The first page of a Shih Tzu's emergency plan
A Shih Tzu's emergency contact plan begins with people before paperwork: your own numbers, a backup who lives close and can reach the house quickly, and a second name if the first is away. Beside each contact, write what they hold — a spare key, a copy of this plan, authority to speak to the vet — so nobody in a stressful phone call has to guess what their role is.
Follow with the veterinary details in full: your regular practice and its number, the out-of-hours clinic and its address, and your home address written out for anyone driving the dog there. A Shih Tzu is small enough for one person to carry in a blanket or carrier, so note where the carrier lives and how this dog is usually settled into it, including a familiar-smelling cloth if that helps yours stay calm.
Breathing and heat notes a Shih Tzu plan cannot leave vague
A Shih Tzu's short face shapes the most important watch-outs on the sheet. Heat makes everything worse for the breed, so the plan should forbid midday walks in warm weather and car travel without ventilation. Tell contacts the everyday version too: short, gentle walks, a harness rather than pressure on the neck, water always available, and a cool room as the default resting place. If this Shih Tzu has had eye trouble or breathing episodes before, record what your vet advised at the time in your own words, so a helper follows the practice's guidance instead of well-meant guesswork from the internet.
Face, coat and feeding details a stand-in keeper needs
A Shih Tzu left with a sitter for even a few days needs the grooming routine written down, not demonstrated once and forgotten. Say where the brush, cloths and any vet-supplied eye care are kept. Feeding belongs on the same sheet: the exact food, the measured amount split across the usual number of meals, and a firm note that extra treats quickly add up on a small dog. Add fresh-water habits, toilet routine after meals and naps, and the sleeping arrangement this Shih Tzu expects, because a companion breed that sleeps in a particular spot will fret if a helper unknowingly changes it on the first night.
Who may decide, who pays, and who takes over overnight
An emergency plan for a Shih Tzu should state who may authorise urgent treatment if you cannot be reached, how the clinic will be paid, and that your named person has agreed to this before any crisis. Put it in one or two clear sentences a receptionist can act on. If there are treatments you would always want discussed first when the dog is stable, note that as an instruction to phone the backup, not as a restriction invented in the moment. For a people-centred little dog, a familiar lap at the backup's home often beats an empty house, so record the choice you have actually arranged rather than a generic instruction.
Keeping a small dog's plan current and findable
A Shih Tzu's contact plan drifts out of date quietly: a changed groomer is harmless, but a changed vet number or a backup who has moved away is not. Review the sheet after every vet visit and whenever a named person moves or changes number, replace the printed copies in the house and with each contact, and write the review date on your copy so anyone can see it is fresh.
Holding the plan alongside KinsLe Pet Pass means this Shih Tzu's verified identity and your contact details can be shown instantly to a clinic, sitter or finder, matching the paper sheet to the right small dog without delay.