Free printable
Travel and pet sitter checklist for a diabetic dog or cat
Whoever looks after your pet while you are away needs the routine on paper, the supplies to hand and the right phone numbers. Work through this list a week before you go, so there is time to fix anything that is missing.
Use your browser's print option to keep a paper copy for the fridge or the consulting room.
A week before
- Ask your vet to talk you through the plan for your trip, and for a written copy of the routine
- Ask your vet whether a practice run with your sitter would help, and arrange one
- Check you have enough insulin, syringes and test supplies for the whole trip, plus a spare margin
- Book the sitter, kennel or cattery, and confirm they are comfortable with a diabetic pet
- Find a vet near where your pet will be staying, with their out-of-hours number
Pack in one bag
- Insulin, stored the way your vet and the product leaflet say, with a cool bag if you are travelling
- Syringes or pen needles, and a sharps container for used ones
- Your glucose meter, strips and lancets, or sensor supplies
- Your pet’s usual food in the usual amounts, and the treats your vet is happy with
- Bowls, a towel and anything else that keeps the routine familiar
- Your vet’s written instructions and your latest record
Write on the handover sheet
- Feeding times and amounts, and what your pet likes to eat
- Insulin times, and who gives it, exactly as your vet has set them out
- Your mobile number, and a second contact who can be reached if you cannot
- Your own vet’s name, address and number, and the out-of-hours number
- The vet near the stay, if different, and the nearest 24-hour practice
- Which signs your vet has told you to act on, copied from your vet’s own instructions
- Your insurance policy number and permission for the sitter to authorise urgent treatment
Travelling
- Check the rules of the airline, ferry or rail operator for carrying insulin and syringes
- Carry the insulin and supplies with you, not in the hold or the boot
- Take a letter or prescription from your vet that names the medicines you carry
- Plan stops and mealtimes around your pet’s usual routine
- Save the number of a vet at your destination before you set off
When you are back
- Ask your sitter how the routine went and write down anything they noticed
- Add it to your record, and mention it at the next vet visit
Go deeper
Mello is a tracking tool, so your vet is always the one to ask.