Pet care while on holiday - Friends & relatives

With the weather as downright atrocious as it is, and the kids breaking up from school soon, I can imagine that a lot of you are pretty excited about jetting off for your summer holiday! However, if you have pets, it’s incredibly important to make sure that they will be looked after while you’re gone. This is because you have a legal responsibility to ensure your pet’s welfare.

In today’s blog, I’m going to look at the one of the options available to pet owners in regards to pet care, and a few points to consider about it.

Most people like to leave their pets in the care of friends or family, as it’s usually the easiest and less stressful. Whether your friend or relative stays at your house or your pet goes to stay with them. It really depends on your pet what you do, as some may not be able to handle being in a strange house for a week. Whatever you decide to do, you need to make sure that that you are confident your friend or relative knows exactly how to look after your pet and that they will look after them properly.  You should leave them clear instructions that includes:

• What and when to feed your pet.
• Any health checks or medication that your pet might need, as well as how to carry these out.
• When and how your pet will need exercising.
• Emergency contact details for yourself and for your vet.

Also, if you are sending a cat or dog to stay at a different house, you should make sure that they have an identification disc with your relative’s address, not yours. Finally, make sure that your pet’s vaccinations and flea and worming treatments are all up-to-date.

While your pet will be a lot more relaxed in the care of a familiar face, it may be difficult to find someone who is available to look after them as well as responsible enough to ensure that they are well looked after. If you are struggling to find someone like this, you may want to think about hiring a professional petsitter or sending your pet to a boarding establishment. In next weeks blog, we’ll be talking about these, as well as how to choose a reputable one.

If you often leave your pets in the care of a friend or relative, let us know about it! Maybe you have some useful tips or other points for pet owners to think about? If so, leave a comment below or chat to us over on Facebook, Twitter or Google+!