Hi fellow sitters: How do you approach the issue of pet-food cost with HO?
I know the HOs are financially responsible for their pets. So far for all the sits I’ve done, the pet food is either abundantly stocked by HO prior to the sit, or when it’s a longer sit, the HO would buy pet food online when I told them it’s running low, and I just need to go to the store to pick up the already paid food. No money exchange needed.
I am interested in a sit, and in the “Responsibility” column it says:
"The dogs eat a raw diet which consists of raw bone-in meats, vegetables, raw eggs, and rice. You would be responsible for keeping those supplies stocked. "
I definitely want to talk to the HO about this and clarify what does this entail . Just hope to get some insights from y’all about what’s the best approach:
Do you prefer HO to leave you some cash that’ll cover the cost?
Or do you pay for it yourself first, keep receipt, and ask for reimbursement? Any tips?
I can’t give any meaningful advice only to say my personal preference has been to give a wide berth to any listings stating raw food. It’s not something we have experience of & I don’t want the extra responsibility of having to be defrosting food or buying more fresh food.
It might be that there isn’t enough fridge and freezer room for fresh meat over a long sit. We had this and had to buy top ups most weeks as big dogs eat a lot of chicken! If so then the HO just leaves you a float to buy the top ups. We’ve done raw food diet sits and are fine with them (our labs in the UK eat a BARF diet so it’s not difficult). You need to be fine with chopping raw meat, weighing meat, dogs eating fast and furious bones and all. It’s not hard it’s just a little “raw” no pun intended. Make sure the HO leaves you a cash float to top up all the raw food. We add tripe and raw veg to the raw chicken so heads up on that. #asksomemorequestions
Depending on the length of the sit, the HO should know how much food the dogs need to last. And just for added measure, the HO should have extra food on hand for the dogs.
Why would the sitter be responsible for keeping food supplies stocked?
I once completed a sit whereby the dog’s meals consisted of cooked chicken, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. The homeowner had all of this made in advance and lasted upon their return home. The only thing I had to do was microwave a few seconds, measure, and serve.
All of the pets’ food should be provided by the HO. Regardless the type of food for the pets, the HO should leave the sitter enough food to last until HO returns home.
The HO is responsible for providing the pets’ food—not the sitter.
We give our dog raw meat for one of his meals. When we have a sitter I portion it out in ziplock bags and freeze them so they don’t have to handle the meat. (The last two sitters have been vegan and have appreciated this.) The sitter just has to take a bag out of the freezer day before. We have some cans of commercial dogfood on hand in case they forget. Our dog isn’t going to keel over if his diet isn’t followed to the letter while we’re gone so we keep it simple for the sitter.
I’ve done sits where the owners have proportioned and frozen the food beforehand (and hats off to them because it’s quite impressive when it’s like weeks and weeks worth of food). There is also usually a clear routine in place of defrost meal x when you serve mealy in this container, put bag used here etc. I appreciate that because I can’t really handle raw meat.
I’ve also been left cash where pets got cooked chicken or some fresh greens (like pet rabbits). Also fine. I’m a bit dubious when I’m told about to give pets leftovers or bits of this or that when I’m making my food as I don’t really cook “meat and two vege style” and don’t produce much food waste so when that happens I may clarify if the pets are expecting that food and if so if the owners will leave some in the fridge.
I think in this day and age (in many places) it’s also easy for owners to arrange a delivery of fresh food while they are away or even before they leave if needed and as long as the owner ensures the sitter is aware and able to receive the new food supply this would also work really well and avoid a scenario where the sitters feeds the wrong thing to the pet eg contrary to popular belief, and every TV show ever made, rabbits don’t actually live on a diet of carrots.
@Silversitters seems to be the member that may have a legitimate answer.
However, THS is simply a platform to join a sitter and HO together…it really isn’t much more. THS won’t get involved if the HO owe you money. And without a written agreement…it is he said/she said anyway.
Do NOT agree to pay for animal food yourself and then ask for reimbursement. The HO is under NO obligation to pay you back. Also, they should have everything stocked or you should simply have a stack of $500…without knowing how long the sit is for or where in world, that may not even be enough anyway! Figure out the daily cost, and require 30% more as a buffer. If they don’t agree to that…don’t sit unless you are fine gifting your own money.
Also, make sure the nearest vet or the normal vet they bring the dogs to, they have a credit card on file. That way, if Fido needs to go to the vet for something simple yet necessary, you aren’t left with a $400 vet bill…with a “promise” to reimburse. Your only real course of action to get paid back is called small claims court.
Just my take! To summarize…never use your own money unless you consider it a “gift,” make sure they have a credit card or line of credit with the vet and if you are uncomfortable with the response…move on!
We had numerous long sits where the home owners prepared and frozen portions of food. Works like a charm.
But of you are to stock, the owners definitely need to leave money for food and petrol.
Our dog eats eggs as a part of her diet. For a six week sit we bought as many eggs as we could (but not filling the whole fridge with them!) and left sitters cash to buy more when it was needed. The place to buy eggs is less than 200m from the house, worked really well.
A friend who has 6 dogs has them on a raw diet (don’t worry - not on THS!). There is absolutely no reason that an HO would and should not order, and pay for, replenishments online. They may even have a standard order. The “responsibility”, as others have mentioned, is in managing the actual food.
If the sit is attractive enough, it’s worth applying for to get more information, but if they are not set up to order and pay for restocking, it’s a huge red flag.
@Rainaire if this sit is of real interest to you then the pet food issue will be an important point to clarify. The HO should provide all the food in advance- in this case frozen -already portioned- would be appropriate. Or at the very least money enough to cover all possible extra purchases. On no account should you use your own money and buy anything in advance - there is no guarantee you’ll get it back & it is not your responsiblility. If the HO does not have a clear plan in place to make your sit experience as stress free as possible then I would strongly suggest you DO NOT apply!
When it comes to pet food costs, it’s always good to have a clear convo with the HO. In your case, I’d definitely clarify with them what they mean by keeping supplies stocked. Personally, I prefer if the HO leaves enough cash to cover costs or has a system in place for online orders. But if you’re cool with paying upfront and getting reimbursed later, just make sure to keep all the receipts.
Seems pretty simple : Discuss with the HO ahead of time how you would like to be re-imbursed for these expenses. Bottom line : Be very clear, get everything in writing and keep receipts (if relevant).
I fed dogs once who had a very similar diet, cooked chicken veg etc. Onde of the dogs was 19 years old so obviously led to a long life. When these meals ran out there was also some mince in the freezer to defrost and then cook with vegetables But whtever food animals are fed it should be provided by the home owner. Food has run out a couple of times and a relative or friend has brought in extra,when it has been packets of solid dog meat etc. I have also been left money if needed, to buy extra’s including fresh veg. for a rabbit. Do at least clarify that the owner will be paying for the food.
@Rainaire has the HO had previous sitters ? If so they likely have a plan in place for payment .
After discussing with them you might suggest that they add this into their listing so sitters don’t have to guess .
Please let the forum know the outcome .
To me, the best thing to do is to ask your Q to the hosts. Then if you’re OK with what they answer, you agree. And if not, then you tell them what would be agreeable to you. And if they don’t agree, then you can factor that into whether you take the sit.
The approach above works for most things involved in sitting. Dealing directly with the host is typically the most straightforward and relevant. I’d suggest doing that first.
We do a regular one one with dogs who have bananas, blueberries, or raw eggs, and there was plenty to last a fortnight, as the bananas are more nutritious for dogs when they are over-ripe, so they last fine for that, and the blueberries and eggs last a while anyway.
However, we did buy a a few extra bananas and blueberries for the HO coming home, so that she didn’t have to rush to the shop, she offered money, but we said no, we didn’t have to buy them, we just did it because we have a great relationship with the HO.
But it’s like anything, if you feel there are questions on your mind, then just ask, the HO won’t mind at all, they just want their pets to be loved.