Holidays

On my last bit of work experience on Friday we had 2 cases of post holiday problems.  We had a dog with kennel cough and a cat that was very stressed after being at a new cattery. So I thought I would do a post on the advantages and disadvantages of leaving your pet and different options of doing so.

Advantages:

• If travelling abroad other countries are quite strict on animals and it is a lot of hassle.
• Saves long stressful journeys for your pet.
• Some pets such as horses you cannot realistically take on holiday.
• Gives you a holiday from looking after your pet, sometimes after looking after your pet 24:7 a break can be nice!
• It is quite costly taking your pet places.
• Some places have no pets policies.

Disadvantages:

• Of course you will miss your pet.
• Finding it somewhere to go.
• Some pets have separation anxiety issues and find it very hard to be left.
• A change in daily routine or surroundings could be stressful for your pet.
• Kennels may expose your pet to microorganisms-kennel cough etc.

Friend/Neighbour/Family: You could leave your pets with neighbours, friends or family which would be cheaper than kennels and less stressful for your pet as they have a familiar face but make sure your pet is micro chipped if possible and leave with them your vets and your number in case anything was to happen.  It is useful for whoever you are trusting does have some experience with which ever type of animal you are leaving with them so they could spot if anything was wrong.

Boarding kennels/cattery: As long as you have an accredited/reputable one these are very good at spotting any potential problems. (The one I did work experience at took a dog to the vets the prior week as it had suffered a stroke!).  They do ask that your pet is fully up to date with vaccinations.  The one I was at did not insist on the kennel cough vaccine (but as it was a live vaccine it had to be done 3 weeks prior to arrival) but I would recommend you vaccinate your dog against kennel cough if it has contact quite often with other dogs.  The one I saw on Friday had had kennel cough twice, once from a beach and this one from kennels.  But this option is more expensive than having it at family and friends.

One of the kennels at the boarding kennels I did work experience at.

Home boarding: Some people do run a home boarding system that is more expensive than boarding kennels but have less dogs and keep them in a home environment to reduce stress.

And don't forget that if your pet shows any signs of stress or kennel cough after being away to take a trip to the vets.