Boarding A Dog With Special Needs: 3 Important Questions To Ask
If you require the services of a dog boarder but your pup has special needs or a complex medical condition, you may be worried about finding a facility that can meet those needs. To better assist you in your search, outlined below are three important questions to ask and how the answers can affect your decision.
Have You Boarded a Dog With a Similar Condition Before?
When determining whether a kennel is right for your dog, it's important to know whether they have the proper experience to handle your pup.
While experience with a certain condition isn't necessary, it can certainly help to ease your fears. A kennel who has boarded a dog with a similar condition will likely know how to handle emergencies related to your dog's disorder, and may also know how to avoid making the condition worse. This can be especially important for dogs whose conditions aren't under control with medications, such as certain seizure disorders, and who may require medical attention at a moment's notice.
How Much Supervision Will My Dog Be Given?
Your dog may need specialized supervision during their stay, and this will heavily affect your decision when choosing a boarding kennel.
If your dog requires round-the-clock care, such as dogs requiring medications every few hours, you'll need a kennel that's staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Other situations that may require specialized supervision include dogs with injuries that may be made worse by certain activities or illnesses that are worsened by stress. If any of these things apply, you'll need to be sure to ask whether you can request a helper to stay with them at all times, or whether your needs will be more easily met with a pet sitter.
Are There Trained Vets on Staff to Handle Emergencies?
While you don't want to think about it, illness and injury can happen even when you're away from your four-legged friend. If your pup has special needs, this may even be a more likely issue, so it's important to know what levels of care will be available at all times.
Many traditional boarding kennels have veterinarians or other trained staff on during the day. If you're worried about your dog's condition worsening at night, however, you may need to seek a non-traditional route. Some options may be to hire a pet sitter with veterinarian experience, or boarding your dog at an emergency vet hospital that's open round-the-clock.
The questions above will give you a good head start when it comes to finding the right boarding facility for your pup. For more information about dog boarding, visit http://www.dailywag.com.
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