Checklist template

Kennel and ward care for veterinary hospitals

A ready-to-use checklist with 115 items in 6 sections, covering Cage condition, Feeding and water, Treatments, Identification, Monitoring, Records. Use it as-is in InspectLoop, or adapt it to your own standards in minutes.

  • 6 Sections
  • 115 Items
  • 100 Yes / No checks
  • 6 Scored ratings
  • 130 Points

Use this template How audits work

1. Cage condition 25 items

  1. Every occupied cage is free of urine, feces and vomit Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Bedding in every occupied cage is dry Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Each patient can stand, turn around and lie stretched out in its cage Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The latch holds on every cage door tested Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Cage surfaces are free of rust, cracks and sharp edges Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Empty cages are disinfected, dry and marked as ready Yes / No 1 pt
  7. A cage is emptied completely and disinfected for the label contact time before the next patient Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Cats are housed out of sight of dogs, in a separate ward or behind covered cage fronts Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Each cat cage has a hiding box or a towel covering part of the door Yes / No 1 pt
  10. The litter box is placed away from the food and water bowls Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Litter boxes are scooped at least twice a day Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Dogs able to walk are taken to the relief area at the intervals ordered on the treatment sheet Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Run floors drain fully, with no standing water Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Ward temperature is between 65°F and 80°F (18°C and 27°C) Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Ward temperature at the time of the visit (°F or °C) Number
  16. No smell of ammonia is noticeable in the ward Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Patients unable to stand lie on padded bedding Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Patients unable to stand are turned every 4 hours, with each turn recorded Yes / No 1 pt
  19. No heat lamp or electric heating pad is used inside a cage Yes / No 1 pt
  20. Fluid pumps are mounted outside the cage, out of the patient's reach Yes / No 1 pt
  21. Fluid lines run to the patient free of tangles and kinks Yes / No 1 pt
  22. The isolation room has its own gowns, gloves, thermometer and stethoscope Yes / No 1 pt
  23. Isolation patients are treated after all other patients, or by an assigned employee Yes / No 1 pt
  24. No patient is kept in a carrier or tied in the treatment area for lack of a cage Yes / No 1 pt
  25. Condition of the occupied cages Rating
    • All clean, dry and secure 5 pts
    • One or two cages soiled or wet 3 pts
    • Several patients lying in soiled cages 1 pt

2. Feeding and water 20 items

  1. The diet, amount and feeding times are written on each patient's treatment sheet Yes / No 1 pt
  2. A fasting sign is displayed on the cage of every patient held without food Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Cages marked as fasting contain no food Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Every patient not on water restriction has fresh water in an upright bowl Yes / No 1 pt
  5. The amount eaten is recorded at each feeding (all, half, none) Yes / No 1 pt
  6. A patient that has not eaten for 24 hours has been reported to the veterinarian, as shown in the record Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The therapeutic diet ordered is the one in the bowl for 3 patients sampled Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Food supplied by owners is labeled with the patient's name Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Opened cans are covered and marked with the date opened Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Opened cans are discarded after the number of days set by hospital policy Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Dry food is kept in sealed bins labeled with the diet name and the expiry date Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Bowls are washed and disinfected between patients Yes / No 1 pt
  13. No chipped or cracked bowl is in use Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Uneaten wet food is removed within the time set by hospital policy Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Feeding tube meals are recorded with the volume fed and the flush volume Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Diabetic patients are fed at the times tied to their insulin, as recorded on the treatment sheet Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Patient food is prepared away from the sink used for soiled bowls and litter boxes Yes / No 1 pt
  18. The patient food refrigerator is at 41°F (5°C) or below Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Patient food refrigerator temperature (°F or °C) Number
  20. Feeding and water for the patients in hospital Rating
    • Fed as ordered and recorded 5 pts
    • Fed but intake not recorded 3 pts
    • Orders missed or fasting patients fed 1 pt

3. Treatments 20 items

  1. Every hospitalized patient has a treatment sheet for today listing each treatment with its due time Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Treatments are initialed with the time given, when they are given Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Treatment sheets sampled Number
  4. Treatments found more than one hour overdue without a note Number
  5. Each medication order gives the drug, the dose in mg and in mL, the route and the frequency Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Syringes drawn up in advance are labeled with the patient's name and the drug Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The fluid rate on the treatment sheet matches the pump setting for each patient on fluids Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Fluid bags are labeled with the patient's name, any additives and the time hung Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The date an intravenous catheter was placed is written on its bandage Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Catheter sites are checked for swelling and redness at least twice a day, with the check recorded Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Bandages are dry and have not slipped, with the toes visible where the limb is wrapped Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Patients ordered to wear a cone collar are wearing it Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Pain is scored with the hospital's pain scale at the frequency ordered Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The technician on duty can name the veterinarian responsible for each patient Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Verbal changes to orders are written on the treatment sheet and countersigned by the veterinarian Yes / No 1 pt
  16. A second employee checks doses of insulin, chemotherapy and potassium additives before they are given Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Insulin syringes match the concentration of the insulin in use (U-40 or U-100) Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Urine collection bags are closed systems hung below the level of the patient Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Owners are told in writing when no employee stays in the hospital overnight Yes / No 1 pt
  20. Timeliness of treatments on the sheets sampled Rating
    • All given on time 5 pts
    • A few late with notes 3 pts
    • Missed or unsigned treatments 1 pt

4. Identification 19 items

  1. Patients in hospital at the time of the visit Number
  2. Patients found without an identification neckband Number
  3. Every hospitalized patient wears a neckband with its name and the owner's last name Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Every occupied cage has a cage card Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Cage cards give the species, breed, sex, color and weight of the patient Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The cage card matches the neckband for each patient sampled Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Alerts (will bite, escape risk, drug allergy, seizures, diabetic, contagious) are shown on the cage card with the hospital's color code Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The owner's resuscitation decision is recorded for each hospitalized patient Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Patients with the same or similar names carry a name alert on their cage cards Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Pets from one household housed together are identified individually Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Belongings are bagged and labeled with the patient's name Yes / No 1 pt
  12. The patient's identity is checked against the treatment sheet before each medication, as observed Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Samples taken from inpatients are labeled at the cage side Yes / No 1 pt
  14. No cage card is left on an empty cage Yes / No 1 pt
  15. The cage card moves with the patient when it changes cage Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Stray animals are scanned for a microchip and given a temporary identification on admission Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Deceased patients are tagged with the patient name, owner name, date and aftercare choice before going into the freezer Yes / No 1 pt
  18. The freezer log records each body placed and each pick-up signed by the cremation service Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Patient identification in the ward Rating
    • Every patient and cage identified and matching 5 pts
    • Minor gaps on cage cards 3 pts
    • Patients without identification or with mismatched cards 1 pt

5. Monitoring 16 items

  1. Temperature, pulse and respiration are recorded at least twice a day or as ordered Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The record of each critical patient states the readings at which the veterinarian must be called Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Urination, defecation and vomiting are recorded each shift Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Patients on intravenous fluids are weighed daily Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Surgical incisions are checked for bleeding and swelling each shift Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Patients recovering from anesthesia are housed in the cages nearest the staff station Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Rounds are held at the cage side at each shift change with a written handover Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Oxygen concentration and temperature inside the oxygen cage are recorded at the frequency ordered Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Patients at risk of seizures are in padded cages within view of staff Yes / No 1 pt
  10. No patient goes unobserved for longer than the interval set by hospital policy during opening hours Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Overnight checks are recorded with their times where the hospital is staffed at night Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Ward employees asked can say where the crash cart is and how to call for help Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Blood glucose readings are recorded at the times ordered Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Abnormal findings are reported to the veterinarian, with the time of the report noted Yes / No 1 pt
  15. The owner of each inpatient is updated at least once a day, with the call noted in the record Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Monitoring of inpatients Rating
    • Done and recorded as ordered 5 pts
    • Done but records incomplete 3 pts
    • Checks missed 1 pt

6. Records 15 items

  1. Completed treatment sheets are filed or scanned into the patient record at discharge Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The veterinarian writes a progress note each day for each inpatient Yes / No 1 pt
  3. A signed admission consent is on file for each inpatient Yes / No 1 pt
  4. A revised estimate is approved by the owner before costs exceed the first estimate Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Written discharge instructions cover medications, diet, activity and the recheck date Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The intravenous catheter is removed before discharge and its removal is checked off Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Belongings are checked off against the list when the patient goes home Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The ward census board matches the patients actually in the cages Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The ward cleaning log is initialed for each day of the last week Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Escapes, injuries and medication errors in the ward are written up as incident reports Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Ward incident reports filed in the last 3 months Number
  12. Infections acquired in hospital are recorded in a log Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Name of the technician in charge of the ward Short text
  14. Overall inpatient care Rating
    • Every patient clean, identified and treated as ordered 5 pts
    • Care given with gaps in records or timing 3 pts
    • Missed treatments or patients in poor condition 1 pt
  15. Corrective actions required in the ward Comments

About this template

This checklist is part of the InspectLoop template library. Yes / No checks score 1 point when met; ratings score the points shown for each option. The overall score is the percentage of points earned, with N/A answers excluded. In InspectLoop you can add photos, assign corrective actions, require sign-off and compare results across sites.

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