Going away for the holidays but unable to bring your beloved furry family member along? Help set your mind at ease by giving your pet sitter the perfect pet-care handover!

Daily routine

With some pets loving their two walks a day and others preferring the comfort of the couch, it’s a good idea to let your pet sitter know what your pet’s daily routine looks like. This includes meal times, dietary requirements, any regular medication for health conditions, toileting routines, sleeping arrangements, and exercise requirements, so disruptions to their routine can be kept to a minimum.

Behaviour

If your pet has any significant behavioural quirks, such as thunderstorm anxiety or reactivity on a lead, it’s best to let your pet sitter know upfront and provide them with tips on how to best handle your pet during these situations. However, if it’s likely that your pet will be very anxious with you going away, we’d recommend chatting with our friendly veterinary team. A vet-approved calming supplement or prescription anxiety medication is likely to make the experience a happier one for your pet, not to mention your pet sitter!

Emergency plan

In the event of an emergency, having pre-organised arrangements can take some of the stress out of a stressful situation. Provide your pet sitter with the following:

• Your contact details, including how you are most reachable on holidays (e.g. text vs call vs email)
• Backup contact if you are unreachable, and make sure your backup contact knows they could be contacted!
• Details for your regular vet and any permissions/instructions around veterinary care. It can be helpful to call your regular vet prior to going away, to let them know your pet is in the care of a pet sitter and discuss arrangements for emergency treatments and costs.

If you have any questions about your pet’s care with a pet sitter while you’re away, contact our friendly team for personalised advice.