I’m on a 11 day sit now - 3 dogs (1 is 19/20 years old, a cat, and a macaw). The HOs are on a family cruise and I’ve had no contact since the cruise started on Sunday - text/email/phone all are unanswered probably because the cruise ship has no internet access or the HOs are unwilling to pay the probably exorbitant fees. Two friends to contact but no real help from them.
The old dog is having great trouble standing and getting around, drinks lots of water and isn’t eating, fortunately still has bladder control. HO and I talked about how to contact the crematorium should the dog die. And left vet contacts and that an account is set up.
So I called the vet and set an appt for this morning. An hour, blood and urine tests and $375 later I know I have an old dog whose kidneys are working, doesn’t have an infection and has arthritis. And enough gabepentin to last until the HOs return. And I’m trusting that the HO will reimburse me for the expenses.
So lessons learned (all or some) -
- You need not just assurance that there is an account with the vet but that they will bill - or firm agreement that the HO will reimburse.
- If there is a possibility that an animal may need medical treatment or to be euthanized, then a written document authorizing the sitter (or someone else who can be contacted) to make that or other treatment decisions.
- Other contacts who can make decisions.
Last night I emailed the HO on the next sit and she was very understanding of my request.
After 70+ sits this is the first encounter with a serious problem. I count myself fortunate.
Riley, the old guy
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You are a remarkable human Tom.
Well done 
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Well done for getting him checked out and hoping you do get reimbursed.
Must admit, I’m never sure how some pet owners can go away when their pets get old and quite frail at times.
It’s something we never did or could do but everyone is different I suppose.
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Hi @toml
Well done for taking care of this fantastic old dog.
I learnt a lesson last year during a sit when one of the rescue cats I was looking after kept having fits. I took the cat to the vets but they wanted 2500 euros upfront to do scans. I didn’t have a payment card to cover such so a standoff happened which got sorted after phone calls and stress by the owner giving a card over the phone to the vets.
I now ask what the situation is in an emergency to cover fees on my initial chat with the HO.
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The HO indicated that there was an account with the vet but the vet practice was recently sold to one of the vet care corps and they now require payment on treatment.
And as noted the HO is on a cruise without internet or phone access. I’m hopeful that I’ll get my money back but to be honest, expect that it is time for the dog. But at least he’ll be around for their return, I hope.
As noted, I’m communicating in advance for all future sits and will have HOs sign-off to reimburse for reasonable expenses.
The last time I owned an animaI and was responsible for vet expenses was 1997 so was kind of surprised at how much a vet visit and labs cost - given that my health insurance pays for all labs, almost all meds, and the maximum I pay is $40 for an office visit. But in the US vet school costs as much as med school and lab tests cost is the same for a human or an animal.
Thanks for all of your thoughts.
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Hi @toml
Thanks for your post - you make some really good points. It sounds as though you had to make a particularly tough decision about whether to involve a vet, as you weren’t able to make contact with the home owners. I would have been concerned that if they weren’t willing to pay the probably exorbitant fees to connect to the internet whilst on their cruise ship, whether they would be willing to reimburse the definitely exorbitant vet fees upon their return.
You made the right call for an elderly dog. But is anyone from THS able to explain why the default position is that it’s the sitter’s responsibility to pay up front for vet fees during a sit? It puts the sitter in a position where their ability to make the right decision for an animal may well be influenced by the concern that they could end up out of pocket and unable to do anything about it.
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@Becca This has been discussed in depth on another thread
https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/sitter-has-to-pay-veterinary-expenses-up-front
Many forum members were concerned about this clause including some of the forum admins - it was escalated to the Head of Member Services
where it was considered for 2 months -In the end the response was
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Thanks @Silversitters Will have a look at that thread and see if it sheds any light on the thinking behind the decision to put the financial responsibility on the sitter…
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Interesting timing of this post because yesterday I was updating my Welcome Guide and decided to put explicitly that if there are any health concerns at all, that going to the vet would be expected and all costs would be reimbursed on our return. I also have pet insurance, and made that clear too. Perhaps because I had a tragic loss of my dog last year I feel more paranoid about it, but as I was writing the new Welcome Guide (had to delete all the stuff about my other dogs behaviour and routine, it was heartbreaking) I thought i’d rather cover the costs of a vet bill than come home to a sick pet.
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@PepsAndPrince is it at all possible to arrange payment directly with your vet? For some sitters, having to pay vet bills upfront and waiting for reimbursement until after your return would be too much to ask. Although many might have, not everyone has the means for this. It would be much preferred (and appreciated) if you could leave your payment details/card details at the vet, in case they should need to bill you when you’re away.
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This isnt how it works at the vet in switzerland, and I think that me thinking ahead and letting them know that they will 100% be reimbursed is better than them not knowing if they will or not in an emergency situation.
Edited to meet posting Guidelines.
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@PepsAndPrince
Is this directed at me? It’s very rude at a comment meant to assist, not attack.
There are even fewer sitters that will be happy to shell out Swiss francs for a vet visit. Can you leave an ‘emergency’ envelope with cash? But only tell the sitters about it if there’s an emergency.
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@PepsAndPrince in your situation in Switzerland- one of the most expensive countries- I would not rely on the sitter paying Vet Bills upfront. As a sitter myself I personally would not agree to that arrangement.
I would not sit for you unless emergancy payments were covered somehow- either by a friend or family member/emergancy contact or a card/cash left for the purpose.
I strongly disagree with the THS policy dictating sitters should pay Vet bills upfront if necessary. I believe the onus for payment to be entirely on the owner to organise. A sitter should never be out of pocket (however temporarily) in service of a sit- especially for large payments.
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FYI - What some HO’s have done for me is leave virtual credit card details (attached to their credit card) or have left a credit card with pin details in a sealed envelope.
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Surely a prepaid card would be useful to leave for a sitter to use in an emergency. I certainly wouldn’t be ‘hoping’ for reimbursement on a ‘promise’. Sounds blunt but it’s for the HO to find a solution not the sitter.
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@toml
Aww what a super old timer. It is sad that you found yourself in this position and I do hope you are reimbursed.
You list some great points that we should all consider.
It isn’t something I always ask but I am definitely going to from now on.
cheers Tom.
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How is it rude on a post that says “please let sitters know you’ll reimburse them” and I say “ok I actually implanted that, I let my sitters know I’ll reimburse them” and then you say “you can’t do that! You have to pay them up front!” Which is it- reimburse? Or not?
One post says HOs should reimburse, and now you’re saying I should leave cash. Which is it? Because sitters here seem to think HOs have bad intentions. If a sitter applied for my sit and then was surprised by the cost of things in Switzerland I’d say please don’t come. Literally we can not win, the complaining from sitters that have been posted here lately has been unbelievable- and I have implemented many things that have been suggested (such as being clear in my post, and pre sending the welcome guide) and none of it is good enough. If you don’t like how expensive Switzerland is, please don’t apply for Swiss sits. Simple, problem sorted.
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Of course a HO should reimburse a sitter if they pay the HOs vet bills (as in the case of the OP) but it’s much better if the HO can provide some sort of prepayment. Unless a HO credit-checks their sitters (I am definitely not suggesting this 
) how can they know the sitter has the funds available to pay for expensive vetinary treatment? If the HO can find a way to ensure that they have already covered this, it’s better for both HO and sitter, and of course for the pet.
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