Good boarders love animals and have nothing but the best intentions for your pet. However, the nature of boarding — having animals in close proximity to each other and never being able to guarantee that someone else’s pet is as healthy as yours — creates an environment where highly contagious infections and illnesses are easy to pass around. Even the best boarding facilities cannot completely eliminate the risk of transmissible diseases, but they can do their best to lower the odds of your four-legged friend getting sick!
If you recently boarded your pet while traveling and have noticed a change in your pet’s behavior, it could be from an underlying illness they caught from another pup. Be sure to keep an eye out for symptoms of these common, kennel-related illnesses, infections and infestations:
- Kennel cough — This illness is the most notorious for being spread in pet boarding and daycare facilities. Kennel cough is an infection of the trachea and air passageways that causes a harsh, dry cough. The inflammation can also cause difficulties with breathing, sneezing and a runny nose, as well as a fever.
- Parvovirus — Parvovirus, commonly referred to as Parvo, is a very contagious and serious disease that is usually spread through contact with infected feces and surfaces. Parvo is more dangerous for younger pups, but can be fatal for pets of all ages. The illness causes dehydration, bloody diarrhea, vomiting and loss of appetite.
- Stress — Boarding can cause stress during and after a kennel stay, especially if your pup has never been boarded before. Some common signs of stress are excessive whining, loss of appetite, pacing, shaking, aggression, diarrhea, vomiting and constant licking of the lips. If symptoms continue long after you pick up your pup, they could have developed long-term stress.
- Diarrhea — It’s not uncommon for pets to experience diarrhea after a kennel stay. Changes in diet and overstimulation can inflame the gut and trigger diarrhea. However, if the problem persists, your pup could have an underlying medical condition like inflammatory bowel disease or pancreatitis that only became noticeable after a stressful situation.
- Influenza — Like human influenza strains, canine influenza is contagious and easily spreads in boarding facilities. It presents symptoms similar to kennel cough, but also causes lethargy, eye discharge and reduced appetite. The risk of contracting canine influenza can be significantly reduced with a vaccine.
Boarding your pet does not have to end in illness! With careful research, you can find a safe boarding facility that promotes pet health and does its part to reduce the spread of these illnesses, infections and infestations.
If you’re looking for the best place in Indianapolis to board your pet while you travel, book them a luxurious stay with Priority Boarding & Daycare! As a veterinarian-owned business, we’ve made it our mission to provide Hoosier pets with the care that common boarding businesses often neglect. Our state-of-the-art facility requires certain immunizations and records before boarding and utilizes modern sanitizing systems and Permatek flooring that dramatically reduce the viruses and surface bacteria that cause common kennel-related infections. When you book with us, we will do everything in our power to make sure your pet returns in your arms as happy and as healthy as they were when you dropped them off with us!