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Entry 49Filed under Breeding

How to Prepare Your Dog’s Care and Feeding Instructions Before an Emergency

A ready-to-share care sheet and evacuation kit help a backup caregiver keep your dog’s meals, medication, and routine on track during an emergency.
5-minute read By Animalso Team
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Write down your dog’s normal meals, medication schedule, daily routine, and veterinary contacts, then give the plan to a trusted backup caregiver before you need it. Keep a paper copy with your dog’s records and a digital copy you can reach away from home. Pair the instructions with an evacuation kit stocked with familiar food, water, medication, identification, and comfort items.

What to put in your dog’s care and feeding instructions

A practical handoff sheet can fit on one page; add a second page if your dog has complex medical needs. CDC recommends preparing feeding and medication instructions for each animal, and the AVMA advises listing each animal’s diet, foods to avoid, and medication dose and frequency. Use your veterinarian’s directions for individual medical details.

  • Dog identification: Name, recent photo, breed or description, age, approximate weight, microchip number, and current collar or tag information.
  • People and clinics: Your name and primary and alternate phone numbers; backup caregiver’s name and numbers; and your veterinarian and nearest emergency clinic, including addresses and phone numbers.
  • Food and water: Food brand and type if relevant, the usual amount per meal or day, meal times, how to measure it, permitted treats, and anything the dog must not eat. Clearly note food allergies and other important sensitivities. Include water-handling notes if needed; follow your veterinarian’s individual directions rather than guessing at a water target.
  • Medication: List each medication separately by exact name, prescribed dose, route or method if needed, timing or frequency, and storage instructions. Add the prescribing clinic or pharmacy contact for questions or refills.
  • Daily care: Usual walk and toilet schedule, leash or harness preferences, handling needs, behavior concerns, comfort items, and how to approach or secure your dog safely when frightened.
  • Health and records: Medical conditions, current prescriptions, vaccination information, and insurance details if applicable. Ask your veterinarian to describe the signs that warrant an urgent call for your particular dog.
  • Authorization: Signed permission for the caregiver to obtain veterinary care, plus the financial limit you have agreed to.
  • Review date: Record when you last checked the sheet and update it after changes to diet, medication, health, or contact details.

Do not tell a caregiver to change a prescription or give a first-aid medication unless your veterinarian has directed it for your dog. CDC cautions that first aid is not a substitute for veterinary care; ask your veterinarian what procedures and supplies are appropriate. See the CDC emergency preparedness overview and the AVMA emergency preparedness guide.

How to make the handoff reliable

  1. Choose a backup caregiver now. Confirm that a trusted friend, relative, neighbor, or boarding facility could take responsibility if you are delayed or separated from your dog.
  2. Share the plan in advance. Give the caregiver the care sheet, your current contact details, the veterinarian’s information, and directions to the kit and records. FDA recommends a signed authorization that explains veterinary-care permission and financial limits.
  3. Keep copies accessible. Protect a paper copy in a waterproof pouch with the medical and identification records. Keep a digital backup and recent photos somewhere you can access if you cannot return home. Check that the microchip registration details are current.
  4. Rehearse the practical details. Show the caregiver how to measure meals, use the harness or carrier, and find medication. Make sure the instructions match what is packed.

The FDA’s disaster guidance for pet owners advises that a temporary caretaker have the instructions needed to care for the animal and phone numbers to reach the owner.

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What to pack for your dog

Keep the kit together, easy to carry, and near an exit if practical. CDC’s 2024 checklist recommends a two-week supply of food and water for each animal, plus two weeks of applicable medication. Agencies give different duration targets: the ASPCA’s September 2026 guidance recommends seven to ten days of food and water and two weeks of medication, while the FDA advises at least one week of food and fresh water. Treat these as preparedness recommendations, not a universal rule; plan for the likely disruption and follow local emergency advice and your veterinarian’s guidance.

Supply What to include
Food and water Familiar food and drinking water; measure enough for the duration you plan to cover. Include a manual can opener if needed.
Medication Applicable medication in its appropriate labeled storage, with the written schedule. Check expiration dates and freshness; medicines with temperature requirements may need to be stored elsewhere.
Feeding and cleanup Non-spill food and water dishes, waste bags, and other cleanup supplies your dog routinely needs.
Leash and transport Leash, collar or harness with identification, and a suitable carrier.
Records and identification Water-protected care instructions, medical and vaccination records, microchip and registration details, recent photos, and ownership information.
Comfort and safety Familiar bedding or a toy, plus a pet first-aid kit or guide if your veterinarian agrees it is suitable.

Replace supplies as needed and by their expiration dates. Keep enough familiar food to avoid an unnecessary diet change during a disruption. A preassembled “dog emergency preparedness kit” is only a starting point: check its actual contents, then add your dog’s food, medication, instructions, and records. Ask your veterinarian which first-aid items are suitable for your dog.

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Plan where your dog will go

Identify pet-friendly hotels or motels, relatives or friends who can take your dog, and boarding options before an emergency. Do not assume a public emergency shelter will accept pets; acceptance and arrangements vary by location. FDA recommends checking lodging options ahead of time and planning who can care for an animal if the owner cannot take it.

Help your dog get comfortable with its carrier before a crisis. FDA notes that familiarity can make it easier to get a pet into the carrier and may reduce travel anxiety. Keep the carrier accessible, and make sure the backup caregiver knows where it is.

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Keep the plan current

Review the sheet whenever your dog’s food, dose, schedule, health, or contacts change. Check the kit periodically for enough food and water, usable supplies, and unexpired medication; replace items as needed. CDC links a pet disaster kit checklist and boarding instruction resource that can help you organize the handoff.

These recommendations are U.S.-oriented. Follow local evacuation instructions and confirm shelter, lodging, and boarding arrangements where you live.

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