How do we handle payment for medical emergencies?

I’d suggest it’s best to ask at the meet & greet (along with other questions) who is their vet, would they want their pet to go there if something happened, and does their vet have their credit card on file with authorization to treat. Many pet parents are willing to share that information and a method of payment with their vet but may not think of it in advance.

In the absence of that arrangement, when the dog needs medical care, try contacting the pet parent to let them know what’s happening. If time allows, ask them if they want their pet to go to a specific vet. Keep the owner informed if you have an appointment time. While you’re at the vet, Contact owner and let them know what the charge would be and ask them if they want to call in their credit card info to vet, or you may offer a client the option to reimburse you in cash upon return.

Add’n: if the emergency charges are more than $250, the Rover “guarantee “may help reimburse cost to either the owner or the sitter.

I once watched 2 10 year old Pit Bulls who were also siblings,it was for 2 weeks at there house.I let them into the backyard for some fresh air and exercise as it had been snowing and the snow was 2 ft deep.Had to make paths for them to have a way out to potty.It was light and fluffy colo. snow so it was not too hard but the two of them got into a fight.Over a stick and one was injured to the point where I thought it needed to see a Vet. I texted the owners who were in Germany for the holidays and the Vat that the girl had told me they went too because it was the same one I take my dog too.From Germany I showed them by video that the dogs paw was facing backward and there was also a fairly deep laceration at the top inner thigh. The Vets office said they had not seen the dog since 2012 for puppy shots???? The owners told me not to take it to the vet and so I have been an RN for 30 years but was injured and could not work in the Er where I spent most of my time during those years. So I started looking around the house and found some hibiclens antibacterial and washed the wounds out with it and then gauze I found under the bathroom sink and pulled the edges of the laceration together and wrapped it with duct tape so she could not remove it..I splinted the leg with some cardboard soft cloth and duct tape and in 2 days took it off to see how the wound was doing.she could limp now but it was painful and the laceration was getting close/no signs of infection so I rewraped.I noticed that the lower leg and foot were getting better as she could put wt. on it and on the 4th day I unwrapped the laceration and the edges were approximated and it looked good.No more bleeding. By the time they got home it had been 10 days since the fight and she was still limping a little but on her way to healing.....I do not know why they did not want the Vet. to see her.. it was weird. So from then on I made it a point to get the Vet. info. from the owners and ask them to contact the vet and let them know it was ok for me to use my judgement and take the dog in if I felt the need to do so...Linda