tella.
o
Boarding and day care facilities also require Borde-
o Owners should discuss their dog’s lifestyle to design a safe and appropriate vaccination protocol for their dog. • Owners are responsible for providing proof of adequate protection to the facility. o Some facilities send reminder notices to owners a few days before their dog is to be dropped off, but this will vary from facility to facility. It is the dog owner’s responsibility to make sure the facility receives this information. o The facility can and usually should refuse services to a dog whose owners have not provided proof of adequate protection.
Other Health-Related and Preventative Requirements
• Proof that the dog is receiving adequate protection against pesticides and parasites. o Flea and tick. o Heartworm. o Miscellaneous parasites like ringworm, roundworm, etc. • Proof of negative fecal exam. o Some facilities require annual proof, while others require semi-annual. o Owners are responsible for supplying proof of a negative fecal exam. • Proof of healthy wellness exam. o Many facilities require proof that the dog has received a wellness exam within the last year before allowing a dog to stay. o If the dog is new to the facility, staff may require that the exam has been performed within the last six months. o Animal care facilities have the right to turn away dogs whose health they feel will be at risk. • Risks include, but are not limited to, contagious diseases, illness which cannot be proven to be communicable or non-communicable, pain-induced aggression, general senior pet-related ailments, aggression, moderate to severe fear or anxiety, isolation or separation anxiety symptoms, etc. o Animal care facilities have the right to turn away dogs whose health they feel will be a risk to other guests and/or the staff. • Risks include, but are not limited to, contagious diseases, illness which cannot be proven to be communicable or non-communica-
pet care
ble, pain-induced aggression, general senior pet-related ailments, aggression, moderate to extreme fear or anxiety, isolation or separation anxiety symptoms, etc. • Proof of good health for dogs new to the home. o In addition to proof of a healthy wellness exam, many facilities require that dogs have been in the home for at least two weeks before being allowed to stay. • Dated paperwork from the breeder, shelter, rescue, etc. can be presented as proof. • This may be required, in particular, for dogs who were acquired via a shelter, rescue, pet store, puppy mill, etc. o Some facilities require that dogs who have been in the home for less than two to six months are seen by their personal vet before boarding, even if the dog was recently seen by a vet while under the care of the breeder, shelter, rescue, former owner, etc. o If the dog was found as a stray, received as a gift, taken in from a friend or family member, etc., owners may be asked to provide proof of a healthy wellness exam dated within the last two weeks to six months. In the second part of this article, I will outline the specific vaccinations that are usually required for a dog to attend a day care or boarding facility, as well as some of those that are region-dependent and are not usually required. n
References
Messonnier, S. (2015). Animal titer testing FAQs. Available at: animalwellnessmagazine.com/animal-titer-testing-faqs
Resources
American Veterinary Medical Association: avma.org/Pages/home.aspx American Animal Hospital Association: aaha.org/default.aspx Dr. Jean Dodds: hemopet.org/education/jean-doddsveterinarian.html Dr. Ronald Schultz: vetmed.wisc.edu/vaccination-guidelines-2016 PetMD: petmd.com
Lauri Bowen-Vaccare ABCDT is the owner of Warren, Kentuckybased Believe In Dog, LLC (believeindog.weebly.com) and is an honors graduate of Animal Behavior College, with a specialty in training shelter dogs. Her focus is on the dog-human team, and she specializes in reactivity, resource guarding, fearful and timid dogs, bringing outside dogs in, and outside pet dogs. She also advises and assists trainers who want to cross over to force-free training.
BARKS from the Guild/July 2018
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