We are always happy to help, but there are some factors that need to be considered with diabetic pets before you make the decision to go on a vacation.

How long since your pet was diagnosed with diabetes? In the early days after diagnoses, you are trying to get your pet’s glucose levels stable. You are often speaking to your vet regularly and adjusting medication levels. This can be hard for a pet sitter to take on.

• Is your pet stable? Meaning are you still needing to adjust medication often and watch your pet’s behavior for concerns?
• How is your pet accepting the insulin injections and glucose testing? If it is hard for you, it will be harder for a sitter.
• How is your pet about being handled by strangers? If your pet does not love being handled (especially cats) then it is going to be tough for a sitter to medicate your pet and do glucose testing.
• Does your pet have any problems eating when you are gone? Pets need to eat before receiving their insulin so if your pet typically does not eat when you are gone then it is going to be hard for a sitter to manage the food and insulin levels consistently.
• Are you going to be reachable on your trip? Whenever there is a problem with a pet, especially a pet with medical problems, we are going to reach out to you for suggestions and ideas. If you are not going to be reachable it will be hard for a sitter to determine the next course of action.

 If you are seeing multiple points of concern, then you should consider waiting to travel until your pet is more stable. We are concerned for both your pet, who is not feeling well already, and the safety of the sitter who will be handling your pet in close quarters. If you think this is a good time to travel, then we have multiple steps to make sure it goes smoothly!