When you call a pet boarding facility to watch your dog while you are on vacation, it is likely the facility may require a variety of things in order for your dog to stay there. One of the main requirements may be that your dog must be caught up on all its immunizations. This is done to protect your dog and the other animals at the facility, but there might be two other requirements as well. These are the Bordetella vaccination and a flu shot.
What Is The Bordetella Vaccination?
The Bordetella vaccination, also called the kennel cough vaccination, is not something your vet will typically suggest, unless you are planning on taking your dog places where other dogs will be present. This vaccination is designed to protect dogs against kennel cough, which is similar to a cold a human would get.
The symptoms of kennel cough include runny nose and coughing, and it is not usually a life-threatening problem. It can spread easily though, and it can make your dog feel tired and uncomfortable. If a dog has kennel cough, it can spread through the air to other dogs that have not been vaccinated. It can also be spread through direct contact.
Kennel cough is a bacterial infection, which means your dog may need to take antibiotics if it develops this condition. In some situations, vets may only treat it with a cough suppressant.
Preventing this condition is better than having to see your dog go through it, and you may want to consider having your dog get this once each year. Vets typically administer the vaccination intranasally, which means they spray the medication up a dog's nose.
Pet boarding facilities try to take all possible measures to prevent illnesses and diseases from spreading to pets they are watching. This is why your pet boarding facility might require this vaccination before they agree to keep your dog for you.
What Is A Pet Flu Shot?
Pet flu shots are relatively new and are not required for dogs; however, some pet boarders are now requiring these shots before a dog comes to the facility to stay. Dogs, just like humans, can develop the flu. This type of flu is called canine influenza and is caused by either the H3N8 virus or the H3N2 virus.
While these strains of the flu offer similar effects to dogs as the flu does for humans, they are not strains that humans can catch. The symptoms typically include fever, vomiting, and runny nose, but this varies. Some dogs can have the flu and experience no symptoms at all, while other dogs will experience multiple symptoms and could even die from it.
Canine flu can spread from dog to dog very easily. It can spread through direct contact or through the air, but it can be prevented through a flu shot. This flu shot is typically given in two different doses, which are lined up three weeks apart. They are injected into the dog, and dogs can get these two shots yearly if desired.
While the flu in dogs does not usually pose life-threatening risks, it can still cause problems for dogs. This is why many pet boarders are now beginning to require these vaccinations. When dogs get vaccinated against the flu, it reduces the risks of the pet boarding facility, and it protects all animals that are there.
Before you can take your dog to a pet boarder, there may be vaccinations you will need it to get. You can call a pet boarding facility such as The Pets Place Animal Hospital to learn more about these requirements or to schedule upcoming services.
Share30 October 2015
Our pets are like our children — they need to be cared for when we are away. After being a stay at home mom for many years, I had to make some serious adjustments when I reentered the workforce. My children are all grown, but my dog just can't be home by himself. I had to find a day care for him to go to when I went to work. I was conflicted — how do I choose the day care that will provide him with the love, care and attention that he is used to? This blog will provide you with the same tips that I was given that helped me choose.