Pet Emergency Contacts & Information Card: Printable Template

Start with the basics: your pet’s name, species, breed, sex, age, approximate weight, color/markings, and a recent photo. Then list your regular veterinary clinic name, daytime phone number, after-hours instructions, nearest emergency hospital, and the route or address you would use in a rush.

Next, add medical details that matter in an emergency: current medications with doses, allergies or past drug reactions, chronic conditions, recent surgeries, microchip number, and any special handling notes such as fear, bite risk, mobility limits, or oxygen dependence. If your pet may need temporary boarding or evacuation sheltering, include vaccine information and feeding instructions.

Include at least five contacts: your regular clinic, the nearest 24/7 emergency hospital, a second emergency hospital if available, a trusted local backup caregiver, and a poison resource. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is available 24/7 at 888-426-4435 and notes that a consultation fee may apply. Pet Poison Helpline is also available 24/7 at 855-764-7661 and lists an $89 incident fee.

It also helps to add your local animal shelter or animal control, a nearby boarding facility that accepts medical cases, and one out-of-area friend or family member. ASPCA disaster-preparedness materials recommend keeping emergency caregiver and shelter-related contacts ready before a crisis happens.

Print more than one copy. Keep one on the refrigerator, one in your wallet or glove box, and one attached to your pet’s carrier or travel crate. A digital copy on your phone is useful, but paper still matters during storms, evacuations, dead batteries, or poor cell service.

If a pet sitter, dog walker, family member, or neighbor may ever transport your pet, make sure they know where the card is and that they are authorized to contact your vet. For multi-pet households, create one card per pet so medication and medical history do not get mixed up.

Review the card at least every 6 to 12 months and any time something changes, such as a new medication, a move, a new microchip registry, or a different emergency hospital. ASPCA preparedness guidance recommends checking emergency records and contact information regularly so they stay current.

A good habit is to update the card when you renew prescriptions, schedule annual wellness care, or change pet sitters. If your pet has a chronic illness, ask your vet whether there are any condition-specific instructions that should be added for emergencies.

An emergency card helps most when decisions need to happen fast. Merck lists difficulty breathing, seizures, heavy bleeding, broken bones, extreme lethargy, inability to urinate, blue or white gums, and severe pain among signs that need immediate veterinary attention. Cornell also highlights collapse, toxin ingestion, trauma, and a swollen belly with unproductive retching as reasons to head to emergency care right away.

Call ahead if you can do so safely. VCA advises pet parents to keep the emergency clinic number handy and contact the hospital while in transit when possible, because the team may be able to prepare for arrival and give transport guidance.

Use these headings on your printable card or sheet:

• Pet name
• Species/breed
• Age/date of birth
• Sex/spay-neuter status
• Weight
• Color/markings + recent photo
• Microchip number + registry
• Regular veterinary clinic name/phone
• After-hours instructions
• Primary emergency hospital name/phone/address
• Secondary emergency hospital name/phone/address
• Poison helpline numbers
• Current medications and doses
• Drug/food allergies
• Chronic conditions
• Feeding instructions
• Behavior/handling notes
• Insurance or payment notes if desired
• Primary pet parent contact
• Secondary pet parent contact
• Authorized emergency caregiver
• Preferred boarding or evacuation location
• Consent note authorizing emergency care if you cannot be reached