Animal Management
RAM keeps a record for each working animal your agency uses: who the animal is, who handles it, its vaccination and medical history, and an emergency QR profile that responders can scan.
The feature is called Animal Management. In the left menu it appears as K9 Assets, because today it supports dogs only.
Table of Contents
- Turning the module on
- Finding it in the menu
- The animal list
- Adding an animal
- An animal's page
- Medications and medical records
- The emergency QR profile
- Handlers
- K9 Settings
- Expiration reminders
- Who can do what
- Best practices
- Troubleshooting
Turning the module on
Animal Management is an optional module, off by default, and only RAM can switch it on. It is not part of the standard plan features. Contact RAM support and ask for Animal Management to be enabled for your agency.
Finding it in the menu
Once it's on, a K9 Assets section appears in the left menu:
| Menu item | What it opens |
|---|---|
| Agency K9s | The full list of animals |
| K9 Settings | Breeds for your agency |
| An animal's name | Beneath it, a Profile link for each animal assigned to the signed-in member |
Agency K9s and K9 Settings are unavailable for members who don't have View animals. A member who is an animal's primary handler can still open that animal from their own name in the menu. See Who can do what.
The animal list
👉 K9 Assets → Agency K9s
| Column | Shows |
|---|---|
| Call Sign | The animal's unique call sign |
| Name | Given name |
| Species | K9 |
| Status | In Training, Active, Retired, or Deceased |
| Primary Handler | The member responsible for the animal |
Narrow the list with Search (name or call sign), Species, and Status. Each row has View Details and, for members who can edit that animal, Edit.
Adding an animal
Select Add Animal. It appears for members with Create animals or Edit animals.
| Section | Fields |
|---|---|
| Basics | Name (required), Call Sign, Species (required), Breed, Sex (Male, Female, Unknown), Reproductive Status (Intact, Spayed, Neutered), Date of Birth, Weight (lbs), Color, Microchip ID, Rabies Tag Number, Rabies Vaccination Date |
| Veterinarian | Veterinarian Clinic, Phone, Address, Notes |
| Handling | Special Handling Concerns, Public Notes |
| Emergency contacts | Two contacts, each with a name and phone number |
| Assignment and status | Status (In Training, Active, Retired, Deceased), Primary Handler (a member of your agency), Training Start Date, Active Start Date |
You can add a profile picture on this form. Medications and medical records are added after the animal is saved, from the animal's page.
An animal's page
Select a row to open the animal. The page shows the animal's photo, name, call sign, and status, with the basics, veterinarian details, emergency contacts, and handler.
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Edit Animal | Change any detail, and replace the profile picture. Shown to members with Edit animals and to the animal's primary handler |
| QR Code | Shows the animal's emergency QR code |
Medications and medical records
In the Medical Information box on the animal's page:
| Button | What it opens |
|---|---|
| View Medications | The animal's medications. Each has a name, dosage, frequency, start and end dates, prescribing veterinarian, notes, and an Active Medication switch |
| View Medical Records | Vet visits and treatments. Each has a Record Type, Date, Veterinarian, Clinic Name, Diagnosis, Treatment, Notes, and an optional Follow-up Date |
Both buttons need View animal medical records; without it they are unavailable, even for the animal's handler. Adding, changing, and removing entries follow Create animal medical records, Edit animal medical records (which covers all of these), and Delete animal medical records. Edit animals doesn't open medical records.
The emergency QR profile
Every animal gets a QR code automatically, and there is no switch to turn the public page off. Anyone who scans the code, without signing in, sees a public profile page. It is meant for responders who find the animal.
The public page shows:
- Name, call sign, breed, sex, color, weight, and age
- Veterinarian details, rabies date, Special Handling Concerns, and Public Notes
- Emergency contacts
- The primary handler's name and email, and the agency's name and contact details
- Current medications (active ones) and the medical record history
Anyone with the code can read the animal's active medications and its full medical record history, even though members without View animal medical records cannot see them inside RAM. This is deliberate: a responder or vet who finds the animal needs it. Keep entries to what they need to know, and do not put anything private there.
On the animal's page, select QR Code to see the code, then Download it or Print it for a collar tag, crate, or vehicle.
Handlers
Each animal has a Primary Handler, set on the animal's page when you add or edit it. Change it there to reassign the animal.
The animal then appears in that member's left menu, under K9 Assets. A primary handler can always open their own animal and edit it, without View animals or Edit animals. Retiring an animal is a status change: edit the animal and set Status to Retired. There's no delete button.
K9 Settings
👉 K9 Assets → K9 Settings
- Animal Breeds. Choose the Species (K9) to see the breeds offered when adding an animal. Breeds marked Global are shared by every agency. Use Add New Breed to add one just for your agency. Adding or changing breeds needs Create animals or Edit animals.
- Training Sources and Animal Notification Settings are marked Coming soon.
Expiration reminders
Working-animal certification reminders are an email report you turn on under Agency → Agency Settings → Notifications → Working animals. It's a scheduled summary of working-animal certifications that are expired, expiring soon, or due for renewal. See Agency Notification Settings.
Who can do what
Names are as they appear on the Access Roles screen. See Roles & Permissions.
| To | You need |
|---|---|
| Read the agency's list of animals and any animal's page | View animals. A primary handler can always open their own animal |
| Add an animal | Create animals or Edit animals |
| Edit an animal | Edit animals, or being that animal's primary handler |
| See medications and medical records | View animal medical records |
| Add, change, or remove medical entries | Create, Edit, or Delete animal medical records |
| Add or change breeds | Create animals or Edit animals |
Agency Admins can do all of these. Delete animals exists on the Access Roles screen, but the app has no delete button for animals.
Best practices
- Give every animal a unique call sign.
- Keep a current photo on the profile.
- Keep microchip, rabies, and emergency contact details up to date.
- Review what is on the public QR page whenever you add a medication or note.
- Update medical records after each vet visit.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| No K9 Assets in the menu | The module is not enabled for your agency. Contact RAM support |
| Agency K9s is unavailable | You need View animals |
| An animal is missing from a member's menu | Check that member is the animal's Primary Handler |
| Cannot add an animal | You need Create animals or Edit animals |
| Cannot edit an animal | You need Edit animals, or be the animal's primary handler |
| Medications and medical records are unavailable | You need View animal medical records |
| QR code will not scan | Download it again and check the printout is sharp and not too small |
Related Pages
- Working with Animals: the member's view
- Agency Notification Settings
- Roles & Permissions