Background, Companions and Colony Notes
Start with how your prairie dog was obtained, estimated age, sex, and the names and details of any companions, because social structure is central to this species. Record introductions, bonding, squabbles, separations, and which animals share sleeping and feeding areas. A prairie dog that loses a companion may eat less and call more, and that context, written at the time, keeps grief from being misread as a mystery illness — or an illness from being dismissed as grief.
Add enclosure records: burrow boxes or digging substrate depth, tunnels, chew items, and how the space is arranged. Prairie dogs are built to dig, so note whether digging behaviour is vigorous, reduced, or redirected at cage bars, since a change there often tracks with stress, season, or discomfort.
The Hay-Based Diet Record
Log the grass hay offered and actually eaten, the fresh grasses and vegetables given, and any richer foods in honest amounts. Prairie dogs do best on a high-fibre, hay-centred diet, and weight gain in this species creeps in through extras, so the treat column should be specific rather than occasional blanks. Weigh on a regular schedule and record body condition by feel alongside the number.
Note droppings and appetite daily in brief terms during any change, and record seasonal patterns across the year — many prairie dogs show a rhythm of appetite, energy and temperament tied to the seasons, including a more defensive breeding-season period sometimes called rut. A dated yearly record lets you recognise your own animal's normal cycle instead of worrying afresh each time it returns.
Teeth, Breathing and Movement Checks
Because the incisors and cheek teeth grow throughout life, keep a dental line: hay refused or eaten slowly, food dropped, drooling, a wet chin, chewing at an angle, or weight loss while still attempting to eat. Any of those earns a vet visit with an exotic-animal clinician, and the dated entries show how quickly the change developed.
Record breathing sounds, sneezing, eye or nose discharge, and activity level. Note limping, reluctance to dig, difficulty climbing to a lookout spot, or tooth grinding and hunched posture — prairie dogs are stoic prey animals, and reduced burrowing or lookout behaviour may be the loudest signal they give. Breathing difficulty, refusal of food, or collapse is an emergency.
Specialist Vet File and Sitter Briefing
Prairie dogs need a vet experienced with exotic species, so record that clinic's details, travel time, and out-of-hours arrangements at the front of the file — finding a suitable vet mid-emergency is the wrong time to search. File every visit with findings, dental comments, advice and recheck dates, and keep any permits or acquisition paperwork your area requires alongside, stored with the health record rather than in a separate drawer.
Brief sitters in writing: feeding is hay-first, handling expectations should be modest during rut, and appetite or breathing changes get reported the same day. Held in KinsLe through its Pet Passport, your prairie dog's diet log, seasonal diary and dental history reach a specialist as one organised file, however far you have to travel to see them.