Hey guys! So I have done a few sits now and I have started to notice a pattern with some of the animals. Most of the animals I have worked with are rescues and have been told in advance by the Home Owners that they have medical issues or allergies or sometimes get sick. I now have had 2 sits now where the animals get sick even though we follow their schedules exactly and they are eating all the things the owners told us they can have. Have y’all come across this to with anxious/rescue animals? What advice would yall have? Thanks!
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My first thought would be to ask the pet parent on whether this is normal, frequency to expect and whether a visit to the vet is due.
Bases on what the pet parent says I would also look out for whether the listing has been acccurate and disclosed the true situation for the sit (in regard to for instance pee/poop inside and/ or extra work connected to it). If the listing wasn’t accurate it would be a mention in review.
( If there is a more serious situation - healthwise for you or Pets - unliveable conditions etc - make sure you get photos/ documentation in case owner or you open a member dispute and you can also contact member services)
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Yes, discuss with their humans and possibly vets.
With our rescue dog, we found his stomach variable. Like when we first got him, he would have runny poo that caused us to worry and take him to the vet. It probably was a combo of him having wandered as a stray and eating whatever he could, which wasn’t good for him, plus his being young and not having established normalcy. We started giving him pumpkin and pumpkin supplements and he ended up with more normal digestion / bowels. He also used to bolt down his food and throw up. I got him a slow-feeding bowl and that stopped.
Like with people, sometimes pets end up under the weather, too. Like when we see our dog eating grass, we knock off his treats and keep his meals simpler to digest till he’s normal again, like when humans eat more carefully when sick.
FWIW, I saw social media videos about rescues. There was one in particular who’d damaged his digestive system while eating whatever crap as a stray. When he was fostered or sheltered, that became apparent, so when adopted out permanently they told those folks that the dog would have to be on a special diet forever.
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Dogs and cats can have kefir as an ‘ongoing maintenance’ part of the diet. It’s a strong, natural probiotic, and daily doses promote good gut health, especially important after a course of antibiotics. The same is true for humans. Whilst this isn’t something you should introduce as a sitter, it could be worth suggesting once the home owners are back.
There’s a good brand called Chuckling Goat available for delivery in the UK, or you can make your own. I had to keep the kefir alive on a house-sit earlier this year, and the home owners kindly gave me some grains (which kick-start the whole process) to take home with me, so I’ve been making it ever since. You can use cow’s milk, or goat’s milk which contains less lactose, and the process itself reduces the amount of lactose in the milk further still.
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Great suggestion @Becca our labs love that stuff (as do we!) #magicforthestomach
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I would not give anything to the pet without discussing it with the parent first. No telling what’s going to happen, and some parents can get very upset if you feed the pets with food they did not authorize.
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Neither would I. Which is why I’ve said “whilst this isn’t something you should introduce as a sitter, it could be worth suggesting once the home owners are back.”
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Sorry. I have ADHD. I skim, not read the whole thing 