I also think it is helpful to leave a dollar amount for vet bills for your pet. It is hard to quantify, of course, but you need to start somewhere. I usually give a specific amount, than tell them to use their judgement. I'd pay much more if my pet would be restored to a happy, healthy life. I'd pay much less if my animal will have their life extended by three more painful months.

Thanks! I am leaving tomorrow and have a pet sitter; I would never have remembered to do this!

my dog was recently hit by a car while my husband and i were on vacation in mexico. we had a friend housesitting for us at the time and have heard multiple stories about how the accident happened. i will not have a friend sit for us ever again. use a company with a good background who is insured!! if you still want a friend to housesit consider that something may happen during your trip that will ruin your friendship.

I would maybe add anything like "not good with kids, not good with other dogs" etc. in case those are encountered on a walk.

I actually leave a blank check made out to the vet, or a credit card specifically for vet expenses, even if I just leave my dog with my brother for a few days.

Roehm, I'm SO sorry about your dog! It really is my worst nightmare. That being said, I wouldn't trust a stranger, even if bonded/insured with my dog...accidents happen anyway and a random person from a service is no more invested in telling you the truth then your friend is/was.

I just call my vets and let them know that so-and-so is allowed to use the credit card # that I have left at the vets for emergencies for my cats. That way the sitter doesn't have the number but knows they can take the cats there if need be.
I also leave my parents and FIL's contact #'s in case there are any problems as they live close-by.

Alos sorry to hear about your dog roehm. We also decided, after using different friends/family to pet sit and not one of them doing a sufficient job (once, one cat went missing for 4 days when we were in Europe, other times, we came home to a door being unlocked or the alarm not being on or the alarm not being set properly and having the police dept come-we get charged for false alarms-), that we would go the professional sitter route. So far so good. It helps that she's a vet tech who has also done her first 2 yrs of vet school. She takes her job seriously.

I picked up a "pet passport" at the container store which contains much of the same info listed above in a small passport with a spot for a photo of the particular pet in the event you have several. One key thing for me was an authorizion form included that gave permission for an individual(s) to act on behalf of your pet in your absence which could save a lot of time and suffering for your pet in the event of emergency vet care. I learned the hard way after receiving a phone call while I was in China that my cat was suffering from throat cancer for which the symptoms came on suddenly. I have no idea how long he may have suffered before they were able to contact me and for me to get all the information i needed to feel confident in making the decision to have him put to sleep.

I would also include any information if your pet has a microchip so that if lost your sitter will have the identification number or required info to claim them from a shelter if they should get lost. Listing specific physical characteristics could also help in identifiction such as distinctive markings, missing teeth, scars etc.

I'm so sorry about your dog Roehm. I do understand the considerations everyone has to make on who would be taking care of your pet. Each case is individual, depending if you have cats, or dogs, exotics, or multiples

I used to work at a vet clinic that had boarding facilities, and many animals that came to board had rigorous medical needs, I do not think I would expect a friend to monitor glucose levels in an diabetic animal, so If my pets ever needed such care I would definitely seek professional help

I will be traveling in a couple of weeks and have a friend taking care of the cats, but my cats are strictly indoor, a dog would be a completely different story. I really like the idea of a binder and will start on mine right away. What i did in the past was put post-it notes on the doors that contained special stuff (food, medicine, towels) so that they were easy to find, I might still do that

Marie, I went with a professional pet sitter, but interviewed several before settling on someone I felt comfortable with. I checked references and have never felt more secure when I leave home. The service I get verses having a friend take care of my pets is night and day. I get a daily written log of all activities including eating habits, whether my pets were playful or napping, friendly or aloof during each visit. I look forward to returning home and reading sometimes many pages of my pets exploits while I was away.

Good timing, I'm going out of town Thursday and have asked a neighbor to check in on my kitty twice a day.

One of my aunt's cats died of a heart attack while I was pet-sitting for her. The cat weighed at least 20 pounds, and there was no way I could have prevented it. But still. I felt so bad. Pet sitter's worst nightmare. I had to call my aunt at one in the morning to tell her that the cat had passed away. Eesh...
That said, she's always been good about leaving the necessary information for me when she's out of town. Binders and cheat sheets are really useful when you're faced with a worst case scenario.