Medical histories now can be included in a pet’s collar — saving time, and maybe lives

A medical-information packet finding favor among motorists and motorcyclists is now going to the dogs.

A Central Point company called Rescue Facts, which unveiled a medical-information packet for seat belts this spring, now is marketing a similar fact-sheet fastener that can fit onto dog and cat collars.

The soft-mesh strap contains a pouch for a 4-inch-square card on which owners can list medical information about their pets.

"It goes beyond the dog tag, beyond the license," says Brian Day, one of the company co-owners. "It’s the equivalent of a medical bracelet."

The emergency information includes medical conditions, allergies, medications taken by the animal and a consent for veterinarians to treat the animal for any injuries.

Other information includes name and information about the dog, the owners and the primary veterinarian.

There is even a small space for a photo.

Rescue Facts has contracted with a Los Angeles manufacturer to build the nylon straps, which they call Best Friend Care.

The first 1,500 are expected to be available for sale in four weeks, Day says.

They will sell for $8.49 over the Internet at the company’s Web site, www.rescuefacts.com. However, Day expects to sell them for $5.99 through local veterinarians and pet stores.

The medical-information card is drawing interest within the veterinary field.

"I like the idea of the consent to treat," says Kay Boydston, practice manager at the Siskiyou Veterinary Hospital in Medford.

"Every week one of the veterinarians will see a dog or cat with no identification and no way of getting hold of the owners," Boydston says. "It’s really terrible when we have an animal but don’t have authorization to treat."

The dog collars are the latest of a string of emergency-information systems developed by Day, a Central Point police officer, and partner John Mulry, a former emergency medical technician.

The original Rescue Facts strap fits onto a car safety belt so responders to motor vehicle accidents can have immediate access to patient information.

Rescue Facts then developed a similar but smaller card and holder to fit comfortably on the straps of motorcycle helmets.

Then one of Day’s friends saw it and asked for one for her dog, Day says.

Day searched pet Web sites and realized there are more than 300 types of illnesses and afflictions that affect dogs, so he anticipated a market for the pet-centered rescue cards.