While pet parents relish time spent with their four-legged friends, sometimes you'll have to go somewhere that your beloved pet can't safely accompany you, so you may need to board them. Here, our Douglasville vets explain medical boarding, how it differs from other options, and when it may be a good option.
What Are the Options for Pet Care?
If you'll be gone for a prolonged period of time and aren't able to take your pet with you, there are three standard categories of pet care available: sitting, pet boarding and medical pet boarding.
Pet Sitter
A pet sitter is similar to a babysitter for kids. Your pet sitter may be a hired professional or a friend or family member. While the level of service pet sitters offer varies, a sitter's primary role is to check on your pet periodically and administer food, take care of your kitty's or pooch's bathroom breaks and engage in social playtime.
Pet Boarding
Also sometimes referred to as a kennel, pet boarding services offer physical locations for pet owners to bring their pets and leave their animals to be cared for. In recent years, service levels available from pet boarding facilities have increased significantly. While some facilities provide standard bare bones services that care for your pet's essential needs, others provide more of a summer camp-like atmosphere with a range of activities to keep your animal occupied.
Yet others are more like spas, where pets can be pampered to their heart's content. Since services vary, we recommend pet owners visit any facility they are considering to confirm it is clean, safe and deserving of their business.
Medical Pet Boarding
Medical pet boarding offers all the services you'd get with regular pet boarding, but with an added perk: close supervision by a vet and their staff.
When Does My Pet Need Medical Boarding?
The three types of pets that are highly recommended for medical pet boarding are pets with pre-existing conditions, extremely young pets, and senior pets.
Medical boarding is for pets that may need extra care or have existing medical conditions. A pet sitter or normal boarding facility may not be trained in the proper way to administer medications, especially if it involves needles. This is a major advantage of medical boarding; the staff is trained professionals that can understand your pet's medical history and give medication and adjust doses if there are issues. They also know what symptoms to watch for based on your pet's medical condition/history.
Requirements for Medical Pet Boarding
Most regular pet boarding requires that the pet being boarded is vaccinated with a list of required vaccines. They will also state whether or not you are allowed to bring toys, bedding, or food for your pet. With most medical boarding the rule still holds for the vaccination requirement but double-check with them to see what their policy for vaccination is for pets being medically boarded.
While locations may allow toys and bedding from home for pets under normal boarding circumstances they may or may not allow it for the pet that is being medically boarded, for the reason of keeping the environment hygienic. Double-check the specifics of the policies on medical boarding at your chosen boarding facility.
You will be expected to bring any medication your pets are currently prescribed. It is often recommended that you bring your pet's own food, especially if it is a prescribed diet from your vet.
Medical Pet Boarding Near Douglasville
When you need to board your pet for any length of time, you want to leave them with a trustworthy, reliable care provider who can look after any needs your animal may have, and make them feel comfortable while you're temporarily out of town. This is doubly true if your pet has just come out of surgery or is dealing with any type of illness.
We offer medical pet boarding services for dogs and cats near Douglasville, provided by a team of trained professionals who care for sick and recovering pets with love, skill and dedication. From closely monitoring your four-legged friend to administering medications and spending quality time with your animal, we're here to do it all - and address any questions and concerns you may have along the way.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. Please make an appointment with your vet for an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition.