Pet Care While Traveling: How To Vet Pet Sitters
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Traveling when you have pets can be complicated. You cannot always take pets with you, but leaving them alone is out of the question, too. To take part in travel, you need a pet sitter you can trust to do the job right. But how do you know which pet sitter is the right fit for you and your fur kid? This article from Bits 4 Pets will guide you through the process so that you can find someone you and your pet can trust.
Vet Candidates for Pet Care
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Your pet's care should be of the utmost importance. When you're far from home, you need the assurance that your pet is in good hands. Make sure you get all of your candidates beforehand. Perform background checks and ask your candidate for references or testimonials. Additionally, ensure that the pet sitter has experience with your pet type. For instance, if you have a leopard gecko, but your pet sitter has only taken care of dogs and cats, you might want to go with someone who is more experienced or willing to learn how to care for your pet.
You should introduce your pets to the pet sitter before you leave on your trip. You want to ensure that the pet sitter gets along with your animals. Sometimes animals have difficulties warming up to people. Even if you know your pet to be good with strangers, they can react unusually to different people or when they are stressed. Your pet sitter has to know how to handle stressed animals that may not be familiar to him or her. It’s important that you both look for signs of stress during your meeting. If your pet starts scratching a lot or shows a sudden behavioral change, consider going with a different pet sitter.
Leave Specific Instructions
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The AKC explains that animals are creatures of habit and routine. When you shake up their routine, they may exhibit anxiety and stress. Having a pet sitter can alleviate some of that stress because the pet sitter can maintain their feeding and exercise schedule. Dogs are incredibly social animals; if you have them, they will appreciate the company.
Every pet has a different schedule. Make sure you list what your candidate needs to do throughout the day. Specific instructions make it easier on your animals but also help the sitter. Before you leave, Proud Dog Mom suggestions that you concoct a list of everything that your pet sitter needs to know, including:
- Allergies
- Medical conditions
- Medicines
- Feeding times
- Behavioral concerns
Even if the pet sitter hasn't met your pets multiple times in the past, he or she can get to know the pets through your notes. Make sure all pet supplies are easy to find.
Choose Communication Methods
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You do not want to carry stress from home with you when traveling. Make sure your pet sitter knows how to reach you in an emergency. Consider giving several means of communication, depending on the urgency. When you have different means of communication, you are less likely to miss out on a call or text. Likewise, you will know whether you need to answer right away or if you can get back to the communication later.
Likewise, talk to your pet sitter about the avenues of communication he or she prefers. You may want to call, text or email for regular updates about your pet. Set up how often you want to communicate and whether you want updates throughout the day or if you'd rather have updates all at once at the end of the day.
Prepare and Reap the Rewards
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It is possible to travel when you have pets - with a little preparation. As long as you have a qualified, trustworthy pet sitter, you can leave your animals in the care of another person and know that they will be safe until you arrive home again. Make sure you set up your new pet sitter with everything they need to be comfortable and care for your pet effectively. You’ll find that having a pet sitter in your home can relieve your pet's stress, and make your travels more relaxing, too.
Bits 4 Pets is your home for new innovative products on the pet market that pets love and that also help owners to best look after them. Shop online today or contact us for more info! info@bits4pets.com
Author: Jessica Brody