What Could Go Wrong When You Ask Your Friend to Pet Sit
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Pet sitting is a necessary service in our hectic world. Whether you have to travel for work, pleasure, or for personal matters, there would be days when you are unable to care for your dear animal friend. So what should you do when this happens?
Two most popular options are to ask your friends to watch over the animal or to have a professional service do this for you. Many people choose the former option because it’s the cheapest solution and they trust the people they love to care for their precious pets.
However, if you look a bit deeper, you may understand that this may not be the best idea. Having non-professionals tend to your furry, feathery, or scaly friend can result in a variety of problems, that include but aren’t limited to:
Stomach Problems
The most common kind of issues comes from improper feeding, which may lead to stomachache and digestive disorders. You need to be 100% sure that the person in charge of your pet knows exactly how much food they need and what kind. Inform them of any food allergies and other quirks of your little friend. Be careful to point out which foods are completely forbidden. Following a strict feeding schedule is also essential for the animal’s health.
Not Enough or Too Much Exercise
Your pet gets used to a certain level of activity as it follows your routine. Breaking these habits may not be extremely dangerous for the animal’s health, but it will definitely reflect on their emotional wellbeing. The situation will get more complicated due to the stress caused by separation with you. This can cause your pet to become moody, which can lead to a variety of other issues and behavioral problems you will spend months fixing.
Emergency Care
Leaving your friend with feeding/walking/playing instructions won’t help you in the least if an emergency occurs. There are a great number of potential problems that caring pet owners learn to anticipate and deal with. A non-trained person may not be able to notice the issue in time and wouldn’t know how to provide the animal with the necessary aid.
Emotional Problems
The connection between a pet and their owner is very deep. In essence, you are your animal-friend’s whole world, so it’s normal that they don’t handle separation well. Emotional pain can cause them to lash out or behave in an irrational manner.
To make sure your holiday or time away is as stress free as possible for you and your pet, use an experienced professional pet sitter that is used to handling and managing a variety of pets. If you have well pet-educated friends or family, that are reliable and consistent that may work too. Some pets will do ok at a kennel/cattery but it’s very much animal and location dependent. Do your homework and provide the carer with as much information as possible about your pet for a better experience.
