Handled With Care: Special Needs Pets Part 2

Good pet sitters do a lot more than just feed and clean up behind your pets when you're away from home. They provide comfort, play, exercise, and emotional support, as well as much needed stimulation, and in some instances, administer medication.

In the September Petit Pet Care blog post we delved into The Special Care of Special Needs Pets. This month we're going deeper into the topic, specifically as it pertains to the medications and senior pet needs of some of our own clients.

Our client, Stevie, is fed a special high fiber cat food for issues with hairballs and constipation. His liquid medication, administered every other day, is given to him by mouth with a syringe.

Sometimes managing the care of a special needs pet is easy, such as just making sure they get what they need at a scheduled time, and sometimes it can be challenging such as when a pet resists being given their medication.

Most medication comes in pill form. With dogs you can generally put their pill in some food and they will happily gobble it up. Cats are another story and may require a more creative approach such as hiding their medicine in a pill pocket or crushing their pill into a powder.

Our client, Noelle, a senior kitty, has Intestinal Cancer and requires a steroid pill which she gets in a pill pocket, and chemotherapy that has been compounded into a chew. She also has probiotics mixed into her wet food.

Our client, Jackson, (featured on the blog in August) requires medication for seizures and heart problems. He lives with two other dogs, so medication time becomes treat time for everyone. He gets his pills in a blob of cream cheese, and the other two dogs also get blobs so they don't try to eat his. 

Our client, Tillie has hyperthyroidism*, and because cats have such a fast metabolism requires her medication twice a day. Like many cats, she fights being given a pill and even figured out how to eat the pill pocket and spit out her medicine. As a result her medication has been compounded into a transdermal cream that now gets rubbed into the inside of her ear twice a day.

*Our client, Ramona, pictured in the September blog post, also has hypothyroidism and gets her pill in a blob of cat food.

If you've followed the Petit Pet Care blog for a while, you probably remember our client, Winnie, who gradually lost control over her back legs and bladder. She had to wear special diapers with a hole for her tail indoors and her person got her a set of wheels so she could maintain some mobility.

Having trouble getting your fur kid to take a pill? For dogs Christy recommends hiding it in either peanut butter, cheese, cream cheese, or wet food, especially cat food. For a cat who can be coaxed into letting you open its mouth, try and drop the pill as far back of the mouth as possible, then close the cat's mouth and stroke it's throat to encourage it to swallow. 

If your cat is still uncooperative you can try a pill gun like the one in this You Tube video:

Looking for resources on special needs pets? Check out these links

Caring For a Pet With Special Needs

Choosing a Pet Sitter

Hiring Someone to Watch Over Your Pets?

Want to find out if you are in the Petit Pet Care Service Area? Click Here

The Special Care of Special Needs Pets

This month at Petit Pet Care we're shining the spotlight on special needs pets, those sweet, unconditionally loving companions that require just a little bit more of our time and attention. Medical issues such as diabetes, behavioral issues such as anxiety, even old age, all present a unique challenge in caring for these very special animals.

One of our special needs clients, Ramona.

Once upon a time there were limited options for just about everything from what pets ate to the type of medical care they received. Fortunately, today's modern technology and the many advances in veterinary care mean that our furry, feathered, and finned family members can live longer and enjoy a much better quality of life than pets of the past.

Finding someone to care for your special needs pet when you have to be away from home presents yet another unique challenge. You need someone comfortable with administering medications, able to read body language, identify signs of distress, skilled at calming anxious animals, patient enough to manage potty accidents with compassion... the list goes on.

Senior pets may have issues that make boarding a non-option. Companion animals that require medication need someone patient to drop in on them who isn't squeamish. Dogs are easy; hide the pill in some food and they don't even notice it's there. Cats are a different story; they may require some coaxing, and because of their fast metabolism, those with certain illnesses will likely require a dose of medication during the workday.

Our client, chad who requires an insulin injection twice a day.

Most medication comes in pill form, but some animals may require an injection. At Petit Pet Care we have attended to a variety of special needs animals including Christy's own beloved Gonzo who suffered from cancer and had to have her leg amputated. If you have perused our web site at all you may have read that Christy started pet sitting for others while training to be a Veterinary Technician, and early on worked at Zeus' Place as well. 

Though Christy decided to leave the Vet tech program to be a full time pet sitter, she is pet CPR certified and has a wealth of special needs pet experience including bottle feeding, administering medications in pill form as well as topical creams and injections, pets with dental issues and mobility problems, as well as those with incontinence issues.

Our client, Winnie, had mobility issues and had to wear a diaper indoors.

In-home pet sitters minimize stress for companion animals and provide peace of mind for their pet parents. In New Orleans in particular, where we live with the ongoing threat of storms, flooding,  and the possibility of power outages, having a sitter who can accommodate pets with special needs is a huge bonus for anyone who works long hours or travels often.

At Petit Pet Care we understand a little extra time and effort may be required in taking care of a special needs pet, "Loving care when you're not there," isn't just a slogan. We can also give our established clients a ride to the vet if needed.

For more information on the health, needs and care of special needs pets please visit:

Special Needs Pets
Pet Health and Safety
Senior Pet Central
Pet Adoption, Training, and General Care


Useful links:

Pet Sitter Instructions: What They Need to Know

Understanding the Special in Special Needs Pets