A dog on medication while you travel
Pills, insulin, older or recovering dogs: how to choose the right walker and what to write down so nothing goes wrong.
Choose by special care
On dogwalking.pt, filter by "Oral medication" or "Injections". Those walkers have given dogs medication before and know how to hide a pill in a treat or give a subcutaneous injection. Agree it before the first service (at the first meeting, if the walker offers one): show how you do it, and watch the walker do it once.
Write everything down
- Name of the medicine, dose, time, with or without food.
- How your dog takes it best: in a treat, mixed into food, straight into the mouth.
- What to do if it vomits or refuses.
- The vet's phone and permission to take your dog there, with a spending limit.
Insulin and diabetic dogs
Insulin usually goes with meals, twice a day, 12 hours apart. With times that strict, overnight stays or boarding with the walker are often safer than separate visits. Leave the insulin in the fridge, the syringes next to it and a log sheet. The walker marks on the report that the injection was given; you see it at once.
Older and recovering dogs
Short solo walks at your dog's pace, never in a group until the vet says so. Tell the walker what is normal for your dog so they notice what is not: drinking much more, not eating, limping, coughing, tiring halfway through a walk. After surgery, write down what your dog may and may not do (stairs, jumping, running).
When it is better not to travel
In the first weeks of a new diagnosis, or with an unstable dog, postpone if you can. A walker gives the medication; they do not replace the vet.
Frequently asked questions
Do walkers charge more for medication?
Usually not for pills. Some charge a little more for injections. It is on the profile.
What if the walker cannot get the pill in?
They tell you in the report and try again at the next outing. If it fails twice, they call you and the vet.
See who is free on your dates
None of these fit? Make an open request and free walkers reply.