This was previously discussed on this thread and a response was given by the forum team.
I am more than happy to ask again and pass this feedback on, however just to manage expectations the outcome may be the same that the forum team doesn’t have any more information as the platform T&Cs are not part of our department. We try hard to get answers for forum members, but at times we are limited if we don’t have those exact answers from other teams.
You can also reach out to Membership Services and post a summary of what they say here.
I will ask again and any new insights I will make sure that I post here. Thank you!
Thank you for your question@PepsAndPrince
before accepting a sit we do ask all the HOs what arrangements they have made for paying vet bills should their pet require emergency veterinary treatment during the sit . If the answer is that they expect us to pay vet bills upfront and be reimbursed after the sit finished - we would not agree to the sit . We have 15 completed sits and have 6 more confirmed we have had this conversation with every homeowner. None of them expect us to pay the vet bills upfront, all have arrangements in place either an account set up with the vet or a local emergency contact ( usually a family member ) who would pay .
We have learned from the forum that it’s not uncommon for emergency vet visits to be required during a sit and also that bills can be thousands
@toml Like others here, I’m gobsmacked the HO’s would leave their dog knowing he was at a point he might pass. Also a bit stunned that they don’t have a walking support sling for him; he’s big and with arthritis, clearly having trouble standing on his own. That said, this sweet elderly dog is really fortunate you are the one looking after him.
I will contact member services. In the meantime, think I will adopt @Silversitters approach, and only take on sits where home owners have arrangements in place for covering any unexpected vet bills - seems the safest option.
I was able to talk with the HO last night and he is really concerned. We are hoping that maybe the dog’s condition is caused in part because of missing his people. This is the first time in many years that he has been left - the HOs usually take all 3 dogs and the cat in their campervan. And the HO reassured me that I’d be reimbursed. @Watson Riley is a big mutt. Weighs about 80 lbs so challenging to move around when he can’t stand. But he is on a big rug that I can move around. @Becca I think the HO expected me to be able to bill but the vet was recently bought by one of the vet med companies and the pay on service is a new policy.
I am glad its been successful for you and everyone else that has asked all these questions, its strange that none of the multiple sitters I have interviewed have asked me any thing even remotely about vet bills - and my next sit is with a very seasoned sitter who didn’t ask me any questions about vet bills, and also has the Welcome Guide and hasn’t died from shock at the mention of reimbursement. Each to their own I guess!
Ultimately I am glad that OP has been promised reimbursement, which I always assumed would happen, unlike the many here who had a gloomy outlook assuming he wouldn’t be reimbursed.
Perhaps look at this from another angle as a HO mitigating risks. There’s a risk that if you’re relying on a sitter to pay at the point of treatment and they either can’t or won’t…. this ultimately puts your pets at risk. As a sitter I would definitely not pay- but I would use your emergency contacts in your Welcome Guide and perhaps they’d pay for your pets’ treatment. Perhaps it’s worth making that arrangement with your friends/contacts.
First of all, kudos to you for the wonderful care you’re giving that sweet ol’ Riley. He’ll be forever grateful…
That being said, regardless of TH’s expectations, as a HO I have always made arrangements with our vet that
if necessary, any eventual medical bills will be paid when we return home. Our sitters are not expected to cover vet bills out of pocket. Not everyone can financially afford it. The welcome guide has the name and number of our vet, whose office is walking distance from our home. ( We live in Venice, Italy so there are no cars). He also makes house calls.
We are also always reachable via whatsapp even when on a cruise. Any emergency can arise where we might need to help sitter and intervene. I have had to contact an electrician and the central heating maintenence once to resolved an unexpected problem. (It was winter here in northern Italy!).
I also leave a bottle of wine and a Christmas gift. There is plenty of food in the pantry that the sitter is welcome to use. Anything fresh that might go bad in the fridge, we encourage them to use freely or toss out if not to their liking.
We have had wonderful sitters for our two month sits. Only once were we not satisfied but for different reasons.
I think it’s just a matter of using common sense and respect by both parties. The sitters are taking care of our fur babies, our pets and they should feel comfortable doing so!
@Val_Sco I shall keep an eye out for your sits - you seem a great HO. I grew up in New Orleans, went to LSU in 1969 and haven’t lived there since. Been back to visit my parents pre-Katrina but they left then so only trips back have been for meetings, 50th HS reunion and to scatter our parents’ ashes in the Lagoon in City Park in 2021.
take care
tom
I explain to my pet parents up front during the initial video chat (including my cat sit in Genève)that I do not provide financial assistance to cover their pet related expenses - food, medical etc.
@RoamingSolo don’t even think about having to budget for this. Despite what THS says, about sitters paying upfront and asking for reimbursement, I strongly disagree with this directive (which is anyway not enforcable). I would never to that. The HO is entirely responsible for the Vet bills, in whatever way they choose to manage it.
Thank you. OP, for this post. We have done 11 sits and had no idea sitters are expected to cover vet bills and ask for reimbursement. That’s crazy!!
Fortunately so far, we’ve never had to take a pet to the vet, but from now on we will make sure to confirm that the HO has left a card on file with the vet’s office to pay any charges. It’s customary in the US that payment is due at the time of service and there is absolutely no way we would take a sit where we are expected to pay for veterinary care up front.
Good for the OP for taking great care of this poor elderly dog. Not good that THS has this policy and thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will make absolutely sure in the future that HO’s have made payment arrangements directly with their vet.
To me, it’s crazy for someone to not arrange payment for their pet’s emergency care ahead of time, because what if the sitter doesn’t pay or can’t pay? Would you want your pet left without treatment, for instance? I would never do that to my dog.
Although we are fairly new sitters this has always been a concern so for us on our initial discussions with HOs we ask them to confirm the following will be in place: prior to the sit starting:
advise their regular vet clinic that we are sitting from x-x dates and that we have permission to request necessary emergency treatment on their behalf;
have agreement with their vet that they will be billed for any necessary emergency costs OR if billing/pay on return is not possible (something our regular vet will allow) then,
that they will leave either cash or card in a sealed envelope hidden somewhere in the house (location/pin access info left with the emergency contact) OR left with the emergency contact to give to us if needed.
We would never see any animal not get the necessary emergency treatment however our finances wouldn’t stretch to costly ‘up front treatment’ without guarantee of reimbursement and don’t believe a HO should expect that either. The HO needs to be responsible and have ‘just in case’ arrangements in place before the sit starts.
I sat for two weeks over last Christmas/New Year, in England. The HOs were on a cruise, and out of contact, but always made contact when onshore for excursions etc. They had left me vet details, and were clear that if anything was needed they would settle it with the vet on return. I’ve always had vet details and arrangements left with me, and wouldn’t accept a sit that didn’t. One of the dogs became unwell - off her food, didn’t want a walk, listless, bleary eyed - and I was concerned about finding an emergency vet at Christmas. But 36 hours later, when the HOs made contact again, she was better. I told them about it. Everything was fine in the end. I would always wait two days, unless anything apparently life-threatening was going on.
@janestheone OP here - we eventually communicated when the ship made port calls and I’ve managed to keep Riley as comfortable as possible until the HOs return later today.
Here in the US, many vet practices have been bought by companies and the old bill you model is gone. That is what I faced.
