How to Handle Emergencies in Your Pet Care Business

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Emergencies in pet care businesses range from a dog going into anaphylactic shock to a power outage during boarding to a pet going missing. How you respond in the first 10 minutes determines the outcome — for the pet, for your liability, and for your reputation.

Types of Emergencies and Your Response Plan

Medical Emergency

1. Remove the dog from the grooming table or playgroup and place in a quiet, safe area
2. Assess: Is the dog conscious? Breathing? Any visible injury?
3. Call the emergency vet if the situation is beyond basic first aid (difficulty breathing, seizure, collapse, suspected toxin ingestion)
4. Call the client immediately — they have the right to know and may have critical medical history you don't
5. Document everything: time of incident, observed symptoms, actions taken
6. Do NOT wait to call the client until you know what's wrong. Call with what you know.

Escaped Dog

1. Alert all staff immediately — do not waste time trying to handle solo
2. Secure all exits. Other dogs should not follow.
3. Deploy search in expanding circles from the point of escape
4. Call the client within 5 minutes — they may know where the dog goes when loose
5. Post on Nextdoor, local Facebook groups, and with any photos you have
6. Contact local animal control to alert them

Power Outage During Boarding

• Know where your backup lighting is and ensure staff can operate it
• Monitor temperature: kennels become dangerous above 85°F or below 50°F quickly
• Have a contact list for clients of currently-boarded dogs
• Know your utility's outage reporting number and your expected restoration window
• For extended outages: have a partner facility or emergency boarding arrangement

Building Your Emergency Contact System

Every client should have:

• Primary contact number (reachable during business hours)
• Emergency contact (different person who can make decisions if primary unavailable)
• Their vet's name, address, and phone number
• Authorization level: "Call me before any treatment" vs. "Do what's needed"

Post-Emergency Documentation

Within 24 hours of any incident:

• Written incident report signed by the involved staff member
• Timeline of events from first observation to resolution
• Outcome and current status of the animal
• Any follow-up commitments made to the client
• Internal review: What caused the incident? What changes prevent recurrence?