First of all, you are to be commended for caring so much about this dear little Maltese's suspected health problems. I hope I don't sound harsh, if I do, please forgive, but here's my take.
1) If you are being paid to keep the dog, then you ARE a paid professional pet sitter. This may not be your primary source of income, but being paid takes you from the realm of being a friend taking care of little fido, to a pro.
2) It is not your responsibility to cause the dog to lose weight unless you and the owner have agreed upon a diet/exercise plan. In fact if it was me and I picked up my dog from a sitter and it was noticably thinner, I would be really pissed (unless, like I said, we had discussed a diet/exercise plan). I would assume that you had not taken proper care of my little chubby darling. If you were baby sitting a friend's child for six weeks would you arbitrarily put the kid on a diet without the parent's knowledge or permission?
3) It is your fiduciary duty to inform the owner of any suspected health problems the dog may have.
4) If you suspect that the little one has serious life threatening conditions, then a trip to his vet would be prudent.
5) The owner should have provided you with a care sheet including a feeding schedule, any meds, etc. that should be folled as closely as possible. |