in the regional database. Not every centre does both.
  • Emergencies: find out now, not at 3 a.m., which centre covers out-of-hours and where it is.
  • Continuity: if your pet has a chronic condition or an ongoing treatment, bring the history in a form the vet can read; translated names of medicines save a lot of guessing.
  • Transparency: ask for the quote before the procedure. It is normal here to be given one, and it avoids surprises.
  • Proximity: a clinic near home makes routine check-ups happen; a great clinic an hour away often does not.

What you can hand a new vet on day one

The first appointment in a new country goes much better when the vet is not starting from zero. From Cartilla Veterinaria you can show or send your pet's essentials in seconds.

  • Medical history: previous consultations, diagnoses and treatments in one place, whatever country they happened in.
  • Vaccinations: which vaccines your pet has had and when, so the vet can tell you what is still needed in Spain.
  • Deworming: products and dates, internal and external.
  • Tests and documents: blood work, X-rays or reports you attach, including the ones you brought with you.
Do you have a clinic?

Add your clinic to Cartilla Veterinaria

If you consult in English, say so in the form: owners looking for an English-speaking vet ask us for exactly that.

Frequently asked questions about veterinary clinics

There is no official register of clinics by language, so the practical route is to ask directly — by phone or email before booking — whether anyone on the team consults in English and on which days. In cities with large international communities, such as Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia and the coastal areas, it is common; elsewhere it is worth checking first. Bringing your pet's history written down helps in any case.

An EU pet passport issued in another EU country remains valid, but it has to be updated by a vet here as vaccinations are given. If you arrive from outside the EU, your pet's documentation usually has to be replaced by an EU passport issued by an authorised vet in Spain, and the microchip and rabies vaccination have to be in order first. The requirements depend on where you come from and on your autonomous community, so confirm your specific case with the clinic and with the regional authority.

In practice, usually yes. Spain does not have a single national registry: each autonomous community keeps its own, and a chip registered abroad will not appear in it. A vet can register or update your details so that your pet is findable if it goes missing. Ask about it at the first appointment — it is quick, and it is the step people most often skip.

Yes. Creating and using your pet's digital record is free for owners: vaccinations, deworming, tests and medical events, at no cost, and shareable with whichever clinic you choose. It works from the browser on any device, with nothing to install, and the record stays with you if you move again.