Built for fast patient identification
Large patient details and a prominent code-status box help the hospital team identify the correct animal and immediately see whether CPR or DNR is recorded.
Free veterinary printable
Free Veterinary Hospital Cage Card Generator
Create a clear, printable veterinary cage card for a dog or cat in hospital. Add patient identification, CPR or DNR status, behaviour, isolation precautions, diet, NPO instructions and essential nursing alerts, then print it for the cage, kennel, ward, ICU or isolation area.
Cage card only: no medication chart, IV fluids, CRI, monitoring grid or 24-hour treatment chart.
Quick answer
Free printable veterinary cage card template
This free veterinary hospital cage card generator creates an A5 or A4 patient identification card for dogs and cats. It places the patient name, hospital location, CPR or DNR status, behaviour, isolation precautions, diet, NPO instructions and essential nursing alerts into one clear cage-side layout. Complete the form, review the live preview and select Print cage card. No registration or download is required.
Hospital safety alerts
Show aggressive or anxious behaviour, infectious disease, barrier nursing, cytotoxic handling, immunocompromise, seizure watch, special diet and NPO instructions.
Print-ready A5 and A4 layouts
Use A5 landscape for a compact veterinary cage card, or choose A4 portrait or landscape when more room is needed for hospital instructions.
What should a veterinary hospital cage card include?
A veterinary cage card, sometimes called a kennel card or hospital patient identification card, should make the patient unmistakable before a team member opens the cage. It should support rapid communication, but it must not replace the full clinical record or treatment sheet.
- Patient identification: name, patient number, client number, species, sex, age and current body weight.
- Hospital information: date, day of stay, clinic, ward or cage location and veterinarian in charge.
- Code status: a clearly confirmed CPR or DNR instruction.
- Handling and infection control: behaviour, barrier nursing, infectious status, cytotoxic precautions and immunocompromise.
- Immediate nursing alerts: seizure watch, special diet, NPO instructions and essential cage-side notes.
- Reason for hospitalisation: a concise presenting problem or working diagnosis so the card has clinical context.
How to create and print a veterinary cage card
- 1Enter the patient and hospital details. Add the patient name and number, body weight, species, location and veterinarian in charge.
- 2Confirm code status and behaviour. Select CPR or DNR and record calm, anxious or aggressive handling requirements.
- 3Add safety and nursing alerts. Mark infectious, barrier nursing, cytotoxic, seizure-watch, special-diet and other relevant warnings.
- 4Write only essential cage-side instructions. Add the reason for hospitalisation, diet, NPO order and notes the team must see immediately.
- 5Review the live preview and print. Confirm the identity and every warning, choose A5 or A4 and print a fresh card for the patient.
Veterinary cage card versus hospital treatment sheet
This cage-card generator includes
- Patient and hospital identification
- CPR or DNR status
- Behaviour and handling precautions
- Isolation and nursing warnings
- Diet, NPO and essential cage notes
Use a treatment sheet for
- Medication doses and administration times
- IV fluids and additives
- CRI and oxygen orders
- Monitoring values and nursing tasks
- Full 24-hour hospital charting
Body weight and resting energy requirement on the card
Enter body weight in kilograms or pounds and the generator displays both units. It also calculates resting energy requirement as RER = 70 × body weight in kg0.75 kcal/day. The RER line is optional and can be hidden from the printed veterinary cage card when it is not relevant.
Frequently asked questions
What should a veterinary hospital cage card include?
A veterinary cage card should clearly show the patient name and number, species, sex, age, current body weight, hospital location, veterinarian in charge, CPR or DNR status, reason for hospitalisation, behaviour, isolation or handling precautions, diet, NPO instructions and essential cage-side notes.
Can I print this as an A5 veterinary cage card?
Yes. A5 landscape is the default cage-card layout. The generator also supports A4 portrait and A4 landscape when a larger veterinary patient identification card is needed.
Does this cage card include a medication or treatment chart?
No. This tool is deliberately limited to patient identification, safety warnings and essential hospital instructions. It does not include medication, IV fluid, CRI, observation or 24-hour treatment-chart sections.
Can this cage card generator be used for both dogs and cats?
Yes. Select dog or cat, enter the body weight in kilograms or pounds and add the patient-specific hospital information. The printed card uses the same clear layout for canine and feline in-patients.
What does NPO mean on a veterinary cage card?
NPO means nil per os, or nothing by mouth. Enter the exact start time, end time and whether water is allowed. Any NPO instruction entered in this generator appears as a prominent red warning on the printed card.
What do CPR and DNR mean on a veterinary cage card?
CPR means cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be attempted if the patient arrests. DNR means do not resuscitate. The selected code status is displayed in a large high-contrast box, and the card cannot be finalised until CPR or DNR is selected.
How often should a veterinary cage card be updated?
Replace or update the cage card whenever the patient location, body weight, code status, behaviour, isolation precautions, diet, NPO order or essential nursing instructions change. The card should always match the current clinical record.
For veterinary professional use only. Confirm the patient identity, current weight, code status and every warning before attaching this card to a cage. Update or replace the card immediately whenever the patient's status, location, diet, isolation requirements or NPO instructions change.