Feeding instructions for pets

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

We’re currently on our 5th sit. Most sits have been really good, but this one has been a little challenging:

1. The house is not well-kept and things have broken down…not due to us, but due to owner neglect. For example, we turned a door handle and it just came apart. A coffee machine just stopped working the 2nd day we were here. There is a leak in a bathroom vent that has now spread to the ceiling.

2. There are cameras on inside and outside the home.

  1. But the most concerning one is that we were instructed to only feed their 2 big dogs once a day. However, one is clearly emaciated and both are constantly hungry. Would appreciate knowing if others have experienced these kinds of issues and how you handled them.
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The indoor cameras must be disabled for a THS sit . Speak to the hosts about this , if they refuse to disable them you can choose to leave the sit . You must first give them 24 hours notice and also inform THS . The outdoor cameras are permitted but should also have been disclosed in the listing ( check the amenities list )

THS have an urgent support phone line 24/7 number which is on your dashboard.

https://support.trustedhousesitters.com/hc/en-gb/articles/4419467716241-Camera-Recording-Devices-Policy

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‘Imaciated dog’ and ‘owner neglect’ of their own home… very strong words for a Friday morning.

Internal cameras are totally out of order with THS inside the home, if the internal are turned on, just unplug them, but also message the owners about how they aren’t allowed and/or chat to THS.

However, if you are in the UK, are you sure they are cameras and not just simply old sensors, as that comes up A LOT on the forum, sensors are totally fine (just google alarm sensor for images), they only activate if the alarm gets set, and a lot in the UK are old and from decades ago and non-functional anymore, so those are not a reason for concern.

Food - you’ve missed out one ESSENTIAL detail, is the quantity of food they are fed the correct amount for their size/weight. A lot of dogs are always hungry, they’ll vacuum anything up, and some dogs (not many nowadays) are fed just once per day for certain reasons, given one of the dogs appears ‘imaciated’ it may be that they got that dog from an animal rescue place and the dog was used to being fed just once per day, so they may have kept it’s feeding habits the same, but there are loads of reasons non-rescue associated too. It’s the quantity of food that I’d be checking, that will either give you cause for concern or not.

House - owner neglect??? It’s their home, not a holiday let, maintenance things like you mentioned do happen occasionally.
Bathroom vent - Has water been coming in non-stop from it when it rains if so, let the owners know. Or might it have just have been down to the exact way the wind was blowing on that occasion. Our front door has that problem, once every three years the wind will blow in a direction that is not normal, and water comes under it.

Coffee machine - things break, coffee machines have a life span, it happens. It wouldn’t be a concern for us.

Door handle - The owners may have already known it wasn’t in great condition, but because it’s their home they’ve probably just kept on repairing it when it ‘goes’. It’s just something for the owners need to fix when they return, unless you fancy fixing it yourselves. It wouldn’t be a concern for us unless it was a main door into the property.

So without knowing if the quantity of food is correct for the dogs, from what you’ve said (unless there’s more things) the only thing we’d really be concerned about is the cameras, if they are actually cameras and not just sensors.

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Their pets, their rules about food and exercise.

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5

It’s not ok if the animals are being neglected or abused.

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As someone else has pointed out there may be many reasons for their feeding regime. If in doubt ask the owners.

Someone who is wilfully neglecting their animals are not (in my humble opinion) going to the expense of paying THS fees, finding a carer and leaving them in charge of neglected animals.

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How long is the sit for?

This is definitely a case of speaking to the owners.

as @ElsieDownie says - ask about their feeding regime

Tell them about the leak, take a photo and Whatsapp it to them. What would they like you to do about it? If its just a short sitting then hopefully they will say wait till they return

If its a long sit they may want it investigated

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We’ve done several sits where the dogs (and also some with cats ) where they are only fed once a day . Many of these have had the specific diet ( food and measurement ) prescribed by the vet . So the once a day feeding in itself wouldn’t concern me .

The dog looking “emaciated” may have an underlying health problem or it could be age related . Are the dogs registered with a vet ? Do they look the same as the photos on the listing ? Or has there been a lot of weight loss compared to the photos on the listing ? Did the hosts tell you about any health problems with their pets ?

If the dogs look very different from the photos in the listing them you could ask the hosts about it and ask if they have noted the weight loss ? Ask if they have taken the dog to the vet about it ?

The packaging of the food will usually say what the typical daily measurement of food is suitable for the dog ( depending on size ) if the manufacturer’s recommended portion size is way more than what you have been asked to feed them , then you could check with the hosts about-just checking the amount of food we should give xx as he seems hungry all the time .

Talk to your hosts about your concerns .

There is also the THS vet that you can call for advice .

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I would google the breed or size of the dog and see how much food they recommend the dog should be eating. I would call an animal rescue place and tell them you are pet sitting and tell them you have concerns and see if they will chat with you about it. Maybe take a picture of the dog and see what they think. This would also concern me. Thank you for caring.

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Is it possible to get a weight on the dog? My vet wouldn’t charge anything for a drop-in weight check. The vet would have access to the previous weight records. Then you would know what you are dealing with. The weight could be stable for all you know.

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@Tricia7777
#1 - take photos and advise PP asap. longer you wait, greater probability of blame.
#2 - re THS terms, external cameras are ok but internal cameras are not. recommend disconnect any ‘internal cameras and recording devices’ (THS does not define) from power supply - we have done this multiple times.
#3 - this is more complicated. as others have recommended, talk to pet parent. there could be numerous underlying reasons - from innocent mistake in WG (happens) to misrepresented exercise (seen many times) to PP putting pet on surprise diet during housesit (we’ve faced latter multiple times, ugh). housesitters are not medical professionals. significant calorie deficits have impact. note observation, express concern and seek PP guidance. if unresolved, contact THS MS via support@trustedhousesitters.com or via app/website.

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Agree with others on the cameras - disable/cover them up.

For the dogs, feeding once a day is quite normal and ok. Severe underfeeding is not ok. I would take some photos but also speak to the pet parents. “xx is eating well but looks a little underweight. Has he seen a vet lately or is this his normal weight/appearance"?”

Many dogs look underweight but are actually at a good weight - we are just used to seeing obese dogs. If you google “dog body condition score” it will help guide you with images to determine if he is ok or malnourished. Basically, looking from the top of the dog you should see a defined abdomen. From the side, you should see a nice abdomal tuck. A slight showing of ribs is ok (very slight) but if you can see all the ribs clearly - then you may need to report to the local animal welfare authorities on completion of your sit.

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Here is a link to the body condition score: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Body-Condition-Score-Dog.pdf

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Do you really think that’s good advice? I don’t

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Re: Water in the vent / ceiling - as HO I’d want to know about this asap! We had a heat pump installed in our attic last year and twice had leaks when using it. The water came through the hole for the exhaust fan in our bedroom ceiling despite being totally unrelated to the fan. It could have been a huge mess but we caught it early. I suggest you tell them, or call their emergency contact if you don’t want to bother them.

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Don’t know whether my reply went?

I think @Seniorsitter has given very good advice.

This post makes me feel quite uncomfortable because amongst other concerns the sitter has a genuine concern for the pet they’re looking after. Their concern maybe warranted or not we don’t know but I’m surprised by the lack of support for them.

Though there is some very good advice from some.

Are we pet sitters first or people who care for the pets we look after?

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17

I would send the Home Owner three polite, neutral, factual messages with images to record my findings.

Message 1. About the dogs
I just wanted to check in about the dogs’ feeding. You mentioned feeding them once a day, but I’ve noticed they both seem quite hungry, and one appears rather thin. I just want to make sure I’m following your instructions correctly. Could you please confirm if once a day is still what you’d like, or if I should adjust their meals? Thanks for clarifying, I want to make sure they’re well cared for while you’re away.

Message 2. About the cameras
I also wanted to check about the cameras inside the house. TrustedHousesitters’ policy is that indoor cameras should be turned off during a sit unless both sides have agreed otherwise. Could you please confirm whether they can be switched off while we’re here. It’s just to make sure we’re comfortable and everything stays within the guidelines.

Message 3. About the house condition
I just wanted to update you on a few things we’ve noticed around the house. A couple of items seem to have given out during our stay. The door handle came loose when we turned it, and the coffee machine stopped working on the second day. There’s also a leak around the bathroom vent that looks like it’s starting to spread a bit on the ceiling. None of this seems to have been caused by us, but I wanted to keep you informed in case you’d like us to take any steps or contact someone about it. Please let me know how you’d like to proceed.

These message do three things:
• documents what happened (so you can’t be held responsible later),
• shows that you’re conscientious,
• and invites the owner to respond constructively.

Good luck with your sit. :+1:t2:

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18

Thank you Gina. I am an animal empath and can’t handle to see an animal not treated correctly. I care more about the pet than the stars I get. I appreciate you saying this out loud.

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19

@Seniorsitter me too & so right to speak out…:heart:

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