Complications from Dog Walking in Summer (non-boarding)?
Hi, So I have a dog walking client (non-boarding) & this is my first time walking her in the summer. She's an energetic little beagle and I've been walking her for 30 min 5 days/week with no problems and when it got warmer I started walking her on a shaded forest path to avoid the glaring sun and hot pavement.
It's been around 81 degrees recently and unfortunately, the last two times after I've walked her, she's vomited: once in my car and once when I brought her back in her house. She wasn't panting and her gums were pink (not white, which is supposedly a sign of heatstroke), and her skin bounced back so that was a good sign & I decided to check back on her a few times after I left to make sure she was okay.
This second time we took it easier and I made sure to bring water and a bowl to take a water break and I shortened the walk by a bit so we didn't have to walk up a small hill.
I should have told her owners after the first time but after a few hours after vomiting I knew the dog was okay & I didn't want to immediately get into a discussion where I might officially shorten the walk and change my rate (which possibly would continue into colder weather) without really thinking it over first. I also didn't want to scare the owners since she was fine hours later. & there were no signs of heatstroke besides the vomiting.
I am going to contact the owner today about the second instance of vomiting but I want some ideas first.
It's also worth noting that she often has some gastrointestinal irritation which could be contributing to this, and it's possible that being in the car after a warm walk makes her dizzier.
Have you been in this situation? Did you shorten your walk & start charging less? What are the common changes to make here?