Dog Boarding Business Tips – caring for sick and injured dogs
Someone asked me…
“Have you ever had to deal with a sick or injured dog in your boarding business?”
One of the not-so-fun times you’ll have with boarding dogs is when you have to deal with sickness or injury.
This is very rare, but stuff can happen.
It’s best to ask about any issues a dog has…like allergies, injury history, or tendency for sickness.
And it’s good to know the vaccinations are up to date.
All of this should be clear in the profile of the dog (if you are using Rover).
And you should ask about these at the Meet & Greet when meeting for the first time.
Luckily I haven’t had to deal with this a lot, but it has happened.
One time, a lab I was watching started breaking out in hives.
Because I only feed my guests the food and treats that the owners provide, I knew that this wasn’t caused by a food allergy.
I noticed that the hives would appear whenever he came back in from being in the back yard. It was in late Fall, so I figured bees or spiders weren’t the cause.
Eventually I realized he was allergic to the hay I put over the strawberry bed in the back yard.
He liked to investigate the raised bed whenever he went out back and would poke his head into the straw.
From then until he left I kept him away from the strawberry bed and he was fine.
Another time, I guest dog just had knee surgery about three weeks before his stay.
That was a little tougher because he is a Golden Retriever so he is used to being very active. His brother was with him, so I had to sneak him out for walks so the Golden wouldn’t get excited or jealous.
And I had to make sure the Golden stayed as calm as possible while indoors.
These are just a couple examples of the things you might possibly have to deal with.
The good thing about having one dog or family at a time as guests is that you can devote a little extra attention to a sick or injured dog.
Having more than one with you, especially if they are from different families, would make it more stressful…for the dog and you.
One thing I highly recommend is to make sure all the vet info is provided by the owner so you have that ready just in case something happens.
And if you are watching a dog that has just come out of surgery, I would ask the owner if they could notify the vet that you might call just in case there is an emergency.
You don’t want to have to scramble in the middle of the night if a dog starts having problems.
Again, it is rare that something really bad will happen if you are careful and attentive to your guests.
And if you’ve talked to the owners beforehand to get all the necessary medical information for their dog, you can prevent emergency situations. And if one occurs, you’ll be ready.
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