Getting the Most Out of Your Pet Sitting Service
A great pet sitting experience starts before your sitter ever walks through the door. A little preparation on your end goes a long way toward making sure your pets get the time and attention they deserve, and that everything runs smoothly while you’re away.
Here’s how to set your sitter (and your pets) up for success!
Let Your Sitter Know Your Destination
Before you travel, make sure that you have given your pet sitter a contact name, phone number and email where you can be reached while you’re away, including the phone number of the home, hotel, ranch, etc where you’re staying.
In the event you are unable to be reached due to accident or injury on your end, poor cell service, or lack of an international data plan, we need to be able to reach you or another designated decision-maker, in case of emergency in your home or with your pets.
We will use instant, secure messaging via Signal to communicate, ensuring that we can reach you right away.
Extra Litter and Waste bags, Clean Litter Boxes
Take a few minutes to clean all litter boxes and add fresh litter before you leave. Have at least one full container of clean litter set aside.
If you use a Litter Genie or Diaper Genie, pull a fresh knotted bag before you go and consider leaving a spare insert. If you use an outdoor container for dog waste, please empty it before your trip.
Food, Treats, and Supplies
Some pets eat a basic kibble diet, while others require special preparation of raw meats, fruits and vegetables, or animals/insects meant for carnivorous critters.
Please ensure that you’ve purchased all food, ingredients and approved treats that your pets require before you leave. Try to provide at least 3-5 extra days of food, in the event your travel arrangements change.
Many special diets or lighting set-ups require expensive shopping trips, sometimes to specialty stores. If we need to shop for fresh food, hard to find treats, or back-up lighting/electronics (for reptiles, fish, etc), etc please leave sufficient cash in a secure spot in your home for whatever might be needed in case of emergency.
Uncommon or Exotic Pets
Choose Your Local Emergency Contact Wisely!
If your household includes reptiles, large constrictors, crocodilians, parrots, or other exotic pets that require special handling, at least one local emergency contact should be familiar with your animals and willing to step in if needed.
That means someone who can feed them, provide basic care, and in a weather or local emergency, arrange safe transport to another location, if we’re unable to reach your home.
Medications and Medical Supplies
Have at least 3-5 extra days of medication available, in the event your travel plans change. If it looks like something is running low, please have it refilled and ready for your sitter at your home. (In the case of diabetic pets, not having their insulin readily available can put the pet at risk for a serious health event.)
With some compounded meds, or certain controlled substances, refills might be delayed as much as 3-7 business days. Please plan ahead to help avoid a medical emergency — your sitter and pets will be so grateful that you did!
Dishes and Trash
The kitchen sink, counters, and trash cans are the areas your sitter will use most. Starting with clean counters, an empty sink, and a trash can with room in it helps us work efficiently and stay focused on your pets.
Take Sick Pets to the Vet Before You Leave
If you notice that your pet has a new injury or medical condition, please pay a visit to your vet before your trip. We will of course seek medical care for your pets while you are away, if needed.
However, if the pet receives veterinary care and treatment beforehand for a new or existing issue, this ensures that all pets on our daily roster get consistent care, and that we have the opportunity to adjust our schedule for any new meds or treatment needed for your pet.
Keep Emergency Contacts Current
Keep your list of emergency contacts up to date and let us know of any changes to these contacts. Ensure that at least one contact has a key or other approved access to your home and let us know who that is.
Most importantly, if you are going to travel over the holidays and have listed someone as your emergency contact, please check to confirm that they will be in town and ready to help, in case of emergency, over the dates you’ll be away.
New Pets? Please Let Your Sitter Know Right Away
Please let us know before you book your next service if you have added another beloved critter to your household. Depending on the type of pet and the care needed, our visit times and pricing may need adjustment and we might also need new paperwork filled out, and vaccinations verified.
We also might request to have a meet and greet with certain new pets to evaluate if we’re still a fit and the new pet accepts us.
Have a Credit Card on File at Your Vet and Emergency Clinic
If they won’t keep your credit card info on file for privacy/security reasons, consider providing it to your sitter or to a reliable, trustworthy local contact who can facilitate payment on your behalf. Having a local contact is important–they may need to come to the vet in person to pay.
Most sitters don’t cover vet bills for clients, so be sure to make paying for regular or emergency veterinary services as easy as possible for your sitter, so we can get right back to caring for your pets.
Pick It Up and Stow It!
If your pets have free run of the house or a specific room, take a few minutes to put anything that can be chewed, shredded, or swallowed out of reach before you leave.
This includes small items that could be ingested, like loose medications or controlled substances (prescription or recreational), throat lozenges, or anything else that can fit in your pet’s mouth.
We also ask that any dog toys that tear apart easily, with stuffing or squeakers that can be swallowed, are picked up before your trip. We reserve the right to stow anything we consider a safety risk.
No Rawhide Allowed
We don’t allow dogs to chew on any form of rawhide, and we won’t provide chew treats that can’t be safely finished without supervision. We’re happy to work with you on appropriate chews, toys, and puzzles for while you’re away.
Curtains, Blinds & Other Hazards
Consider pulling all shades and window blinds up out of reach of your pets, if they might scratch or chew them, pull up and secure any window treatments that hang within reach of your pets, and secure any drawstrings.
Not only are blinds and window treatments potential sources for injury and accidents when pets are left alone for long periods of time, they are also some of the first things to be chewed on, clawed at, and destroyed if you have a scared, anxious or unhappy pet who is not happy being alone for any length of time.
Senior & Special Needs Animals
Senior and special needs pets are our most common clients, and they’re also the ones where running low on supplies or medications while you’re away can create real problems fast. These animals are more vulnerable to setbacks from missed doses, dietary disruptions, or equipment failures. A little extra preparation makes a big difference.
Based on the senior/special needs pets you have, and their health status, have the following available:
- Plenty of extra clean belly bands (typically for male dogs), doggie diapers, or other items for use with incontinent pets.
- Ample pet-safe wipes, for cleaning up animals’ tummies, genitals and such during diaper or belly band changes.
- A basic pet first aid kit (we bring our own kits, but its always smart to have your own. We can help you build it, too!)
- Enough medications or treatments to last 3-5 days past your arrival date, in the event an accident or emergency on your end prevents your scheduled return.
- Directives: make sure that your advance directives/veterinary authorization forms for health-compromised pets are kept current, so that we are clear about what your wishes are or who to call, should an emergency arise. We should always be able to accurately communicate to your vet what your wishes are, so that they can help make the best decisions for your pets during a health crisis.
- Disabled pets: if your pet uses a mobility cart, or any kind of special harnesses, belly supports etc, please ensure that everything is clean and in good condition before you leave, and that extras or repair supplies are available, depending on the item. We’re very handy and carry basic tools with us for small fix-it jobs, but typically, custom-built carts, harnesses etc will likely need major repairs taken care of by a specific company or resource.
- If you have a pet whose soiling or incontinence might result in bath time, please have appropriate shampoos, rinses, medicated shampoos, spare towels, brushes, blow dryer, etc ready to go. The faster we can get waste messes washed off, the better for your pet and for preventing messes from being tracked around the home.
We appreciate you trusting us with your pets and your home. A little prep before your trip helps us give your animals the focused, attentive care they deserve.