I feel terrible but am I supposed to offer to pay the vet bill
I have been a dog sitter for a few years now and have only ever had to take a dog to the vet once before for a uti. I’ve been watching a dog for a few days who lives at a house with a large garden and many fruit trees/plants that are currently in season and on the instructions sheet the owner mentioned that the dog might try to eat the fruit so feel free to drag/bribe her away. I have removed chunks of apples from her the dog’s mouth a few times up to this point, but the real problem is the massive grape vines they have suspended over the walk and driveway. I know that grapes are bad for dogs and have been diligent about hurrying her through the driveway for walks (there is no other way out/in the door except under the grape vines; the other door to their house requires a key to open even from the inside or else I would have avoided the area all together).
Unfortunately, a couple of nights ago very late when we were out for a last pee before bed, I momentarily forgot about the grapes while tossing the poop in the garbage and look up at the stars for a second. It was dark and I didn’t realize the dog had her nose down until after about 5 seconds at which point I yanked her back by her harness, but it was too late. She had clearly gotten to some of the many fallen bits. I did not realize how serious a poison grapes were until after my immediate research which obviously led me to calling a local 24 hour emergency vet who advised that I bring her in immediately to induce vomiting. Of course I rushed there and was able to stay with this very anxious dog the whole time, and fortunately my estimated number (5-6 small grapes max) was consistent with what they were able to get up. Based on the dog’s size, the vet said that she was confident this was not enough to be toxic to her, so the only charge is for the visit and the vomit inducing injection.
I texted the owner extensive information both about what happened as well as all of the vet’s information/instructions and the next morning I received a text thanking me for taking care of the dog and informing me that they were not aware of how serious grapes were for dogs and that they would be taking her out the other door while they are in season. I have been even more obsessively careful now after this scare since I can’t use the other door (no key), but this really feels like it could have been avoided by me if I had just been paying better attention and not dallying that night. I pride myself on my diligence, and I did not hesitate to take her to the vet, but now that the owners have told me that she has definitely eaten them before and been fine I am wondering if they think I overreacted/will be annoyed about the vet bill (which is almost exactly the same as what they owe me for their whole trip). Should I offer to waive the payment to me and have that money be used to pay the er vet bill since I knew that the grapes were bad (I swear I didn’t realize how bad) and let her eat some anyways? I don’t want to lose this client, as the dog is so wonderful and it would feel like such an utter failure on my part (it already does but this would be even worse). I’m just not sure how to proceed here.
(I have OCD and have not been able to stop ruminating about this; please let me know if this is just me being crazy)
Edit: Thank you all for your insight. I am going to offer a discount on my rate for my mistake, but leave the vet bill to them. I know that I made the right decision by taking the dog to the vet, but it’s good to know that no one else is questioning that part, especially from owners who have commented (I always want to know what I can be doing better from the owners perspective so I can be better). I will continue to educate myself and learn from the part that was my own fault. Luckily, the vet left notes in the discharge paperwork about grape toxicity so the owners can alter their routine accordingly to mitigate any future issues for this dog.
Edit 2: So I did what I said that I would do and gave a small discount on my rate, but they got back to me stating that they think it is fair that I pay half of the vet bill because I did not call for their consent though they understand that I was “acting conservatively”. The vet that I brought her to as well as the ones here have all confirmed that I was not being conservative as it was a very serious situation. I informed her that even if she had said she would not pay for the vet beforehand I still would have brought her in and payed because I care deeply about her dog. I said she could pay me what she thought was fair and politely requested that she not reach out to me to watch her dog again. I urged her to consider training the dog if they aren’t willing to get rid of the grapes altogether. Perhaps I worded my response a little more strongly, highlighting the danger of the situation they left me in, mentioning their negligence in choosing to be ignorant. I love their dog, but I cannot work for people who don’t treat their dog’s health with proper gravity.