Pet medication handoff note for a sitter or family member

This note is a snapshot for whoever gives the next dose, not a new set of instructions. Copy the medication name and the instructions from the current label or the clinic schedule. The FDA’s page on medication errors says to follow the label and keep each medication in its labeled container.¹ Don’t change a dose unless the vet tells you to, including to “catch up” after a missed dose.

The note names the pet, the time you handed over, what was recorded as given and by whom, the next time on the current schedule, the supply left, anything uncertain, and the clinic or pharmacy number.

The FDA’s medication error page says not to give one animal’s medication to another unless the vet says it is OK.¹ It also says to store pet medication apart from human medication, and out of reach of pets, because flavored chewable tablets are the kind pets go looking for. ISMP Canada also says to keep pet and human medication in separate places.³ Write a separate note for each pet, with the pet’s name at the top.

Example notes for Pepper. The medication and the times below are an example of the note, not instructions for another pet.

Paste this into a shared note, print it, or leave it with the current schedule. Replace it when the instructions change, so an old note is not used by mistake.

PET:
Other pets in the house:
HANDOFF DATE AND TIME:
FROM / TO:

CURRENT INSTRUCTIONS
Medication:
Instructions copied from label or clinic schedule:
Food or storage note:

RECORDED
Given or not given:
Time:
Recorded by:
Relevant observation:

NEXT
Next scheduled time from current instructions:
Supply remaining:
Anything uncertain:
Clinic or pharmacy contact:

Read the last recorded time and the next scheduled time together. If a dose was missed, spit out, or vomited, write what you know and ask the vet before doing anything else about it. If a dose may have been given twice, call the vet right away, as the FDA advises for any extra dose.² The mark for each dose belongs on the printable medication log. This note is only the handoff.