kittylda-you are right. And that is exactly what my boss told me. They are paying us to make good decisions for their pets.  And their people were fine with it.

I am still trying to get used to how many of these pets are OBESE! Good Lord--why kill your pet that way?? EEK! I am hopeful that with the 'regulars' we can someday have a discussion about their chubby babies and why it is just not healthy for them.   But I know that is not a great opening conversation! LOL

I do take a once-over of all the new-to-me-pets and their health issues and conditions, so I know if what I see with them is 'normal for them' or new. I started a spreadsheet of all the pets so I have a history on them. Yes, I am crazy.

Thanks kittllyda. I bite my tongue so far. If  I am in this long enough to be asked for recommendations, I appreciate your advice and that one should always remind owners to clear it with their vet.

My pet sitter and I have only had one beef--namely that Jess gained 7 pds the first year we used her! I started to sense their might be an overfeeding issue when I returned from a trip one night to Jessie barking at the entertainment center. She does this when a toy or treat has ended up beneath it and cannot reach it herself. So I investigated and found the largest doggie treat I have ever seen! It was easily 4 times the size of the combined treats that she is allowed per day!

So I was dismayed, but not shocked when at her annual vet visit she had gained weight. I immediately called my pet sitter, because I had a feeling where this problem lay. She immediately fessed up. LOL So we had a bit of a discussion about the fact that Jess is highly food motivated in part due to her shelter history, but that does not mean she is underfed, and that with her knee problem, it's important to keep her at her correct weight. Sitter was concerned because Jess is so motivated towards food, I was concerned about the overeating and we worked it out.  No problems since then.   

But it's amazing how hard you sometimes have to push a vet regarding your pet's weight. I was pretty upset at Jess's weight gain, so I pressed the vet on it. I had to ask her 3 times if Jess was now overweight, as I suspected she must be, and FINALLY the vet conceded that yeah, if she had been 42 pounds for the last 3 years and was suddenly 50 pounds, this was a bad thing. She went through ths signs I should have noticed creeping up on us-the lack of a visible waist from above, etc. She equated it to percentages of weight gains in humans, concomitant health issues. I asked about what was they best way to get her back to her normal and healthy weight--exercise? Less food? Fewer treats? It was like pulling teeth.  So I am not shocked that many pet owners don't even realize their pets are carrying too much weight. Much like human doctors, vets seem to be reluctant to raise the issue. Probably because they are used to an argument form the pet owners, even though I was trying to get the best advice and knew that I had done or allowed something incorrect to happen with my dog. But it kills me to see arthritic and dysplastic dogs carrying extra weight, as I know it is adding to their pain in daily activities.

It's great that some real-live pet sitters have joined this discussion, especially ones who really seem to put the animals first.

Interesting that pet owners would take exception to the idea that their pet was overweight! If we could be doing a better job of maintaining our cat's health, I will always appreciate advice!

To the point where I'm actually worried that we'll abuse our petsitter by pumping her for free advice. My question for the petsitters: do you ever feel like your clients are abusing the limits of your services by asking question after question?

Kittylyda -

Thanks for your quick response!

Here in Japan people almost never tip for anything - I've even had bellhops hand me back money! And $25 does seem reasonable in Japan, but in the States I'm not sure.

I would definitely pay for that kind of consultation, though. As an English teacher / teacher trainer, I am constantly approached by people asking random questions ranging from, "What's the best way to improve my vocabulary?" to "Would you call what the chorus in a Greek tragedy does 'singing a song' or not?" Since it makes me a little crazy, I'm always a little shy about picking other people's professional brain in a social situation.

The sitter we're thinking about using (I posted their URL above) will come and meet the animal and talk to us for about an hour. It will just cost $10 and train transportation for that consultation, but since it's a client situation, I'll feel more comfortable asking questions about things like keeping the cats indoors and Butter's weight...

We always bring the dogs with us on vacations, but the cat stays home -- the riding is way too stressful.  This year, we're hiring a vet tech to give the cat sub-Q fluids while we're gone.  I'm also writing a note (and signing it) saying that she has permission to take the cat to the office for treatment and that we'll pay, if she thinks the cat is sick.  A neighbor is coming in 2-3 times per day for feeding/playing, and a relative is stopping in to do laundry, watch TV, and play with kitty.  The cat will most likely be glad to be rid of the dogs for a while.