A few tips as you prepare for boarding your dog or cat

Traveling is inevitable whether it be for vacation, business or family emergency. Pet boarding is sometimes a necessity when no one else is available to help watch them while you are out of town. Below are a few things to consider in order to help your pets acclimate while they are being boarded.

• Although we feed a very high quality, easily digestible diet, changing foods suddenly often can stress the animal’s gut and can cause GI upset. By bringing your pet’s normal food, they will have one less thing to adjust to while they board with us.
• Please bring all of your pet’s medications, specific dosage instructions and be sure to indicate when the last dose was given.
• We ask that you bring all records of current medical conditions and vaccinations with you, or get the information to us prior to your pet’s reservation. . If vaccinations are due, ideally they should be updated at least 72 hours prior to being boarded in order to provide optimal protection. If that is not possible, we are happy to update vaccines and other testing to meet requirements while they board. (Vaccinations must have been administered at a licensed veterinary hospital to be boarded.)
• Please inform us one of our team members of any problems, illness or concerns that should be addressed while your pet is boarding with us.
• It is typically recommended that housemates be boarded separately in order to avoid any potential disagreements over toys, bedding or food. Even if housemates get along at home, sometimes being in an unfamiliar confined area may cause unexpected behavior. We exercise dogs three times daily and are glad to walk housemates together. When your pet is staying with us, it is important that our team monitor their food and water intake closely. This often becomes difficult when multiple animals are housed together.
• Please come prepared to leave plenty of contact numbers and/or other methods of communication in the event of a simple question or emergency while your pet is boarding.
• Be sure your pet is treated with a flea/tick preventative before they board. Each animal is thoroughly checked as they enter the facility, but as they are exercised outdoors it is crucial everyone be protected.
• As you would expect, boarding reservations are in high demand, especially around the holidays. We recommend scheduling your reservation as early as possible.

We are happy for you to tour our boarding facility at any time. Because we have a small staff, it is helpful if you call ahead to ensure that we have a team member available. Reservations or inquiries can be made online or by calling 434-525-2111. We look forward to having your pet stay with us!