I keep an emergency medical card in my wallet in case I get incapacitated. Originally I just followed a template I found somewhere. Now that I'm updating for the new year, I am thinking of making a few changes, and I could use your feedback.


1. Sometimes I leave my dog in the car while I shop or run errands, but never for more than 20 minutes, and with the AC running during the summer. I want to add a line that says something like: "Please save my friendly dog [insert dog name & description]. My dog may be locked in my car. Please check [insert car make & model & license plate number]. My car key should be on me." My questions are:

Is this information sufficient to get the help I need?

How likely is the EMT or the responding personnel to help my dog?

What if my dog weren't in the car? Would that cause confusion if they come to my car intending to save a dog, only to find no dog?

2. I'm deleting some information from the original template. They include:
The address of my emergency contacts. (I don't see how they'd use this info. Surely these days they'd just call instead of making a visit in person?)
Certain kinds of vaccine info. I don't think emergency physicians will care about my flu vaccine.

FYI, I don't wear a medical bracelet. I don't have any medical condition that could incapacitate me. So I'm thinking of accident situations (e.g., something falls on my head while I'm mailing something at the post office, and now I'm knocked out while my dog is waiting for me in the car).

Tough call. I wonder what the laws are regarding looking through your wallet -- can paramedics do this? Police only? Will this be a priority for them? Will anyone see it before the hospital?

Maybe a sticky on your driver's license would be more likely to be noticed. "If incapacitated please check dog ..."

An offbeat thought -- if your dog is in the car and you go into a store, can you set a timer alarm on your phone that will flash "emergency, check dog in car license xxx-xxx?"