Guide · Sitters
What to leave your dog sitter: a complete checklist
Everything a sitter needs for a normal day, and everything they need if the day stops being normal.
Quick answer
Leave your sitter how to reach you, your vet and the nearest emergency vet, written permission to approve care (with a spending limit), your dog's feeding and medication schedule, their routine and quirks, and a copy of their vaccine and medical records. Write it down, even if you've gone over it in person.
The checklist
Contacts
- Your phone, plus a backup contact nearby
- Your regular vet's name, number and address
- The closest 24-hour emergency vet
- Pet poison helpline number
Daily care
- Food, amount and meal times
- Walks, potty times and where the leash lives
- Treat rules and anything they must not eat
- Quirks: escape artist, fear of storms, trash raider
Health
- Each medication: dose, time and how to give it
- Allergies and ongoing conditions
- Vaccine records and recent vet notes
- Pet insurance provider and policy number
Around the house
- Door codes, keys and the alarm
- Where the crate, bed and cleaning supplies are
- Microchip company and chip number
- A recent photo, in case your dog gets out
The step most people skip: permission to treat
If your dog gets hurt and the vet can't reach you, they may wait before treating. Veterinary groups recommend putting it in writing ahead of time:
- Who can make decisions for your dog while you're away
- A spending limit they can approve without calling you
- Anything that needs your direct OK first, such as major surgery
- How the bill gets paid: a card on file at your clinic, reimbursement or insurance
Many clinics have their own authorization form. Call yours before you leave and ask them to note your sitter's name on your dog's file.
The easy way
Send one link instead of a three-page note
Care Share gives your sitter the details they need (meds, feeding, vet contacts, quirks) and nothing you'd rather keep private. Turn it off when you're home.
Mercy's care notes
- Evening pill with dinner. She will try to spit it out.
- Dinner 1 cup, 6 pm
- Emergency vet: Your clinic · phone
Frequently asked questions
Should I leave my dog's full medical history?
Leave what a sitter or emergency vet would need: vaccines, current medications, allergies and ongoing conditions. The full history can stay with you.
What if my sitter is staying at their own place?
Pack the medications and food with written instructions, and give them the emergency vet nearest to them, not to you.
Do I need a formal form for permission to treat?
A signed note helps, but your clinic's own form is best because they already know what to look for.
Start with your dog
One link for your sitter
Share what they need. Turn it off when you're back.
Start your free trial
Start your free trial$7.99/month after a 14-day free trial. Renews automatically until you cancel.
This guide is general information, not veterinary or legal advice.