If Your Pet Gets Sick While You're Away: Contacts, Authorization, and Costs to Agree on With Your Pet Sitter

Before you leave, give your pet sitter three things: a contact list in order, written authorization with the spending limit you can approve, and a packet of up-to-date health information. Make it clear that in an emergency, the pet sitter should not wait for your reply before calling the veterinarian.

That way, if you're on a flight, in another time zone, or without a network connection, no one has to guess whom to call, where to go, or how far they can make decisions and spend: it's all already written in your plan. This isn't a first-aid guide: it's about who makes decisions, who pays, and who takes your pet to the veterinarian.

The contact chain: whom to call and in what order

List these contacts in the order they'll be needed in an emergency:

1. Your regular veterinarian: phone number, address, and hours. Let them know the pet sitter may bring your pet in while you're away.
2. Emergency veterinary clinic: choose one and check it before you leave. Call to confirm the hours and address, and note the route from your home.
3. You: phone number and the times when you won't be reachable.
4. Backup person: name, phone number, and a spare key. They must be able to make decisions and drive.

Ask your veterinarian which signs should be considered urgent for your pet, especially if they have any known conditions, and write them in the plan. Then define the two courses of action:

• It doesn't seem urgent: message or call you; if you don't answer, contact the backup person.
• A serious sign, or one your veterinarian has identified as urgent: call the veterinarian or emergency clinic immediately, without waiting for your reply; then let you and the backup person know.

Add a rule: if the pet sitter isn't sure which situation applies, they should call the veterinarian.

Written authorization: what the pet sitter can decide without you

One page, dated and signed, containing:

• your details, the pet sitter's name, and the backup person's name;
• your pet's identity: name, species, and microchip number;
• your departure and return dates;
• what the pet sitter can authorize: taking your pet for an examination and accepting tests and treatment recommended by the veterinarian, up to the spending limit;
• what always requires you or the backup person: expenses above the limit, procedures that can be postponed, and irreversible decisions.

For irreversible decisions, a simple and respectful sentence is enough, for example: “Decisions that can't be undone are up to me or, if you can't reach me, [name], after consulting the veterinarian.”

You can't know in advance whether the authorization will be accepted: ask your veterinarian what form of authorization they accept and leave them a copy.

Spending limit and payment: decide on the amount beforehand, not during an emergency

• The cap: choose now the amount you're willing to authorize even if you can't be reached, and write it in the authorization.
• Payment: ask the emergency clinic and your veterinarian how they handle payment when the owner isn't present. Don't assume; write down the answer in the plan.
• Advances: if the pet sitter pays any costs upfront, agree in writing how and when you'll reimburse them.
• Insurance: if you have a policy, leave the policy number and contact details, and ask the pet sitter to keep invoices and medical reports in case you need to file a claim.

The packet to take to the veterinarian

A concise information sheet, printed and also saved on the pet sitter's phone, with:

• a recent photo of your pet;
• microchip number;
• allergies;
• current treatments, as prescribed;
• recent vaccinations;
• known conditions;
• recent weight;
• name of your regular veterinarian.

Also write down where the carrier and paper documents (health record and passport) are, and how to get your pet into the carrier: which opening to use and what treat to offer. Then specify who will drive: the backup person or a pet transportation service arranged in advance. Availability is never guaranteed, so always note an alternative.

If you use PawsPet, keep allergies, treatments, and vaccinations up to date in your pet's “Health” profile and share it as read-only: for a pet sitter or backup person who already has a PawsPet account, you can grant access from the pet profile's ⋮ menu » “Collaborators” » “Add collaborator,” leaving only “View” enabled under “Health” (new collaborators start with this permission). For someone who doesn't have PawsPet, you can send a read-only link that you activate from ⋮ » “Sharing”: it shows basic profile details and a health summary.

Be aware of the limitations: neither collaborators nor the link can see documents or the passport, so also leave paper copies with the pet sitter. The link shows the microchip number and location, if available, and can be seen by anyone who receives it: send it only to the people in your plan. When you return, remove the collaborator or turn off sharing. In an emergency, the first step is still to call the veterinarian: the profile is there so you don't have to reconstruct the information from memory.

Test the plan before you leave

Three checks to make a few days ahead:

1. Call the emergency clinic again to recheck its hours and address: it's better to catch an incorrect number now.
2. Read the authorization aloud with the pet sitter and backup person, and clarify anything that's unclear.
3. Check with the pet sitter that they have the numbers saved in their contacts, know where the carrier and document copies are, and can open the profile or shared link on their phone: in the PawsPet app for owners, the pet appears under “Pets” in “Shared with me.”

The next step is simple: write the plan today, send it to the pet sitter, and read it through together during the last visit before you leave. It doesn't have to be perfect: it just needs to tell anyone whom to call and how far they can go in making decisions.