Protecting Your Dog From Canine Influenza When Boarding
Posted on: 12 January 2016
When you are traveling and will be away from home for an extended period of time, one of the most difficult tasks that you can have is to leave your pet dog behind. As you plan your trip and schedule your dog for their stay at an animal boarding facility, one factor you may want to consider is how to prevent your dog from contracting a contagious illness like the canine flu. Before you panic and consider canceling your trip, get to know more about the canine flu and how you can be sure that your dog is as protected as possible when they are boarding. Then, you can rest assured that your dog will be well taken care of.
Check Your Animal Boarding Facility's Hygiene Policy
Canine influenza is contracted much like the human versions of influenza. This means your dog could get infected through airborne transmission like from coughing, sneezing, or the direct exchange of saliva. It can also be contracted through touching objects or sharing spaces with an infected dog.
As such, it is highly important to know your boarding facility's policy about hygiene, both for the spaces and objects that are common to all of the dogs in the facility as well as worker hand-washing and hygiene when they transition from interacting with one dog to another. Hand-washing or at the very least using hand sanitizer is very important before a worker switches animals.
If this is not the policy of the animal boarding facility, then you should look for another place to take your dog while you are away. You want to be sure that the health of all dogs at the boarding facility is the top priority of the company.
Ask About Kennel Cough Cases
Canine influenza often first appears to be an outbreak of kennel cough as the symptoms, such as a persistent cough and general malaise, are typical signs of both illnesses. The difference, of course, is that many dogs that get canine influenza may already be vaccinated against kennel cough.
So, be sure to ask the shelter or animal boarding facility if they have had a flare-up of kennel cough cases recently and how many dogs have been affected. If there have been several, your shelter may have a canine influenza outbreak that they are unaware of.
You will also want to find out what their policy is if a dog shows signs of such an illness to prevent the spread of the virus. This will help to give you peace of mind that even if an infected dog is in the kennel that your dog will be as protected as possible.
Now that you know more about protecting your dog from the canine flu when they are boarding, you can rest assured that you are doing everything in your power to care for and protect your dog even when you are away from home. Additionally, if your dog comes home unwell, you know what to ask about on your trip to the veterinary clinic for diagnosis and treatment.
To learn more, contact an animal clinic like Berlin Township Animal Hospital.
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