A pet evacuation record

A pet evacuation record gives another trusted person the information needed to identify your animal, follow the usual care routine, carry the right supplies, and call the right people. Make one record for each pet. Keep a readable paper copy with the animal's supplies and a secure digital copy for the named caregiver and backup caregiver. The record supports care during separation, but it does not replace veterinary instructions or the current directions of emergency officials.

Start with one record for one animal

Use a separate record for every animal, even when two pets live together. A shared page can make it unclear which food, medication, carrier, or contact belongs to which pet. Put the date of the current version at the top and write the animal's name on every page.

The record is for a caregiver who may be tired, rushed, or unfamiliar with your home. Use plain labels, readable type, and the same names that appear on the food containers, medication labels, veterinary records, and identification tags. If an animal has needs that do not fit a short note, attach the relevant veterinary instruction or tell the caregiver where the current document is kept.

The pet supplies without a duplicate closet Note can help you connect this record to the food, water, sanitation supplies, carrier, and replacement dates you already keep. The record should tell someone what is available and how to find it, not ask that person to guess from a crowded storage area.

Build the identification block

Begin with details that let a caregiver or animal professional tell one animal from another. Include:

• The animal's name, species, breed or type, sex, color, approximate weight, and distinguishing marks.
• A current photo of the animal and a current photo of the animal with you.
• Collar, identification tag, and rabies tag details, including the dates or numbers printed on them.
• The microchip number and the registry's contact information.
• Ownership or adoption records, or a note showing where those records are stored securely.
• Your name and the names of the primary caregiver and backup caregiver.

The CDC pet disaster preparedness kit guidance recommends keeping copies of veterinary records, rabies and vaccination information, a medical summary, prescriptions, ownership or adoption records, a description, recent photos, microchip information, and current contact information in a waterproof container. The CDC chemical-emergency guidance for pets also recommends keeping current photos and keeping collar, identification tag, and rabies tag information current. You can review the household contact sheet when the same people, phone numbers, and meeting information belong in more than one household plan.

Do not treat a microchip as a complete identification plan. A chip number helps only when the number is correct and the registry information can be used. Confirm the number and update the registry contact information before relying on it. Keep the visible collar and tags current as well, and write down what a caregiver should do if a tag is lost.

If the pet has a name that could be confused with another animal's name, add a clear call name and a description of how the animal responds. Avoid adding private details that a temporary caregiver does not need. A working copy may need a caregiver's phone number, but it does not need account passwords or a full household history.

Add a care block a caregiver can follow

The care block should describe the animal's ordinary routine without turning the caregiver into a diagnostician. Record the normal food, the amount and schedule directed for your animal, foods to avoid, water routine, and any sanitation needs. The appropriate quantity depends on the animal's normal intake, species, health, storage conditions, and the time the household expects to be away. CDC lists a two-week supply of food, water, and applicable medications as a preparedness item, but that is a planning reference, not a universal amount for every animal or evacuation.

List every medication on its own line. Include the drug name, the prescribed dose, the frequency, the reason the veterinary team has given you if it helps identify the medication, the prescribing veterinary contact, and the pharmacy contact. The American Veterinary Medical Association disaster guide also recommends recording each animal's diet, including foods to avoid, and listing each medication with its name, dose, frequency, and contact information. Copy the current label rather than relying on memory. Add storage conditions, expiration or refill information, and the date on which you last confirmed the instructions.

Separate three kinds of information in the care block:

1. What you have directed for the animal's ordinary routine.
2. What the veterinarian has prescribed or instructed.
3. Who may authorize a change when the ordinary routine is not possible.

This distinction matters when the caregiver sees a symptom, the animal refuses food, a supply is missing, or a trip takes longer than expected. A temporary caregiver should not diagnose illness, change a dose, double a missed dose, give a new treatment, or use a sedative because the record is incomplete. Write the veterinarian's preferred contact method and the emergency clinic or other appropriate contact, then ask the veterinary team to clarify any condition the record does not explain.

Keep the care block specific without giving species-specific treatment that has not been written for this animal. For a bird, reptile, fish, small mammal, or other animal whose care has different food, habitat, temperature, or transport needs, ask the veterinarian and the receiving shelter, boarding facility, or caregiver which records and supplies are required. Do not copy a dog or cat routine onto another species.

Prepare the transport and evacuation block

The transport block answers practical questions before a caregiver has to leave: What carries the animal? Where are the supplies? Who can help? What information travels with the pet?

Record the carrier or transport equipment location, the contact label used on it, and the caregiver's route to the supplies. CDC recommends an appropriately sized carrier labeled with contact information and practice so the pet can travel and sleep in it. Keep the carrier, leash, collar with identification, harness when used in the animal's normal routine, non-spill bowl, food, water, medications, sanitation supplies, and records together when space allows. The Note about pet supplies without a duplicate closet has more planning help for keeping these items reachable without maintaining a second full household.

The carrier must fit the animal and the documented care plan. Do not invent a restraint method for an unfamiliar species or ask a caregiver to test a new one during an evacuation. If the animal has a known handling limit or a behavior that affects transport, state it plainly and describe the established plan. Ask the veterinarian or receiving facility about anything the record does not cover.

Write down the pet-friendly lodging or receiving location you have identified, an out-of-area friend or relative, and an alternate route when those details are part of your household plan. Locations, route conditions, and admission rules can change. The record does not override a current evacuation order, shelter instruction, police direction, fire direction, or other emergency-management instruction. During an active event, the caregiver should follow the current direction of the responsible officials and contact the listed receiving facility before traveling when that is possible.

Keep a short departure check beside this block: take the animal, carrier, food, water, medication, records, tags, and contact list; check the date on the record; and tell the backup caregiver who has the current copy. A dated checklist is useful because it shows which version the caregiver received without asking anyone to remember an informal conversation.

List veterinary, emergency, and caregiver contacts

Contacts are easier to use when each one has a clear purpose. Record the regular veterinary clinic, prescribing veterinarian, pharmacy, emergency veterinary option, microchip registry, named caregiver, backup caregiver, receiving shelter or boarding facility, out-of-area contact, and the local or regional emergency-information contact that belongs in your household plan.

For each contact, include the name, role, phone number, alternate method when available, and the question that person can answer. A caregiver should be able to tell the difference between a medication question for the veterinary team, an identification question for the registry, and a location question for a shelter or emergency authority.

Ask the veterinarian to clarify when the caregiver should call the regular clinic, when to use an emergency veterinary service, and who may authorize care. Authorization and disclosure limits depend on the caregiver arrangement and jurisdiction. Confirm those limits with the veterinarian and responsible caregiver before departure, and record only the information each person needs.

Make consent and privacy choices clear

The record may contain medical information, account information, a home address, and contact details for people who are helping. Put the minimum necessary information in the working copy. Keep fuller veterinary records and sensitive account details in a secure place, and give access to the named caregiver and backup caregiver rather than posting the record publicly.

Write a short consent section in ordinary language. It can state who may transport the animal, who may speak with the veterinarian, who may approve routine decisions, and what the caregiver must do when a decision falls outside the written instructions. If the caregiver has permission to share a record with a shelter or boarding facility, state that permission and its limits. If the permission has an end date or applies only during a named trip, include that condition.

Do not put passwords in the record. Instead, state where a secure digital file or account can be accessed and who is allowed to use it. Check that the caregiver can open the file before an emergency, but do not send private records to a group chat or public folder. A waterproof paper copy should remain usable if a phone, battery, or network is unavailable.

Keep ordinary pets and service animals distinct

Service animals have separate access rules and planning needs. Do not assume that a pet policy, carrier instruction, or shelter arrangement applies to a service animal. Record the handler's contact information, the animal's routine and equipment, and the questions that must be confirmed with the receiving facility or emergency authority. The service animals and emergency planning Guide addresses those different access and legal boundaries.

An ordinary pet record should still be specific about the animal's care and identification. A service-animal plan should not erase the handler's role or turn a working animal into a generic pet entry. When an access question is unresolved, ask the responsible facility or authority before departure and keep the answer with the current plan.

Know what to do when the record no longer fits

The record is useful because it makes the normal plan visible. It is also important to state what happens when the situation is not normal.

If the animal shows a symptom, the caregiver should use the veterinary contact and emergency instructions recorded for that animal. The caregiver should not diagnose, start a treatment, or change a prescribed dose from the record alone. If the veterinarian cannot be reached and the animal may need urgent help, use the appropriate emergency veterinary service.

If a dose is missed, do not guess, double the next dose, or change the schedule. Contact the prescribing veterinary team or pharmacy for direction, and record the instruction received. A medication line should make it easy to read the prescribed dose and frequency, but it should not pretend to answer a question that belongs to the veterinary team.

If the pet is lost, use the current photo, description, tag details, and microchip number. Contact the registry listed in the record and the animal services, shelter, or other responsible local contact that fits the area. Tell the caregiver where the ownership or adoption record is kept, and do not publish the home address or other private information in a public lost-pet post.

If officials issue an evacuation order or change a shelter instruction, follow that current direction. The record travels with the animal, but it does not decide whether a household should stay, leave, or use a particular route. The caregiver should confirm receiving arrangements and report any change in location to the named contacts.

Set a short update routine

Give the primary caregiver a dated copy and a backup copy to the person who may step in. Read the record with them once. Ask the veterinarian to clarify any medication, diet, behavior, or condition that another person might misunderstand. If the receiving shelter, boarding facility, or caregiver has species-specific requirements, add those requirements only after confirming them.

Review the record when the pet's food, medication, veterinarian, tag, microchip registration, photo, carrier, caregiver, lodging plan, or route changes. Check expiration and refill dates, replace an outdated photo, and confirm that the digital copy opens. If space is limited, keep the record short and put supporting documents in a clearly labeled secure location. The goal is a current, readable handoff, not a thick packet that no one can use.

The pet care handoff note can serve as the shorter caregiver-facing companion to this fuller record. Keep the two documents dated together so a caregiver can tell which instructions are current.

Frequently asked questions

Read the record as if you were the backup caregiver. You should be able to identify the animal, find the supplies, follow the documented routine, carry the records, and call the right person without guessing. Update it when the household plan changes, and keep veterinary instructions and current emergency directions ahead of any older note.

Glossary