When you’re going on vacation and leaving your four legged pet behind, it’s extremely important that you prepare ahead of time and make sure that your pet sitter has everything they need. This includes your cell phone number, your veterinary phone number and a list of all medications a number of your pets are on. In an emergency situation this can be the difference between life and death. Review the list that you need to check off before you take off.
- Get your pet a checkup before you leave. If something seems wrong with your pet, don’t ignore it. It may turn into an emergency in your absence. Do your best to confirm that your pet is in good health before you leave town.
- ID Make sure all your pets have identification tags on their collars. Even if your pet is micro chipped having a tag can get your pet home especially if it is after hours at the vet’s office.
- Provide contact information to your pet sitter. For your sitter of a neighbor in case you have a situation while you’re out local to make decisions in your absence, and put it in writing. Provide your sitter with the names and phone numbers of at least one local contact who can help in an emergency. This can be a local relative, a trusted neighbor, or a close friend.
- Make your wishes known. Pick a pet sitter you trust. Talk to your pet sitter about how you want veterinary emergencies handled. You can always leave your credit card number on file at your veterinary office along with a signed note allowing them to be authorized in case of a medical emergency.
- Payment: Make sure that you and your pet sitter have discussed payment arrangements and have agreed to all terms, preferably in writing. Be sure to settle on the per-day or per-visit fee, amount to be paid in advance (if any), terms for final payment, etc.
- House Rules: Whether or not your sitter will be living at your home while you are away, let him or her know what your expectations are regarding use of your home and your appliances, food, and so on. Also set terms for visitation by the sitter’s friends.
- Feeding: Provide feeding instructions for each pet, including who, when, where, what, and how; for example: What are your preferred feeding times? Where the food should be placed? Very important with our dogs. They will not eat if their bowls are not in the right place. You want to keep their routines as normal as possible. What food should be given to each pet? What should the sitter do if multiple pets compete for food? Should the sitter wait around until the food is gone and then clean up the dishes immediately, or should the food be left out unattended for the evening or overnight?
- Medication. If a pet is on medication, leave complete instructions for administering the medication; for example: Where is the medication stored? At what time(s) each day is the medication given? What is the dosage? How is the medication administered? If possible, demonstrate the process to your new sitter during your initial visit, and, if possible, have the sitter administer the medication in your presence at least once before you leave.
- Exercise: Provide detailed instructions for exercising your pets. How often should your dog(s) be walked? How should the sitter clean up after the dogs?
- Snack Time. Be sure to let your Pet sitter know the amount of snacks your pet is allowed. When the family is away pets can take advantage of the sitters to get what they want. Extra snacks can lead to upset stomachs and other medical problems. Stick to your dog’s routine. If you’re not staying at the home stick around until pet finish their snacks. This is especially true if you give them rawhides. Rawhides can get lodged in throat or get stuck in the pet’s teeth and cause major problems. Better to be safe than sorry.
One thing that makes pets so great is that they have unconditional love for the family they live with. However, when their family is away their absence can cause stress. That stress can dramatically exacerbate pre-existing medical conditions–conditions that may have been present, undetected, for months before the family vacation. Therefore, seemingly healthy pets may become sick when their loved ones are away. Pet sitting is a labor of love. Take the steps listed above and be kind to your pet sitter after all their doing the best they can.