Hi there lovely sitters; I could do with some advice. Am on this sit until end of November looking after a 16 year old female dachshund with diabetes. In my first week the sugar level was very high so I went and saw the vet who said they have not given you an easy task to look after a chronic diabetic dog! I have to admit when I saw the dog the first time I was shocked as she is just skin and bones, and because she is blind and having a really bad hip she is just shuffling along the floor and bumping her head into walls and furniture. It breaks my heart! The sugar levels are up and down and I can’t seem to get it into normal range.
Now she developed diarrhoea and this morning I even found blood in her stool! The owner just told me don’t worry, that happened before, just do your best! It makes me feel very very uncomfortable and I am super stressed.
Have you had a situation like this before? Did you listen to what the owner advises or did you take a sick pet to the vet anyway? Should I call the TH vet line to get some advise? I get a feeling they don’t want me to go to the vet as she might have advised them before that the best option would be to put the dog to sleep. I just want to make sure I keep her alive for the next two months… This is all so sad…
Thanks for your thoughts,
Alexandra
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I can’t offer you any advice but I will say that I think the HO has flung you in the deep end. In my opinion, a dog in the state you’ve described should be monitored by someone with veterinary medical knowledge. We’ll be looking after a diabetic cat next month and the HO has a friend who’s a vet tech, who will be dropping by periodically to check up on the cat.
I’m glad you’re coming here for support and hopefully someone will be able to give you some advice.
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Firstly this must have all been discussed before the sit was confirm, even when the sit was posted it would have all the details of the dog’s health written about? It is a horrible situation to put a sitter in and their trip must have been of the utmost importance to leave while the dog is on its last days of life.
I would suggest doing some sort of video call with the pet parents and showing them the situation. Pictures are worth a thousand words. They then must realise how desperate the dog is and come home to deal with it. Nothing would stop a true animal lover returning to a dog in such need. If they don’t, your on your own. You have given them the chance to sort out the plight. In that situation I think you must call the vet or visit and takes their advice.
In most circumstances I would always follow the pet parents wishes but this is beyond cruel. Your description is of a seriously ill dog but please give the owners the chance to come back and deal with it first before you take other actions.
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Hello Alexandra, welcome to our community forum, I’m so sorry that you find yourself in this very challenging position which is obviously taking both an emotional and physical toll on you, I’m going to close this topic and pass you over to @Therese from Membership Services.
This is a very complex situation and involves the health and well being of the animal, you as it’s temporary caregiver, the owner and her veterinarian and Membership Services are trained and experienced in dealing with these situations.
I’m sorry that your first visit to the forum has been for this situation and hope that you will be able to enjoy connecting with our community in more positive ways, sharing in better experiences.
Angela & The Team
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