Guide
Leaving beef heart with a sitter while you travel
Updated
Beef heart treats for pet sitters work best when you do the arithmetic before you leave. Run the calculator for your dog's daily ounces, multiply by the days you will be away, leave that much in the resealed bag or in day portions, and write a short note that repeats the bag's directions in plain words.
What should you leave a pet sitter with beef heart?
Three things: the bag, the amount, and a note. The bag matters because the directions are printed on it, so the sitter has them even if the note goes missing. The amount matters because the sitter should never have to work it out. The note matters because a written amount is easier to check than something said at the door.
Leave the bag the way you would leave your car keys with a neighbor: in one obvious place, with the note on top. The listing calls beef heart shelf stable with no refrigeration needed, so there is no fridge shelf to clear. The bag says: "Close the heart bag again after opening and store it cool and dry." A kitchen cupboard away from the stove does it.
If your dog gets beef heart as a topper as well as a treat, say so. Leaving treats with a pet sitter works better when the sitter knows the amounts behind what you do, not just the habit.
How much beef heart should you leave for the trip?
Your dog's daily figure, times the number of days. The treat budget calculator on our product page uses a 10 percent default and turns your dog's daily calories into ounces of beef heart. Multiply that by the days you are away and you have how much beef heart to leave.
We will not print an example, because the daily figure is your dog's and the day count is your trip's. Our guide on how much beef heart for dogs explains where the daily figure comes from if you have not run the sum before.
Leave the total and nothing extra. The bag says: "Not intended as a complete diet." A full bag with no stated amount leaves the sitter to guess.
What should the note to your sitter say?
The bag's directions, in the sitter's terms, plus the two things the bag cannot know: the amount and your phone number. A sample note, to copy and fill in:
- Daily amount: the ounces from the calculator, or "one container per day" if you weighed the days out before leaving.
- Treat or topper: whichever your dog is used to. Treat instructions for a dog sitter should say which it is, because the daily amount is the same either way.
- Water down before treats. The bag says: "Provide fresh water at all times."
- Stay with the dog while it eats; the bag's own direction is to supervise feeding.
- Snap pieces smaller if a whole one looks like a lot for your dog's mouth.
- Close the bag after each use and keep it in the cupboard where you found it.
- Wash hands after treat time (the beef heart is freeze dried raw).
- Who to call: you, and your vet's number under it.
Tape the note to the cupboard door or the bag itself. A note in a drawer is a note nobody reads.
How should the sitter store the bag?
The same way you do, and the bag tells them how. Reseal it after each handout and keep it somewhere cool and dry. The product page lists freeze-dried beef heart as shelf stable, so the sitter does not need fridge space and should not be surprised to find it in a cupboard.
If you portioned the days into small containers, those follow the same rule: lids on, cupboard shelf, away from heat. The bag does not state a shelf life, and we do not estimate one, so the instruction to the sitter is simply closed, cool and dry. Our storage guide covers the long version.
Tell the sitter where the scale is, if you own one and the note gives the amount in ounces. Otherwise, pre-portion and save them the step.
What about a boarding kennel?
Ask before you pack. Each kennel sets its own rules on treats brought from home, and the answer is the kennel's to give. A phone call before the drop-off is quicker than a conversation at the counter.
If the kennel does take treats for a boarding stay, label the bag with your dog's name and the daily amount, and hand over the same note you would leave a sitter. The directions are printed on the bag, so the staff have them without reading your handwriting.
Leave the bag resealed and the amount already counted, so the staff have nothing to work out.
Questions
Should I pre-portion the treats before I leave?
If you can, yes. Weigh each day's ounces into its own small container before the trip, so the sitter opens one container per day and never has to measure. It takes the measuring off the sitter's list, and it means the bag itself stays closed for most of the trip.
Does the sitter need to refrigerate beef heart?
No. The product page lists it as shelf stable, and the direction printed on the bag is to reseal it and keep it cool and dry. Put that direction in the note for the sitter.
Can the sitter use it as a meal topper?
Yes, if that is what your dog is used to. The bag says: "Feed as a treat or meal topper." Crumbled over the bowl or handed out as pieces, it comes out of the same daily amount, so the note should make clear that topper days do not add to the total.
What if the sitter runs out?
Then the dog has had the beef heart you planned for, and the trip finishes without it. There is no need for the sitter to go looking for more. If running out would bother you, leave the full amount plus the resealed remainder of the bag and say clearly which part is the plan and which is spare.
Should the sitter wash their hands after treats?
Yes. The bag says: "Wash your hands after handling it." Beef heart is freeze dried raw, so the hand washing line belongs in the note next to the amount. The note makes it a direction rather than a habit.
Will a boarding kennel give my dog its own treats?
That is the kennel's policy to set, so ask when you book. If the answer is yes, label the bag with your dog's name and the daily amount, and the bag's printed directions cover the rest.