A week is long enough for a missed tablet, an unnoticed appetite change, or a minor injury to matter, and a sitter can only act on information actually in their hands. The medical handover below is what vets and experienced sitters wish every owner left behind, written for your specific dog rather than copied from a template.
Conditions and Current Treatment
Start with diagnosed conditions in plain language: heart disease, epilepsy, diabetes, kidney problems, arthritis, allergies, a sensitive stomach, or anything else under management, and note which conditions are stable and which ones the vet is actively monitoring. Then list every medication in a simple table the sitter cannot misread: the medication's name, the amount your veterinarian has prescribed, the times of day it is given, how it goes in, whether with food, hidden in a treat, or given directly, and what to do if a dose is refused or vomited up shortly after. Leave medications in their original labelled containers, count out enough for the week plus a small spare margin, and do a practice run with the sitter before you leave if the dog takes tablets reluctantly or uses an inhaler, eye drops, or ear medication. Mention supplements and flea or worming treatments too, with the date the next one falls due if it lands during your trip.
Allergies, Vaccinations, and Baseline Normals
Write down known allergies and sensitivities, including foods, medications, and insect stings, and exactly what a reaction has looked like in the past. Confirm vaccination status and parasite prevention dates, because a sitter who needs a vet visit will be asked. Then describe your dog's normal in a few lines: how much it eats and drinks, typical toilet habits, normal energy across the day, and any quirks such as limping slightly after long naps or skipping breakfast when routines change. Baseline notes are what turn a sitter's vague worry into an early, useful phone call, because the sitter can say what is different rather than just that something seems off.
Contacts and Emergency Consent
Leave your veterinarian's name, clinic address, and phone number, plus the nearest out-of-hours emergency clinic and its address, since your usual practice may be closed when something happens. Add your own mobile number, a backup contact who knows the dog, and microchip details. Most important and most often forgotten: written, signed consent authorising the sitter to approve emergency treatment, with a sentence about how costs will be covered or reimbursed, because clinics may need an owner's authorisation and a payment route before doing more than stabilising a dog. Tell your vet's clinic you will be away and who is caring for the dog, so a sitter's call is expected rather than questioned.
Red Flags to Give the Sitter in Writing
Name the signs that mean call the vet the same day rather than waiting for your return: refusing food for more than a day, repeated vomiting or diarrhoea, difficulty breathing, collapse, a seizure, straining to urinate, sudden lameness, or any major behaviour change. A sitter told plainly that you would always rather receive a call acts faster than one afraid of bothering your holiday.
Sharing this packet through KinsLe Care Pass gives your sitter scoped, temporary access to the medical details for exactly the days you are away, so nothing is left on a loose sheet of paper.