Search Results for: blog preparing your pet for a kennel stay

Should You Get Your Dog A Flu Shot?

Today in “vaccines I didn’t know existed for dogs” (last time it was for Lyme disease): canine influenza. That’s right, you can get a flu shot for your dog. Pet website ZooToo takes a look at it. Apparently, dog flu is a thing. I have to say I’ve never heard of it, not the way I’ve heard about bird or even pig flus. The difference is that while those strains can pass to humans, canine influenza doesn’t. It’s basically just dogs getting the flu, in a particular strain that won’t infect us. So while we might have to worry about … Continue reading →

Beware If Your Pet Gets Hurt During a Kennel Stay

Just as Aimee (and most of us pet owners) experiences separation anxiety when she has to be away from her pets for an extended length of time, so do I. But after what happened this last time we went away and came home from vacation to a hurt Murphy who needed surgery on his paw, I’m going to be even more anxious. And not at all inclined to entrust my Murph to any kennel. A Lesson in Responsibility Wayne and I learned very fast that the kennel was not going to accept any responsibility for Murph’s injury without us pressing … Continue reading →

Coming Back to Hurt Pets After Vacation

When Wayne and I went on our vacation to Alaska, we boarded Murphy in a “pet resort.” A neighbor watched the cats for us. (She graciously offered to watch Murph, too, but we didn’t want to overwhelm her. She has four kids, school had only started the week before so they were still getting back in that groove, plus she has two dogs –one of which is a new puppy with potty training problems– and a cat of her own. We didn’t want to add having to walk Murph four times a day to her To Do list.) Separation Anxiety … Continue reading →

Would You Know Your Dog?

Have you heard about the people who boarded their dog at a kennel while they went on vacation, but when they went to pick up their dog it wasn’t theirs? Or so they suspected. I first saw it on Inside Edition last week. The man, Ken Griggs, picked up his black lab and noticed on the ride home that the dog was more mellow than normal. It looked like his dog, sure, but it didn’t act like his Callie. After a little while longer he was pretty sure the dog he’d picked up wasn’t his. He asked the kennel about … Continue reading →

Planning for Pets When Emergencies Call You Away: A Checklist

Yesterday I wrote about what we’d do with our pets if an emergency called us away. Do you know what you’d do? Do you have a plan in place? If not, I created a list of things to think about and prepare for ahead of time. 1) If you take your pets with you, will you have a place to stay that welcomes them too? If you won’t be staying with relatives (or can’t), make a list of pet-friendly hotels in the area. (Before you need them, but confirm the pet-friendly status still exists when you book your room.) Use … Continue reading →

Code Red: Planning for Pets When Emergencies Call You Away

This has been in the back of my mind for a while now because Wayne’s grandparents are in their mid-80s and my parents are in their mid-70s. They all live in Denver, and while Wayne’s grandparents are relatively healthy, my parents have both been struggling with increasingly declining health. So I’ve been trying to put some plans in place in case we get the worst call any person can ever get. Just yesterday I asked Wayne what we would do in such an emergency. “You shouldn’t think like that. You attract what you think about, you know.” “I know, but … Continue reading →

Preparing For A Puppy

Puppies are so soft and adorable, aren’t they? I remember when we first got ours I rarely kept my hands off of her. They have that little puppy smell and all you want to do is love on them. Watching them waddle around, getting use to their new environment is such a joy. They tire so easily and when they do, your lap is the best bed ever. The weeks go by. The cute little puppy is now bigger and a little terror! The house has become a disaster area – newspapers are shredded, torn into little pieces ands strewn … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: When Vet Opinions Differ

I know I talk a lot about vaccines, both here in the Pets Blog and over in the Health Blog. The way I see it, immunization helps prevent diseases that would otherwise ravage the population. The one vaccine we require at the cats-only boarding facility is FVRCP — the upper respiratory combination vaccine. Cats from different families never come into physical contact with each other, but they are breathing the same air in the room. Some veterinarians believe that the FVRCP vaccine is good for three years; others feel that it only absolutely protects cats for one year. The vet … Continue reading →

What is FVRCP?

If you are a cat owner, your cat has probably received the FVRCP vaccination. But do you know what it does? The FVRCP vaccination protects your cat against three contagious diseases. Kittens receive four FVRCP injections, starting at the age of six to eight weeks. A booster shot is typically given annually, though some experts believe a less frequent booster shot would be just as effective. FVR = Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis. This is a severe upper respiratory infection that is most dangerous to young kittens and older cats. The virus is extremely contagious to cats, and is caused by a … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B

Though I spend most of my time working as a freelance writer, it’s a very lonely business. I sit at the computer most of the day — if I didn’t have to walk the dogs, I wouldn’t even have to get out of my pajamas some days! So I’ve been looking for a part time job, just to get out of the house once in a while. Today was my first day working at a cats only boarding facility. The boarding facility is attached to a cats only veterinarian (they also offer grooming services just for cats) — basically, just … Continue reading →