Hi! Our 5 y/o French Bulldog was recently diagnosed with IVDD and no longer has function in his back legs. He is very fun loving and eager to start his new life on wheels. We are currently in diapers and are doing regular bladder expressions. Is there any advice that folks would recommend who have experience with IVDD animals, specifically with house sitters and anything to make their daily life as comfortable as possible?
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Hi there,
I’ve never cared for dogs with special needs, but I would recommend that if you’re going to use THS, you need make your listing as attractive as possible & offer a strong incentive for sitters to want to sit for you. You can certainly post your listing and maybe there is someone interested & willing to care for a special needs dog, but the listing will need compelling reasons for an unpaid sitter to come & stay.
Just remember that this platform exists to be an unpaid, mutually beneficial exchange. Most sitters here come from aboard or somewhere else in the country and sit not only because they love pets but also to see and experience a new place. If your dog requires a lot of work, diaper changing & constant monitoring, with somebody with knowledge & experience for specific conditions & needs, then a paid local sitter or service is most likely your best bet.
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Hi @KevinsDad we took care of two elderly pugs in Zug, one of whom had no back leg function, nappies and a trolley for her outside walks. They lived on the third floor of a Swiss apartment (& were hefty little beauties 
) so needed carrying up and down twice a day. They were adorable but you need to be a certain type of sitter. We WFH and they could be left for 4/5 hours happily if we went out to the lakes & mountains. In the HOs favour, they were in a prime location on the lake 
, super expensive to rent, we had family close by & were very nice people who treated us to dinner the night before and it all worked out beautifully. As @Nagy26 says be up front & clear in the listing and make the exchange as mutually beneficial as you can. Those two pugs are still two of our favourites to this day 40 sits in! #theresasitforeveryone
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Welcome @KevinsDad sorry to hear about your dogs recent diagnosis. I am sure he will have a great life with his new wheels. It’s great that you are thinking about how this could work for a sitter.
If you make a list of all the things that you do each day for your dog( Kevin ? ) - including the time spent cleaning and preparing. It likely adds up to a significant amount of time in addition to the care that a sitter would usually provide ( feeding, exercising)
How long can your dog be left alone for each day? Where is he exercised - at home ? Does he have to be transported to a different location? How often does he require bladder expressions? Changing of diapers? Does he require medication ? How is this administered? Does he require any care during the night ? Does he have to be lifted during the day ? Up stairs ? How often ? Does he have a special diet? How often is he fed ? Would he be ok with children ?
Be specific and realistic about all this in your listing so that only suitable sitters who are willing to take on these responsibilities apply. Think about what you can offer your sitters in exchange (not money) - what are your home amenities and local attractions that sitters can enjoy during their stay. How much free time will they have to enjoy them ?
On THS unpaid sitters pay their own expenses to travel to your location. Then after taking care of the pets ( feeding, exercising) most sitters are looking for a significant part of each day to be free of responsibilities and allow them to visit & enjoy the attractions of the area.
You will also need to consider setting up an account with your vet so that if your dog requires any veterinary treatment during the stay ( due to an accident or any decline in health ) , the sitter doesn’t have to pay for this upfront .
You may find that the amount of additional care needed may be more suitable for paid sitter who is experienced and qualified to provide the level of care your dog needs.
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Hi @KevinsDad. It looks like both you and Kevin have some adjusting to do. I’m unsure whether you are thinking of advertising for a sitter shortly but hope not. Kevin needs to get used to his new set of wheels and changes to his health issues as do you. Springing this onto sitters and Kevin would be unfair so soon after his diagnosis. He needs his “family” for this adjustment.
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Hey, KevinsDad, and welcome. Depending on exactly where you are, this could be a difficult sit to fill.
Whatever you can do to make your listing as attractive as possible will help. Could you get a vet tech to come in to do the bladder expressions? Can you offer use of a car? If the dog can’t be left alone, can you get a paid sitter to come in everyday to provide respite for the sitter so they can go do something or have dinner somewhere?
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