It’s eleven p.m. the night before the flight and you’re scribbling notes on the back of a takeout menu. Feed her at six, the small scoop, the orange bag, not the green one. The walk has to be the long way because the short way goes past the dog she has feelings about. Don’t leave the bedroom door open or she’ll find the air vent. The vet’s name is — wait, what’s the new vet’s name?

Every pet owner has done this version of the dance. The handoff conversation that should take ten minutes ends up taking forty, and you still leave the next morning convinced you forgot the most important thing. The fix isn’t a longer note. It’s the right note, written once, kept current, ready to hand to anyone.

The non-negotiable list

Every sitter, every time, regardless of how well they know your pet:

  • Your pet’s name, age, weight, and breed. The vet will ask if anything happens. The boarding place will ask if there’s a transfer.
  • Your contact info, plus a backup person. A second human who can make decisions if you don’t answer. Make sure that human knows they’re the backup.
  • Your vet’s name, address, and phone. And the nearest emergency vet, which is almost certainly not the same place. Look it up before you leave; the sitter shouldn’t have to Google during a crisis.
  • All current medications, with dose and timing. Names matter. “The little white one” is not enough.
  • Allergies and known reactions. Including the food sensitivity, the household cleaner that triggers a rash, and any drug they had a reaction to last time.
  • Microchip number and registry. If they get out and someone scans them, the registry has to be current. Confirm it before the trip.

This is the version that goes on the fridge. Print it, photograph it, text it — whatever the sitter actually carries. Multiple formats are fine. The point is that the information exists in their hand without them having to text you in another time zone.

“This is just how she likes it”

The second list is the one that turns a survival shift into actual care. It’s also the list most owners don’t write down because it feels obvious to them.

The walk route. The food bowl that has to be the ceramic one. The fact that thunderstorms mean closet, not crate. The exact phrase that brings her back when she gets distracted at the door. The treat she’s allowed and the treat she’ll insist on but isn’t allowed. The spot she sleeps when she’s feeling left out, so the sitter knows not to worry when she disappears for an hour.

Write these down even if they feel small. They are why you trust this sitter with this animal.

The handoff conversation

Twenty minutes, in person if possible. Walk through the food. Show where the leash lives. Open the medication container. Point at the litter box or the back door. Let the sitter ask their own questions. Most of what you forgot will surface in the gaps between your sentences.

Then trust them. They’re here because you decided they could be trusted. The texts during the trip should be the calm kind.

How PetBase helps

The medical records, the contacts, the medications, the allergies — they all live in the pet’s profile, ready to share. Every pet has a QR pet card you can text or print: scan it, the sitter sees the emergency essentials in their own browser, no account needed on their end. Add the household members who help and they see the same updated record you do, so the next handoff doesn’t start from a takeout menu. The medical data stays encrypted on your device — we never read it.

For the rest — the “this is just how she likes it” list — we leave a notes field on every pet profile. Type it once. Update when habits change. Send the link.

Read what to do before your pet goes missing next — the prep that pairs with this one.

Care isn’t about being the only person who knows. It’s about making sure the next person can know too.