Printable

Pet Sitter Emergency Instructions

Most sitter notes cover food and walks and stop there. The one thing that actually goes wrong, a pet gets sick or hurt while you’re unreachable, is the part nobody writes down. This sheet fixes that: it names the emergency vet, says who can approve treatment and up to how much, and tells your sitter what to do if a disaster hits while they’re in charge. Fill it in and save it as a PDF, or print it blank and write it by hand.

It pairs with the pet emergency binder for your records and the one-page emergency plan for your own household. Hand the sitter this one before the stay, and walk through it together.

Pet Sitter Emergency Instructions

Owner Sitter Dates of care

1. Reach me, or someone who can decide

If you can be reached, you make the call. Name a backup who can decide when you can’t (AVMA).

My phone (and time zone if traveling)

Second owner / spouse phone

Backup contact who can make pet decisions if I’m unreachable (AVMA)

Call me first whenever there is time. Reach the backup contact only if you truly cannot reach me.

2. Vets & poison control

List the after-hours ER vet too, because the regular clinic may be closed when you need it (AVMA).

Primary vet: name, phone, address

After-hours / ER vet: name, phone, address, how to get there (AVMA)

Microchip # & registry (per pet) (AVMA)

Nearest animal shelter / animal control

24/7 poison control (already filled in): ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 · Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661. A consultation fee may apply.

3. If a pet needs a vet and you can’t reach me

The AVMA recommends putting this in writing so no one has to guess in the moment. This is not a legal form; ask your own vet what they require.

You have my permission to take my pet for veterinary care. I authorize treatment up to then reach me or my backup contact before going further.

How vet care gets paid (card on file at the clinic, I reimburse on return, etc.)

Care wishes if I truly cannot be reached and my pet is suffering (your instructions, optional) (AVMA)

The AVMA suggests owners state in writing which decisions a stand-in may approve and which need your direct consent. Some clinics still ask to hear your consent by phone, so this never replaces reaching you when it’s possible.

4. Pet 1: feeding, meds, routine

Name

Species / breed / age

Feeding: what, how much, and when

Medications: name, dose, and time, exactly as the vet directs (leave blank if none)

Water, potty / walks / litter

Allergies & foods to never give

5. Pet 2: feeding, meds, routine

Name

Species / breed / age

Feeding: what, how much, and when

Medications: name, dose, and time, exactly as the vet directs (leave blank if none)

Water, potty / walks / litter

Allergies & foods to never give

6. Behavior warnings & house rules

Behavior warnings: bites when scared, bolts, guards food, keep pets separated, wary of strangers (Red Cross)

House rules: doors that must stay shut, furniture, yard gate, alarm on/off routine

Where the spare key is and how to lock up (two ways in is smart, so you’re never stuck out)

This sheet holds your key location and alarm routine. Hand it to your sitter in person, and take it back after the stay. Don’t leave copies where anyone else could see them.

7. Where things are

Food, meds, bowls, leash / carrier, litter, cleaning supplies, first-aid kit

Go-bag / Evac-Pack is staged at (Ready.gov)

8. If a disaster hits while I’m away

Where to take the pets, what to grab, and who to tell. Pick destinations in different directions (Ready.gov).

Evacuate to (a pet-friendly place I’ve arranged, address & phone)

Backup destination in a different direction

Who to notify that you evacuated the pets

Grab the go-bag, the pets’ carriers, and their meds. A photo of me with each pet is with the records for proof of ownership if we get separated (Ready.gov).

9. If a pet gets out

Search calmly nearby first. Call the shelters and ER vet above to report the pet found or missing. My pet is microchipped and the registration is current, so a clinic or shelter can scan and reach me. If you can, clip a temporary tag with your own number on the pet while it’s in your care (Pet Sitters International).

Where to post or check first (neighborhood app, local pages, nearby streets)

Keep it handy: clip it or sleeve it

Print it, walk the sitter through it in person, and leave it where they will actually see it. A clipboard or a page protector keeps it readable through a two-week stay, and it slots right into your emergency binder so records and instructions live together.

Letter-size clipboardClip the sheet where the sitter will see it and carry it room to room.
Letter-size sheet protectorsA page protector keeps the sheet readable through spills and repeated handling.
3-ring binderPair it with your emergency binder so the sitter has records and instructions in one place.

Those are affiliate links: if you buy through them the site may earn a small commission at no cost to you, which is how these free tools stay free. Any letter-size version works.

Free checklist

Get the printable pet go-bag checklist

The complete go-bag list from this site, mapped to Ready.gov and ASPCA guidance with per-animal quantities, as a print-ready PDF delivered straight to your inbox. One email to send it, then occasional new guides. Unsubscribe any time.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from a normal pet-sitter note?

A vacation note covers feeding and walks. This adds the part people leave out until it is too late: which emergency vet to use when your regular clinic is closed, who is allowed to approve treatment and up to how much money if you can't be reached, and what the sitter should do if a fire or a storm hits while you are away. Pet Sitters International and the AVMA both recommend settling these in writing before a stay, not during a crisis.

Why put a spending limit and a backup decision-maker on it?

Because many emergency clinics won't start treatment without an authorized decision and a way to pay, and you might be on a plane or out of signal. The AVMA advises naming someone who can make care decisions for your pet when you're unreachable and stating in writing what they're allowed to approve. A dollar limit and a named backup let the sitter act fast instead of waiting on a call that isn't coming.

Is the treatment-authorization part a legal document?

No, and this sheet doesn't pretend to be one. It records your wishes so a sitter and a vet aren't guessing. Some clinics still want to hear your consent by phone even with a form on file, so it also tells the sitter to reach you first whenever that's possible. Ask your own veterinarian what authorization they actually require before you need it.

Do the values I type get saved anywhere?

No. This page doesn't store or send anything you type, so fill it in and print or save it as a PDF in one sitting. Nothing leaves your device. Leave the printed sheet with your sitter, and keep the sensitive parts, like a spare-key location, off any copy you don't hand over in person.

What should go in the behavior warnings?

Anything a stand-in needs to know before they open a crate or a door: bites when frightened, bolts outside, guards food or toys, must stay separated from the other pet, or reacts to strangers. The American Red Cross lists feeding schedule, medical conditions, and behavior problems as three separate things to record for anyone caring for your pet, and notes that a pet's behavior can change after a scare.

Sources

Pet Sitters International – Veterinary Release Form (authorization, cost limit, verbal-consent caveat)
AVMA – Who’s in charge of your animal’s care while you’re away (backup decision-maker, decisions in writing)
Ready.gov – Prepare Your Pets for Disasters (evacuation, go-bag, proof of ownership)
American Red Cross – Pet Disaster Preparedness (feeding, medical, and behavior notes for a caregiver)
Related: pet emergency binder · printable pet emergency plan · multi-pet emergency planning