What to include in pet sitter instructions

Handing your pet off to a sitter means trusting someone else to know what you know — the feeding quirks, the medications, the things that look fine but aren't, the contact to call if something feels off. No vet app covers this. It's owner knowledge, and it lives with you. This guide covers what to include so handoffs are clear, calm, and reusable every time.

This is owner territory

Vet apps are built around the clinic relationship: appointments, prescriptions, reminders to come in. They're useful for what they do. But a sitter handoff has nothing to do with a clinic. It's about the texture of daily life with your pet — the routines, the preferences, the things only you know because you live with them.

That knowledge doesn't belong in a vet portal. It belongs in a care profile you control, can update whenever something changes, and can share with a sitter, a family member, a dog walker, or a boarding facility in seconds.

Why reusable instructions matter

The first time you write sitter instructions, it takes effort. The second time, you're copying and updating. By the third time, you have a living document that reflects your pet as they are right now — not as they were two years ago when you last updated a Google Doc.

Instructions written once and maintained over time are more accurate, more complete, and much less stressful to share than something thrown together the morning of a trip.

Basic pet profile

Start with the fundamentals a sitter needs to know before anything else:

Name — what you actually call them, not just their registered name.
Age and breed — or mix, if known.
Weight — relevant for medication dosing and for anyone who needs to lift or restrain them.
A recent photo — useful if your pet gets out, and helpful for a sitter who hasn't met them yet.

Feeding schedule and treat rules

Be specific. "Twice a day" isn't enough — include how much, what brand or type, and whether your pet tends to eat immediately or graze. If there are foods or treats they react to, list them clearly. If the sitter will be around other dogs or children who might share food, mention that too.

If your pet is on a prescription diet, note that it isn't optional — some pets have conditions that make dietary deviations genuinely harmful.

Medication instructions

Use the instructions as written by your veterinarian. Don't paraphrase, approximate, or summarize from memory — transcribe them accurately, including the medication name, the dose, the timing, and any special handling (with food, crushed, in a pill pocket, etc.).

Include what to do if a dose is missed, and whether there are any visible side effects the sitter should watch for and report. Your vet is the right person to answer questions about medication — make sure the sitter knows how to reach them.

Walk, litter, potty, and daily routine details

Pets are creatures of routine, and disrupting it — even slightly — can cause stress or accidents. Be honest about what your pet actually needs versus what the ideal would be. If your dog needs a walk every four hours or things go badly, say so. If your cat uses two litter boxes and ignores a third, mention it.

Include timing, duration, and any location specifics — the route your dog prefers, the spot in the yard they use, whether they need to be leashed immediately or can be trusted off-leash in a fenced area.

Behavior, comfort, and safety notes

This is where honest detail pays off most. Things worth including:

How your pet does with strangers, other dogs, children, and loud noises.
Known triggers — things that reliably cause anxiety, aggression, or hiding.
Comfort objects — a specific toy, blanket, or spot they retreat to when stressed.
Escape tendencies — does your dog bolt if a door opens? Does your cat hide for 48 hours with a new person?
Anything that looks alarming but is normal — a snore, a twitch, a lump that's already been evaluated.

A sitter who knows what's normal for your pet is far better equipped to notice when something isn't.

Emergency contacts and preferred vet

Include at least two people the sitter can reach if you're unavailable: someone who knows your pet and is empowered to make decisions on your behalf. Make sure these contacts know they're listed and are reachable during the hours your pet will be in someone else's care.

Include your veterinarian's name, clinic, and phone number. If there's an after-hours emergency clinic you'd want used, list that too — including the address. A sitter in a crisis shouldn't have to search.

Relevant records and documents

Some sitters, and most professional boarding situations, will want to know your pet's vaccination status. Having records accessible — not buried in an email thread — means you can share them in seconds rather than spending twenty minutes forwarding attachments the night before you leave.

Organizing your pet's medical records in one place makes this kind of handoff much faster, every time.

What not to leave vague

Vague instructions create anxious sitters and guessing games. The things most often left too vague:

"Feed as needed" — how much? How often? What if they don't eat?
"He's friendly" — with everyone? With other dogs? With kids? Off-leash?
"She takes a pill in the morning" — which pill? What dose? With food?
"Call me if anything seems off" — what counts as off? What's the threshold for a vet visit versus a reassuring text?

Specificity is a kindness to the sitter and a protection for your pet.

How Willow helps

Willow is built for the parts of pet care that have nothing to do with booking appointments. Care profiles live in your account — yours to update, yours to share, yours to take with you when you switch vets, move cities, or find a new sitter. When it's time for a handoff, you share what the sitter actually needs: feeding details, medication instructions, behavior notes, emergency contacts, and relevant records, all in one place.

No clinic controls it. No portal locks it away. It's just your pet's information, organized the way you need it.