How to Prep Medications for the Upcoming Sittings
Pet owners know that our pets can be picky, making it important to find the right sitter for our trips. If your pet needs medication, it can be even trickier. You might worry that your pet won't take medication from someone new, or that the sitter won’t follow the care instructions correctly if your pet has a complicated health issue. However, vacationing can be stress-free with some planning involving your vet, your pet, and me!
Check-in with your vet
Confirm with your vet that your pet’s medications are current and that you have enough for your time away. This is also a good chance to ask your vet for dosing tips.
Questions you may want to ask are:
Can you crush your pet's pills? If giving your pet a pill is difficult, some sitters might try hiding the crushed pill in food or a treat. However, not all medications can be crushed. Check with your vet to see if it's okay to cut or crush your pet's pills.
How exact does medication timing need to be? Vets usually recommend giving medication within the same two-hour window each day, but how much wiggle room there is depends on the prescription and its purpose. It’s important to get clear guidance from your vet and share that information early on to ensure your pet gets the best care.
It’s important to know if your pet's medication should be taken with or without food. Different medications have different rules. Checking this will help you give clear instructions.
How should you handle a missed or partial dose? A pet might spit out liquid medicine or hide a pill in its cheek. If this issue occurs, what should I do?
Have a vet authorization form for emergencies. Inquire with your vet about any specific protocols they require. It's also a good opportunity to ask if they recommend any veterinary telemedicine services for urgent issues that might come up while you’re away.
Once you have the answer to these questions and your prescriptions are up to date, it’s time to create a medication guide.
Create a medication guide
To ensure your pet receives the right medication, dose, and timing, create a clear medication guide. This guide should be easy to understand and have repeated information to avoid mistakes. An effective method is to provide two details for each piece of information. For example, when I make a guide for my cats, I include each cat's name, color, and size. This helps in easily identifying each cat and giving the correct medicine.
Cow Cat is the largest cat in the house. He is white with three black spots on his back.
Annie is the smallest cat in the house. She is white with five black spots on her back.
Mozzy is a gray tabby who is slightly smaller than Cow Cat.
Sis is a small cat. She is a gray tabby with white feet and a white mark on her nose.
When I list medications, I identify the brand name on the bottle, the generic or scientific name (which might not be on the bottle), and I give a visual description of the medication and its container.
PediaPred (Prednisone) is a clear liquid in a dark blue bottle. It doesn't need to be refrigerated and is kept on the counter next to the fridge.
Clavamox is a white liquid medicine in a bottle with an eyedropper top. It must be kept in the fridge, on the top shelf of the door.
Keep repeating this kind of unnecessary detail when talking about which cat gets which medicine and how much.
Cow Cat gets PediaPred every day at 8 PM. Give him 0.2 mL from the bottle using the oral syringe next to it, which has a red line for the dosage.
Mozzy takes Clavamox twice daily at 8am and 8pm, with 1mL for each dose. The amount is marked with a black line on the eyedropper.
Annie and Sis aren't on any medication now.
This redundancy helps avoid misunderstandings and allows me to easily verify that the correct cat is receiving the right medication in the right dose. It also ensures that important information is readily available in case your pet needs emergency vet care while you are away.
For each medication your pet takes, note possible side effects, like increased drooling or nausea. This helps me watch for these common problems without getting overly worried.
You can organize your medication guide however you like. Some pet owners make a sheet for each pet with photos and details about their medicines. Others prefer using grids, checklists, or written notes.
Your medication guide should have your vet's contact info, details for any veterinary telemedicine services, the contact for a veterinary poison control center, and information for a local friend or family member who knows your cats.
Do a medication-focused meet and greet
The meet and greet helps your pet and me bond, especially with medication routines. An in-person meeting is best, particularly when you are giving your pet the same medications I will handle later. This allows me to see what techniques work for you and your pet and discuss any alternatives.
During this meeting, let your cat interact with me. I can practice handling your pet to give medications, like picking up your pet or encouraging it to open its mouth for oral meds.
Use this time to share your cat's likes and dislikes. Showing your pet that you trust me will make medication times easier. You might leave the room briefly to let me see how friendly your pet is.
Review the medication guide with me and ensure I know where all the medications are stored. Providing both a printed and digital copy is useful in case of technical issues..
Before Your Go
Check your pet’s medications to ensure the labels are clear and correct, including dosage. Update any necessary information to match your medication guide. Keep the medications in the same spot you showed me. If the location has changed, send me a new photo and description. Let me know the latest medication dose your pet has taken. Share any new concerns you want me to watch for. Let me know where the pet carrier is for emergencies and confirm that you’ve completed the vet authorization form. If you're traveling to a different time zone or won’t have regular updates, inform me and give guidelines for non-urgent questions.
Following Up
After you return home, feel free to reach out for feedback on your pet's behavior. This will help for future trips and improve your pet's comfort.
