It sounds like the owner knew they’d bought the food as they promised to reimburse them.
In future you might like to ask the home owner to leave some cash for emergencies, such as buying pet food, treats etc. I’ve had money left without my asking, and usually not having to use it. If I have, I’ve kept receipts and left any change.
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Happened to me once, they actually asked me to buy food for the chickens and birds and said they would reimburse me, but never did. I did say that in my review!
During another sit, the dog AND cat food ran out and the owner ordered new food online. They then said that dogs and cats could share the same food. It was a chaotic sit in many ways.
I am currently on a dog sit and there is plenty of food for the pooch, but not enough poop bags. Thankfully you can get free ones outside in some good spots 
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I only had one experience running out and the HOs were prepared and had some delivered. On a recent sit, the dog didn’t want to eat its food without an additive. I went out and got beef broth and a can of cheap food. I just gave it a tsp (this was a 75 pound dog) with beef broth with extra dry food in the morning and it ate it all. wouldn’t touch the dry food at night. Two week sit. Told HOs I was getting the beef broth and they offered to venmo, but I declined. It was less than $4 US for all of it and the dog ate. I don’t want to be on a sit where the dog doesn’t eat. And they were parents of a one year old and I think a bit out of it. The beds had clean sheets but the top sheets were sideways when I got there. I always ask about extra food. One question that is on my list.
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This was in a remote area where there is absolutely no delivery services, unfortunately.
Ah, even more reason for them to make sure they leave enough food for their pets. So sorry that happened to you!
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I’m sorry this happened to you!
I checked with the team and they confirmed that part of the Member Code of Conduct is creating a comprehensive and accurate listing, but also reimbursing the sitter for any vet fees and costs concerning pet care.
I wasn’t able to locate your Trusted Housesitters account details, but if you send me the email you signed up to the main website with via DM (click on my name and then click the green message button) then I can pass along your details to the team so they can get in touch.
Jenny 
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Funny, I am on a sit right now and before leaving the HO showed me approximately a five year supply of food! And that’s my experience for almost all sits so far. —the HOs leaving far more pet food than could possibly be needed. I think this is what the good ones do.
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I agree!
Ours was just a weird situation. We gave the pet owner a day’s notice but they took two days to respond and by that time we had bought food.
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Thanks Jenny! I’ll reach out.
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I like that idea!
Promised but never did and provided no Venmo info.
I just let it go.
There were a lot of things wrong with this sit including misrepresentation of the house, amenities, and responsibilities.
I did notify a day in advance, but didn’t receive a response for two days. By that time we had bought food.
You do the right thing by having more than enough!!
Thank you for bringing up the topic. It is good advice for the rest of us. Check early if there’s enough pet supplies. If not, notify the host and ask the host to supply it (the sooner, the better).
The host can have it delivered, either by a service or for instance by a neighobr, friend or the emergency contact. If they can’t have it delivered, one can offer to buy after they have sent you the funds.
Or one can ask the emergency contact to provide it.
No reason to pay out of pocket. For longer sits it is quite reasonable to bring it up before the sit, and say that the host must ensure that there’s enough food and/ or leave an emergency fund.
For my dog I buy in large bags, I guess I can have up to 6 months worth of kibble at a time, without using any sitters.
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I housesit on a regular basis for one family and the pet food frequently runs out during the sit. They always repay me or arrange for food to be delivered. They’re lovely people and treat me really, really well - they’re just forgetful. It’s not ideal, but I wouldn’t mention it in a review as I wouldn’t want to deter people from applying due to one small, occasional problem.
So is it ‘frequent’ or ‘occasional’?
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Agree. If it has happened several times, it is just nice to say
«you might want to check the pet food and make sure it is enough before the sit, to ensure a stress-free holiday».
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We also do not take sits where the HO does not have a card on file at their vet. I will not pay medical bills for an animal that does not belong to me. If the HO cares so little for their pet that they don’t have this set up, then why would I care more than they do? We recently had a sit with an epileptic dog. The dogs medication had recently been changed to a higher dose. They had no info in the Welcome Guide about an account at the vet so I prompted them about that and they set up a credit card with their veterinarian.
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My thoughts exactly. One pet parent had in their welcome guide that they would reimburse me if the dog needed vet care. I told them I am declining as I only sit for those that have a card on file with the Vet. She then did that and I had her change that in her welcome guide before I accepted.
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As others have said: ask the owner to order online. I will NOT go and buy any petfoot myself.
I was on a 1 month long sit this winter. Pet food started to run low so I contacted the owners, who had food ordered and delivered to the apartment within a few days.
This way there’s no need to ask for reimbursement
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