General tips, not vet advice. If a pet is in danger, call your vet or an emergency vet now. If a person is hurt or in danger, call 911.
Have all of this before the puppies arrive. Don’t wait until 2am when something goes wrong. Print each document below, fill in what you can, and keep them where you can grab them.
Emergency Kit Checklist
The full supply list — the must-haves and the nice-to-haves — so nothing is missing at 2am.
Daily Puppy Checklist
Run through this once a day — morning is best.
Contact & Rescue Info
Emergency vet, rescue coordinator, backup contact, poison control — fill these in before the puppies arrive so you’re not searching at 2am.
When to Call Your Rescue
For anything in the “Needs Vet” column, call your rescue's foster contact today. They decide on the vet and usually cover the cost. Emergency signs can't wait: call your vet or an emergency vet now. If a person is hurt, call 911. Then call your rescue's foster contact. When you're not sure, call your rescue's foster contact or your vet. If it might be an emergency, call the vet first.
When in doubt, text your rescue coordinator a photo or video. A 10-second video of a breathing pattern, a limp, or a wobble tells them more than a paragraph of description ever could.