Other information:

 

Food is supplied, and included in the cost, but you're more than welcome to bring your own if you prefer.

 

Beds, bedding and bowls are also all supplied. A blanket and/or toy from home would be great, or more if you wish.

 

Kennel cough information and protocol 

 

Information  

 

Kennel Cough or Canine Cough, is the common name given to infectious bronchitis. Just like with humans and the flu, a number of bacteria and viruses can cause this illness. It can be caught anywhere there is a group of dogs - park, play areas, day care, boarding kennels or even at a dog owning family/friends’ house. There are a few symptoms but the most obvious is a hacking type cough, as if something were stuck in its throat. A runny nose or sneezing can also be symptoms. There are also many dogs which don’t show any symptoms at all yet still carry it for months. Appetite isn’t usually affected.

Due to kennel cough being airborne it can be spread very quickly. It can also be passed on by sharing a bowl, toy or other shared objects that an infected dog has not long used. Particles can stay in the air for around 4 hours, but can stay on objects for approximately 48 hours. A host, such as a dog, can retain these infectious particles for much longer.

The incubation period for kennel cough is between 2-14 days. Once any symptoms appear dogs are contagious for a minimum of 2 weeks and should not socialise with any other dogs during this time. Isolation is advised, however if walks are possible where no dog interaction can occur, it is recommended you walk your dog on a harness rather than a collar.

Although the symptoms of kennel cough can be a nuisance, medical treatment is not necessary unless it worsens (usually in puppies or elderly dogs where it can in rare cases lead to pneumonia). Some strains are worse than others though and may need a visit to the vet - it is recommended to stay outside the veterinary building rather than taking them inside to the waiting room. Antibiotics can kill the most common Bordetella bacteria in kennel cough cases, but anti inflammatories are more likely given by your vet to reduce the persistent coughing.

The nasal vaccine for kennel cough (Bordetella bronchiseptica and parainfluenza virus) can be given to a puppy as young as 3 weeks old and can provide protection for a year. As there are many strains it cannot guarantee protection against them all, however symptoms should be lessened at least. Many of the other infections that aid kennel cough are included in the yearly booster all dogs receive. The vaccine takes up to two weeks before it takes effect and provides adequate immunisation cover. It is a live vaccine too which means it can sometimes cause some dogs to get mild symptoms, which can then be passed on by coughing/sneezing.

 

Our Kennel Cough Protocol

 

All dogs must be vaccinated against both the annual booster (parvovirus, distemper, adenovirus, hepatitis and leptospirosis) AND kennel cough at least 2 weeks prior to boarding. Any dog having received the vaccine under this 2 week period will not be allowed to board with us.

Your dog’s vaccination record book must be provided on arrival. Without it we cannot look after your dog on that occasion - this is because we can no longer obtain information from your vet due to data protection reasons.

Please wait outside the reception on arrival, or leave your dog in your car, so we can assess whether your dog is healthy (and isn’t showing any symptoms that can be passed onto other dogs while in our care) before coming into the kennels.

If any symptoms were to appear in the kennels, we would take this dog out of the group and isolate them straight away. We may call you at this point to see if anybody can come and pick them up, but we appreciate you may have limited options - please make this clear with us on arrival.

We will be honest if we get any cases here, but also hope honesty is returned - if your dog has been coughing, sneezing or had a runny nose in the two weeks prior to boarding with us, please let us know. Unfortunately, we cannot look after them at this time, but your dog will also not be potentially responsible for passing it onto many others. If you are unsure, please contact your vet beforehand.

Diseases are unfortunately inevitable within a community like ours where dogs interact regularly. We will stay strict on our cleaning and vaccine protocols to try and prevent any further incidents, but we know well that this isn’t always going to prevent an outbreak.

 

If anybody is concerned at any point, feel free to contact me:

Caroline - castlefarmboardingkennels@gmail.com