Cardiff Prefers a Cage Free Option When Boarding
When considering your summertime plans, including your pet may not be the most appropriate choice for your particular circumstance. After all, there are many occasions when a pet’s presence may be impractical, unsafe or merely unwelcome. Although I strive to include my dog (Cardiff) in my daily activities and travel, I recognize that sometimes this is not possible and he may need outside care and supervision.
To board or not to board? This is a question I receive frequently which is why I’ve made it the next topic in Flexcin’s ongoing Summertime Safety Series. Canine or feline boarding can be in the traditional setting of a kennel, at a pet sitter’s house or even within the familiar environment of your own home.
What Boarding Environment Is Best for Your Pet?
Regardless of where your pet ultimately stays, it’s important to pursue the safest and healthiest option. Not all boarding environments are created equal and all harbor at least some potential to cause injury or illness to your pet (even your own home).
Traditional boarding facilities (AKA kennels) bring many animals together in a confined space which puts stress on a pet from the perspective of direct or indirect contact with other animals, pattern alterations (eating, sleeping/resting, bowel movement, urination, etc.), exposure to infectious organisms, and risks for trauma or toxicity.
Arranging for pet care services from a trusted family member or friend in your home is the best option; pets are most comfortable and least stressed when their environment does not change, even if their familiar humans are absent. If your pet is debilitated, juvenile (puppy or kitten), geriatric, sick, behaviorally challenged (aggressive, overly timid, etc) then choose the non-kennel option.
Infectious Agents
Even the seemingly cleanest kennels are hot zones for infectious organisms, so consider the serious health implications associated with boarding your pet. Your pet could enter the kennel completely healthy and behaving normally and come out sick and requiring veterinary attention.
Bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi have the potential to transmit among boarded pets and create mild to life threatening illness. Some of the most common infectious agents attack the respiratory and digestive tracts and skin including:
Respiratory
- Bacterial- Bordatella, Chlamydia, Mycoplasma
- Viral- Calicivirus, Distemper, Influenza/Parainfluenza, Herpes
- Bacterial- Camphylobacter, Salmonella,
- Parasitic- Giardia, Hookworm, Roundworm, Whipworm
- Viral- Corona, Parvo
- Fungal- Dermatophyte (Ringworm)
- Parasitic- Sarcoptic Mange