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Leave your sitter one clear, accessible set of instructions covering your pet’s routine, health, veterinary contacts, and what to do if you cannot be reached. Name a trusted backup decision-maker, agree on veterinary-care authority before you leave, and review complicated care in person. A written handoff should help someone care for your pet during an ordinary day and respond if illness or a local emergency changes the plan.
What to put in your pet sitter’s handoff
Make a separate profile for each pet. Keep it somewhere the sitter can find quickly, and give a copy to the backup caregiver. The ASPCA recommends sharing pet details, veterinary information, your trip itinerary, emergency contacts, and an emergency plan with the sitter.
Pet profile and daily routine
- Name, a recent photo, age, weight, and microchip information, if available.
- Health conditions, allergies or other relevant care notes, and any behavior or handling concerns.
- Food, portion sizes, meal times, walking or exercise schedule, and other regular care.
- Where the pet tends to hide, how to handle them safely, and any escape risks, such as a door-dashing habit.
Owner, backup, and veterinary contacts
- Your travel dates, itinerary, expected availability, and best way to reach you.
- At least one trusted backup contact who knows the pet and has agreed to help. Tell the sitter what decisions this person is authorized to make if you are unreachable.
- Your regular veterinarian’s clinic name, phone number, and address, plus the nearest appropriate emergency clinic’s contact details.
- The regular veterinarian’s after-hours process and any arrangements for someone else to authorize care while you are away.
Tell your veterinarian when you will be away and identify who may make decisions for your pet. Agree with the backup and sitter in advance on any spending or treatment authority; do not leave them to guess.
How to write medication instructions
Use the current veterinary label and any veterinarian-provided administration directions. For each medicine, write its name, prescribed dose, time, frequency, and instructions for giving it. Keep it in its labeled container, stored securely in a pet-resistant container, and walk the sitter through administration in person when needed.
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Do not ask a sitter to calculate or change a dose. If the label is unclear, the pet will not take the medicine, or a dose is missed, the sitter should contact you, the named backup, or the veterinarian according to your agreed plan—not improvise a treatment. The ASPCA advises owners to provide the medication, dosage, timing, and frequency in their instructions: ASPCA pet-sitter guidance.
What the sitter should do if a pet becomes ill or injured
Post the emergency clinic’s name, phone number, and address where the sitter can access them immediately. Agree beforehand on how the sitter should contact you and the backup, and who can authorize veterinary care if you cannot be reached. When a serious problem arises, the sitter should promptly seek veterinary advice rather than trying to diagnose or treat it independently.
Trauma, choking, heatstroke, stings, and poisoning are among the situations the ASPCA identifies as potentially requiring emergency care. For an emergency, FDA guidance says to contact a veterinarian, emergency animal hospital, or animal poison-control center: FDA: Who do you call if you have a pet emergency?
If poisoning or a dangerous ingestion is suspected, contact a veterinarian or emergency animal hospital as well as an animal poison-control center. The ASPCA’s sitter guidance lists its Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435; check the ASPCA guidance for current contact details and service terms. Poison-control advice does not replace veterinary care. Do not give the sitter home-treatment instructions unless they come from your veterinarian for this pet.
Prepare for evacuation or a disruption
Discuss what the sitter should do if a fire, severe weather, evacuation order, or other disruption occurs during their shift. Identify a safe destination and a person who can take over care. The Red Cross advises planning ahead because pets may need to be housed separately from their owners during an emergency.
Pack a pet emergency kit
The American Red Cross pet disaster-preparedness guidance recommends preparing supplies that can travel with the animal. Include:
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- 1. COMPLETE PET CARE KIT – Includes 25 double-sided A4 care forms, 10 writable emergency cards, 24 pet name labels and a coordinating storage box for organized care handoffs at home or away.
- 2. TWO-SIDED CARE DETAILS – Record feeding times, food amount, walking or litter routines and medication on the front; use the reverse for owner and veterinarian contacts, allergies, behavior notes, emergency details and supply locations.
- 3. MADE FOR CARE HANDOFFS – Provide clear written instructions to pet sitters, family members, boarding staff or daycare caregivers before vacations, weekend trips, house sitting or scheduled visits.
- 4. EMERGENCY CARDS AND LABELS – Place completed contact cards in a pet carrier, travel bag, leash pouch or sitter file; use the writable labels to identify food, medication and each pet’s supplies.
- 5. SMOOTH WRITABLE PAPER – Each 8.27 × 11.69-inch form provides generous writing space, while the matching paperboard box keeps unused forms, cards and labels neatly stored for the next trip.
- Secure leash and harness, or a sturdy carrier suited to the animal.
- Food, drinking water, bowls, and—if you have a cat—litter and litter supplies.
- Medications and copies of medical records in a waterproof container.
- A pet first-aid kit; ask your veterinarian what is appropriate for your animal.
- Recent pet photos and written feeding, medical, and behavior information, plus veterinarian contact details.
- Familiar bedding or toys if they are portable and practical to bring.
Choose a destination and backup caregiver
List realistic options such as a pet-friendly hotel, boarding facility, friend or relative, shelter, or veterinarian. Confirm locally that the destination accepts your pet and is available; do not assume every hotel or shelter can accommodate animals. Name who will transport the pet and who will take over if the sitter cannot continue. The ASPCA disaster-preparedness guidance also recommends identifying a safe haven and designated caregiver.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Review the handoff before you leave
Give the sitter time to read the instructions and ask questions before departure. Walk through medication administration or other complicated care in person, show where supplies and records are kept, and make sure the sitter can reach the pet’s carrier, leash, or harness. Check that the backup caregiver has a copy of the relevant details and understands the authority you have given them.
For dogs and cats, the ASPCA’s pet-planning guidance can help you organize a care plan. The sources cited here focus mainly on dogs and cats; ask a veterinarian or qualified caregiver for species-specific instructions for other animals.
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