[yoshiposhi]

Hi,

Not sure if I've posted this in the right place but I had a question about options on boarding my puppy and the best way to avoid kennel cough.

Recently, my co-worker had left her bulldog at a boarding kennel when they went away for a few days and when they came back, Higgins got kennel cough. He is currently up to date on vaccinations but I understand that dogs can still get it.

Mia (my pit bull pup) will only be 6 months old when I go on vacation in June (for 10 days). I have been looking into boarding options and I had found this place near my work that had gotten really good reviews, and they have a deal for first time clients (since boarding can get pretty expensive). But after hearing what happened to my co-worker I'm really paranoid now.

I have looked into another option, it's similar to airbnb where regular people will offer their services (dog walking, sitting, boarding etc) and people will write reviews and it will also indicate if they've gotten repeat clients. I found dogvacay.com and pawshake.ca. Obviously you would contact them first and set up a meet-n-greet and check out their home. It would be a little sketch if they didn't have any reviews yet but I guess that's why they say Canadians are so trusting lol.

Has anyone had any experiences with using this kind of service?

Or....anyone in Vancouver, BC want to take care of an ADORABLE pit bull puppy for 10 days??? haha


Thanks!

 

[ChelseaMorning]

I've used and worked through Rover.Com (similar to dog vacay) and had excellent experiences as a sitter. Now as a trainer, I often recommend that my clients look there as an alternative to kennels. Definitly read reviews, but Rover does do some kind of basic background check and they have insurance for your home and pup covered under certain circumstances.

 

[DriveDog]

My understanding of kennel cough is that it is less severe than a vet wanting to sell you a bordetella vaccination might suggest. One should perform their due diligence and make their own appropriate decision. I'm more for the less vaccinations and chemicals going into my dog the better.....all within reason.

My current dog had kennel cough and it ran its course like a cold in a human, I don't know if that is typical but it was what I observed.

 

[yoshiposhi]

I've used and worked through Rover.Com (similar to dog vacay) and had excellent experiences as a sitter. Now as a trainer, I often recommend that my clients look there as an alternative to kennels. Definitly read reviews, but Rover does do some kind of basic background check and they have insurance for your home and pup covered under certain circumstances.

Ohhhh thanks! I will definitely check out that site! :thumbsup:

 

[yoshiposhi]

My understanding of kennel cough is that it is less severe than a vet wanting to sell you a bordetella vaccination might suggest. One should perform their due diligence and make their own appropriate decision. I'm more for the less vaccinations and chemicals going into my dog the better.....all within reason.

My current dog had kennel cough and it ran its course like a cold in a human, I don't know if that is typical but it was what I observed.

Yea my co-workers dog is feeling better now after a few days, vet said he probably didn't need antibiotics but poor guy was coughing and vomiting a lot for the first few days. My co-worker said Higgings has to avoid dog contact for 6 weeks?

I'm actually like that too, my shiba hasn't had vaccines since he was a puppy (he's 12 now), only got sick twice (pancreatitis) but because I'm considering dog day care for my pup, I didn't want her carrying/bringing back something home. Even though vaccines aren't 100%, I just wanted to be on the safer side.

 

[travelingswift]

We have pawshake over here where I am in Europe and I use it all the time -- both as a sitter and to find a sitter for my pups.

Honestly it's great and I've actually now met my closest friend here through it. Pixel, my shy pup, prefers the kennel/boarding situation more as she much prefers dogs to people (the kennel is a group-play/roam situation of 5-6 dogs at a time) but WE prefer she does home stays as it helps her get used to being in new places and with new people.

We've yet to have a bad experience, but we typically use the same one or two people and stick to them.

I've also dog sat for a bunch of people, and basically learned that other people's dogs are rarely as well behaved as mine. As a result, I'm WAY more selective now in what dogs I take and don't do much sitting anymore. But overall, I find pawshake to be a great site!

 

[yoshiposhi]

@travelingswift Thank you for the reassurance!!! I have been in contact with a woman from pawshake (that also has a bully breed dog) and we are to meet mid may for a meet-n-greet. She has some good reviews and a couple of return clients so that also helps put my mind at ease.


@ChelseaMorning I checked out that website but its only for the U.S.

 

[Pax]

On the other side of the coin Pax has probably spent 10% of his life at doggy day camps and boarding facilities since he was 8 weeks old and never once had a health issue. For me, the socialization and fun play time he gets far outweighs potential health risks. He can pick up something from anywhere so unless there is an outbreak of something in your area I would not hesitate for one second to board if your pup is fully vaccinated.

 

[patronizingrabbits]

Whether or not your dog gets kennel cough depends more on your individual dog than the kennel. How much contact your dog has had with other dogs growing up, how strong their immune system is, etc. While most kennels do extensive cleaning, it does not completely stop the spread of kennel cough. Unless your dog is very old or has an immune disorder, kennel cough is really not a big deal. It's just like a cold. It may knock them down for a few days, but they'll be fine. Also the quarantine time for kennel cough isn't 6 weeks, most vets around here recommend dogs stay away from others a week after symtoms stop.