Everyday care
Going away: what to leave for your pet sitter
Leave the sitter the actual routine, agreed food amounts, walks and toilet cues, plus working contact details and clear instructions for concerns. The instruction sheet organises what you enter; it does not invent missing phone numbers, confirm care arrangements or provide treatment advice.
Which routine details help a sitter?
Write the usual meal times and amounts, where supplies are kept and how walks or toilet trips normally work. Use the instructions already agreed for your pet instead of borrowing another animal's schedule.
AVMA describes feeding, exercise, play and elimination as daily care needs and recommends arranging cover during absences. The form turns your details into a readable handover; it does not decide whether a sitter is suitable.
Which contacts should be written down?
Include your vet's name and phone and an emergency contact who has agreed to be available. Confirm those details directly before leaving. A blank field must not be filled with a guessed or illustrative number.
Discuss what the sitter should do if you cannot be reached, within any arrangement agreed with the practice. Do not use free-text notes to create unsupported medical instructions.
How do you make the sheet readable?
Use short lines, familiar times and unambiguous descriptions such as where a lead is kept. Separate normal routines from information about what to do when something changes.
The tool keeps unfinished drafts usable and marks missing handover details beside the input. The sheet itself includes the entered instructions, not a claim that all details have been verified.
What does an incomplete example show?
For a fictional pet labelled Example pet, enter two meal lines but leave the vet phone empty. The sheet remains available and the form asks for the vet phone before handover. Save stores a separate copy; Print or save PDF creates the handover through the browser. There is no share link.
Worked example
Pet name Example pet; meals 08:00 and 18:00; vet phone left blank
- Meal lines entered
- 2
- Sheet availability
- Draft remains available
- Missing detail
- Add your vet's phone number
Illustrative input, not a real pet or contact. Confirm all contact details before handover.
Try it with your own details
Use the Pet sitter instruction sheet to build your own result.
For general information only, not professional advice. Check the official sources below. Use your own judgement and speak to a qualified professional before you act.
Common questions
More answers on this topic.
Does saving send the sheet to the sitter?
No. It remains on this device; arrange the handover yourself.
Will the tool invent a missing vet number?
No. Add a real confirmed number before relying on the sheet.
Can the sheet replace medical instructions from the practice?
No. Record the actual agreed care and contact the practice for medical questions.
Can a draft be printed before every field is complete?
Yes. Review it carefully and complete missing handover details before use.
Sources and checked dates
Each note explains what its source supports. Open the link to read the guidance yourself.
Supports planning daily care and cover during absences, bringing health records and arranging an examination as soon as possible. The dated reminder and the wording of optional questions are planning features, not an official appointment schedule.