Why Every Pet Owner Should Choose an At-Home Pet Sitter through House and Home Sitters
You jump into the car with your family, ready to go on another road trip when the car makes an unexpected stop. As you make your way out of it, you’re met with the distant sounds of many people. You enter the building. A stranger takes you – your parents say goodbye – then leave. The stranger begins walking you to the back of the building. You hear the noise getting louder and louder, until you reach a locked door. As the door is opened, a terrible commotion erupts as you see dozens of others, locked in cages along the wall. The stranger finds an empty cage and puts you behind the cold iron bars. You are given only the essential things, a couple of food bowls and a measly blanket. The stranger shuts the door behind her and you are left feeling alone, scared and confused.
“Why would my family leave me here…?”
This is exactly how your pet dog or cat feels when he or she is left at the kennels. Your pooch doesn’t understand why he is being abandoned and most likely feels as though he’s being punished. Sure, he will be taken care of, but is that all you want to give your dog (or cat) – just to be taken care of?
Keep reading to hear what our expert U.S.Certified Veterinary Technician with a degree in Applied Science, and experience in pharmacology, surgical care, anaesthesiology and all aspects related to medical pet care, MaryBeth Miller, has to say about the hidden dangers of pet kennelling and why keeping your pet in their familiar home environment is infinitely the better option.
Traumatising Secrets behind Pet Kenelling
Not all pet boarding facilities are trustworthy.
Pet boarding facilities are required by law to follow guidelines established by the government and obtain certification, but not all kennels adhere to these laws. In a non-certified facility, kennels could be unsanitary and smell of faeces. These facilities may also be short on staff or have hired staff not qualified to work in a pet kennelling facility. A trusted kennel facility is one that is certified, follows boarding laws, has a veterinarian or animal specialist on its staff and allows you to visit the entire boarding area.
Transmission of Highly Contagious Infectious Disease
The chances of your pet catching a contagious infectious disease are greater when placed in a kennelling facility. Think of the first time your child entered school, all those children from different environments in one room. Before long your child was sick, but unlike children, catching a virus won’t make your pet’s immunity stronger. Infectious diseases such as Feline Leukemia or Canine Kennel Cough will not only make your pet severely ill, but could even be fatal.
Feline Leukemia: A disease that is passed from feline to feline though saliva, nasal discharge and urine. Feline Leukemia can cause a number of secondary infections as well as infertility, anaemia and even cancer.
Canine Kennel Cough: a highly contagious disease of the respiratory system, causing inflammation of the bronchi and trachea. Kennel cough can be fatal to infant, elderly dogs or those who suffer from a weak immune system. Kennel cough is transmitted from dogs touching noses or in close proximity to one another.
Just like school, a highly respected boarding facility requires all pets to be vaccinated before entering the kennels. However, not all pet owners keep up-to-date on vaccination schedules and even then, as we now know, vaccines do not always provide full protection.
Diet Changes Triggering Gastrointestinal Distress
Your pet eats a well-balanced, nutritional diet every day at home, but at a kenelling facility that steady diet changes. Think back to a time where you travelled to a different country or made a major alteration to your diet, what happened? You got sick. Diarrhoea, vomiting and an overall poor feeling occur when your pet’s diet is suddenly changed. Unless you are able to provide your own food, a kenelling facility will feed your pet the same food as every other dog/cat/bird in the building.
Stress
Humans are not the only creatures who feel and suffer from stress. Between being placed in the carrier, riding in the car, placed in a kennel with new sounds, smells and left with strangers, your pet is pretty stressed out. A stressed pet is an unhappy pet. Stress can lead to long term symptoms such as fearfulness, hiding, aggression and hair loss. Stress can also cause a decrease in immune response, causing a pet to become ill and suffer secondary digestive disorders.
At-Home Pet Sitting
Hiring a house and pet sitter to come to your home and look after your pet has an endless number of advantages for you as well as your pet. You will always know where your pet is, who is taking care of him and you won’t need to cut your trip short in order to pick up your pet before the kennel closes. The at-home pet sitter will give your pet close attention and because your pet is the only one he or she sees at a time, you know your pet will get the one-on-one attention he or she deserves.
Having someone come to your home decreases your pet’s stress level to almost zero. No stress of getting him into a carrier or car; stress which often causes motion sickness in dogs and cat. Your pet gets to stay in the comfort of his home, eat his own food, sleep in his own bed and receive exercise, as well as enjoying socialisation every day. The only missing factor is you, but in our experience, it is much easier for your pet to adapt to one change in his routine than several.
So, the next time you have a trip where you cannot take your beloved pet along, why not rather have House and Home Sitters provide you a professional at-home pet sitter? With so many advantages to having your pet looked after in his or her own home, the answer is clear… choosing an at-home pet sitter is infinitely the best choice for top notch pet care – whilst at the same time having the double benefit of protecting your home while you’re not there.
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