Care for older dogs

A senior dog sitter who lets your old dog stay home.

Stiff joints, slowing senses, a fistful of pills, and a routine that should not change. An older dog handles your trip best in its own bed, with one patient sitter.

What a senior dog actually needs from a sitter, why home beats a kennel as a dog ages, how to brief the sitter on medication and mobility, and why the $22,000 Protection Plan on every Petme booking is worth most for the dogs with the most years behind them.

Find a Trusted Sitter0% owner fee. $22,000 Protection Plan on every booking.

Up to 90%

of every booking kept by the sitter

$22,000

vet expenses covered per booking

200k+

pet parents on the platform

4.9 / 5

average sitter rating

The short version

For an old dog, the right answer is usually home.

Dogs are generally considered senior from around age 7, earlier for large breeds, and an aging dog rarely travels well. Stairs are harder, eyesight and hearing fade, and there are often medications to keep on schedule. The kindest setup is its own home, its own routine, and one patient sitter who shortens the walks and watches for the off day. Every Petme booking carries $22,000 of Protection Plan, the cover an older dog with existing conditions is most likely to draw on.

What an older dog needs

Four things a senior-aware sitter handles differently.

Caring for an old dog is less about energy and more about patience and attention. These are the four areas where it differs from sitting a young dog.

Mobility and joint support

Arthritis makes stairs, slick floors, and getting up after a nap hard. A senior-aware sitter shortens the walks, adds rugs on tile, and knows how to support the back end of a stiff dog without hurting it.

Medication on schedule

Older dogs are often on joint, heart, thyroid, or pain medication, sometimes several at once. Timed doses, given with food where needed, are part of the daily job, not an afterthought.

Failing sight and hearing

A dog that cannot see or hear well startles easily and gets lost in its own yard. A patient sitter approaches in the dog’s field of view, keeps the layout unchanged, and never leaves a blind dog loose near steps or a pool.

Familiar surroundings

A senior dog handles your absence far better than a move to a kennel. Its own bed, its own smells, and its own routine keep an old dog calm in a way no boarding facility can match.

Why the protection matters here

$22,000 of Protection Plan on every booking.

Older dogs carry more existing conditions and are more likely to need a vet during a stay, whether a flare of an old problem or something new and sudden. An emergency visit for a senior dog can be expensive and frightening at once. Every confirmed Petme booking includes up to $22,000 through the Protection Plan at no extra cost, with no separate sign-up, in place for the full length of the stay.

Common questions

Everything else about senior dog sitting.

What owners of older dogs ask before they leave for a trip.

Is in-home sitting better than boarding for a senior dog?

For most older dogs, yes. A senior dog does best on its own routine in its own home, where the floors are familiar, the bed is the right one, and the stress of a strange, noisy kennel is removed. In-home care also means one sitter watching one dog, which catches a bad day early instead of in a crowd. In-home sitting vs boarding.

Can a sitter give my older dog its medication?

Yes. Oral pills, joint supplements, eye and ear drops, and timed doses are routine for experienced sitters. Leave a written list of every medication with its dose and timing, and walk the sitter through it at the meet-and-greet so nothing is guessed at while you are away.

My senior dog is incontinent or has accidents. Can a sitter manage that?

Many sitters are comfortable with the realities of an old dog: more frequent potty breaks, the occasional accident, washable bedding, and belly bands or pads. Say so honestly when you book, and pick a sitter who responds with a plan rather than hesitation.

How often should a sitter visit an older dog?

Senior dogs usually need more frequent potty breaks and shorter, gentler outings than younger dogs, so two to three drop-ins a day or an overnight stay is common. Dogs on medication or with weak bladders often need a fixed schedule rather than long gaps, which is easy to set when you book a specific sitter.

How much does a senior dog sitter cost?

Rates match standard in-home care, roughly $25 to $40 per drop-in visit and $40 to $100 per night for overnight sitting in 2026, with major metros at the higher end. Seniors often need more visits a day, which raises the total. On Petme owners pay 0% at checkout, so the rate on the profile is the total you pay.

What if my old dog has a health crisis while I am away?

Every confirmed Petme booking includes up to $22,000 through the Protection Plan at no extra cost, which is reassurance that matters most for a senior dog with existing conditions. Leave your vet and a 24-hour clinic in the written plan, and brief the sitter on your dog’s specific warning signs so help is never delayed.

Get started

Find a sitter your old dog will be calm with.

Meet the sitter first, walk them through the medications and the routine, then book with confidence. Petme charges pet owners 0% at checkout and includes $22,000 of Protection Plan on every confirmed booking.

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