What to do if a pet gets ill on a house sit

Most sits pass without a trip to the vet. When one is needed, how it goes depends mostly on what the host set up before leaving, and on the sitter knowing when to pick up the phone. This guide covers both. It isn't veterinary advice: if you're ever unsure, phone the vet. No vet minds seeing a pet that turns out to be fine.

For hosts: before you go

• Tell your vet who will be looking after your pets, and give written permission for the sitter to agree to treatment in an emergency.
• Agree a spending limit and how bills will be paid, so a sitter is never left choosing between a pet's care and their own money.
• Write down your vet, the out-of-hours vet, your pet insurance, each pet's medication and conditions, and what's normal for them.
• Name a second contact who can make decisions if you can't be reached, and tell them.
• Leave enough food and medication for the whole sit, plus a few days spare.
• If a pet is old or ill, tell the sitter what you would want if it became very ill while you were away, and how to reach you at any hour.

All of this belongs in your welcome pack.

For sitters: the order, every time

1. Make safe: you first, then the animal. A frightened, hurt animal bites.
2. Phone the vet, day or night: the practice or the out-of-hours number. Tell them you're coming and what happened. They may tell you what to do on the way.
3. Go, in the way they tell you.
4. Tell the host, as soon as the animal is in safe hands, or while someone else drives.

Phone the vet now

• Collapse, can't stand, or breathing with effort, with the neck stretched out or pale, grey or blue gums.
• A cat breathing with its mouth open. In a cat this is always an emergency.
• Choking: pawing at the mouth, gagging, noisy or no breathing.
• A seizure that lasts more than five minutes, more than one in a day, a pet that doesn't come round, or a first-ever seizure.
• Anything that might be poisonous eaten, even if the pet seems fine. Many poisons take hours to show.
• A dog whose belly is swelling tight and who keeps retching without bringing anything up.
• A sting in or near the mouth, several stings, or any swelling of the face or throat.

Phone the vet today

• A dog that has skipped two meals, or a cat that has eaten nothing for a day. A rabbit or guinea pig that stops eating is an emergency the same day.
• Any bite that has broken the skin, even if the pet seems fine. Bites go deep and infect quickly.
• A seizure that doesn't meet any of the "now" signs above. Tell the host either way.
• An outdoor cat that doesn't come in for food when it always does: start looking that same day.

If a pet may have eaten something poisonous

• Don't wait for symptoms.
• Don't make the animal sick. Some poisons do more damage coming back up, and salt water can kill.
• Take the packet, the plant or a photo, and an idea of how much and when.
• The usual suspects: chocolate, grapes and raisins, xylitol (a sweetener in some sugar-free foods), onions, lilies (cats), antifreeze, slug pellets, rat poison and human medicines. If you're not sure something is a poison, treat it as one.

The longer list is in our guide to foods and plants that are poisonous to dogs and cats.

What to tell the vet

Lead with what matters: "Collapsed labrador, 10 years old, on heart medication, breathing fast, gums grey, five minutes away." Then the detail: when it started, what you saw, what the pet ate and when, any medication and the last dose. Say you're the sitter, give the pet's name as the practice knows it and the host's name, and have the host's number ready so the vet can speak to them.

Consent and money

In an emergency any vet will give first aid and pain relief, but beyond that they need the owner's consent and a way to pay. It goes far more smoothly if the host has already told the vet that the sitter may bring the pets in. Phone the host as soon as you can, and keep every receipt.

How Home Tales helps

House Sitting Basics, which every sitter passes before they can apply for a sit, covers getting the vet's details before the sit and the common pet poisons. Pet Care & Safety goes further, with the signs above and what to do in the first minutes. Pet First Aid teaches the hands-on part: bandaging, choking and CPR. Every course a sitter passes shows on their profile. Your welcome pack has an Emergencies section for the vet and the people who can help, so your sitter has them at 2am.