Blog

The longer your trip the greater the odds of something going wrong. Particularly if you have horses. Because as all horse owners know our horses are experts at getting themselves into trouble. We love them anyway, and because we know they can find ways to hurt themselves on seemingly nothing, pretty much every horse owner has a well-stocked first aide kit for their horses. If we’re being honest the first aide kit for the horses is probably better stocked than  the one for people if you even have one for people at all.

One of the best things you can do is make sure your sitter knows where your first aide kit is and what you keep in. Everyone’s kit will look different depending on the animals and the individuals level of comfort with handling various things.

But there are some staples that should be in every horse first aide kit.

1) vet wrap

2)Duct tape

3)poultice pads

4)sulfa tabs

5)bute

6) Banamine

7)gauze squares

8) some type of wound cleaner

9)gloves

10)thermometer

11)stethoscope

12) needles and syringes in a few sizes

First aide kits can be tailored for your specific horse(s). For a more comprehensive first aide kit talk to your vet. Also the medications above require a prescription from your vet. Do not takebon things you aren’t comfortable doing

Do you ever feel like you can’t ask a perspective pet sitter about their experience and qualifications? Chances are if that’s how you feel talking to them they may not be the right fit for you.

As a pet sitter I expect you to have questions, just as you should expect some from me. You don’t have to wait until your scheduled meet and greet to ask questions either. But please keep in mind we may not be able to answer you right away.

Some things to consider asking…

1) how long have you been caring for animals- this can be pretty general as it may bring in the sitter’s personal pets as well as client pets. And that’s fine. For me a sitter that has never had pets of their own raises some red flags.

2) Do you have good working relationships with area vets? The answer should always be YES. That doesn’t mean they work with every vet in the area but they shouldn’t have any issues with the vet you use.

3)Are you able to handle or comfortable with…give a specific medical issue or behavior or even a type of animal. I’m telling you right now I will NEVER care for snakes or rodents.

4)How often do you have to call or take a client’s pet to the vet? This is really going to depend on the # of animals in their care at a time, how long they’ve been in business and how long they are taking care of a particular client’s animals. RED FLAGS come up when they’ve been pet sitting for a short amount of time but have a high number of vet visits or calls. We deal with animals and there are going to be times when things happen. It is unavoidable. However it should NOT be a regular occurrence

5) what kind of emergencies have you had to deal with? Again this may pull in personal pets for the sitter and the answers will vary based on the types of animals they care for.

6)Do you plan to take dogs to dog parks? This should always be NO. It’s your choice to take your dog to a dog park but a sitter should not. There are too many ways for things to go wrong.

Leave us a comment with other questions you would want answered.

Going out of town and leaving your pets can be stressful for both you and your pet. But you can take some of the stress out of it for your pets by keeping them in their own home and as close to their routine as possible.

Ways to alleviate some stress

1) plan early- we get it things come up that are out your control. But finding a pet sitter shouldn’t be the last thing on your to do list when planning a trip. Give yourself plenty of time that you aren’t scrambling and should someone not be a good fit you aren’tin a situation to have to use them because you don’t have any time left

2)meet and greets- we 100% require them for all new clients. They are that important. Schedule meet and greets as soon as you can to make sure everything is good. This is where you get to ask questions, see how the sitter interacts with your animals, and give your sitter all the information they need to make sure your pet is well taken care of. Remember you aren’t the only one making sure it’s a good fit

3)Go over your daily routine- the closer to the daily routine your sitter can keep your pet the less stressed they will be

4)medical issues- don’t leave out important medical issues whether it’s on going or reoccurring your sitter needs to know about it. It’s important that you fill out the third party medical consentthird party medical consent form so your pet sitter knows what to do if they can’t reach you. Make sure you notify your vets office that you will be gone, what dates and who is caring for your animals and leave a credit card on file for treatment.

5) Please don’t expect your sitter to be there 24/7 because they can’t be. But know your pet will be well cared for.