What to Expect

What to expect from your dog’s stay with us?

Much like sending a child off to school for the first time or to their first overnight sleepover, there are certain things that parents all worry about. How will they get along with the other kids? Are they going to like the food? What if they don’t eat what’s provided? What if they get sick? Being a dog owner and leaving your dog for their first boarding stay is no different and the concerns are similar. To help ease your mind, here’s a list of things to keep in mind about your four legged friend’s first stay – these are all normal and are no cause for alarm, so let that put your mind at rest a little more.

EATING

For already fussy eaters, being introduced to a new place with a new schedule can be all the reason they need to pick at their food or ignore it entirely. During their stay, the staff will make a note of meals that your dog miss and will make adjustments to their diet according to the information we have in the system regarding their dietary needs, as well as our experience from other dogs. If your dog misses meals, we’ll go ahead and use incentives as a means to try and get them to eat. We can use tasters such as Butchers meat or Chappie tinned food to add to their meal if they are on Arden Grange kibble which we provide. Even regular, happy eaters can sometimes be stressed by the change in routine, prompting them to act unlike themselves with regards to their eating. This is a larger issue in slightly more anxious or older animals, so if your dog falls into either of those categories, don’t be too surprised if their eating is a little sporadic.

ILLNESS

Though we do require your pet to be fully vaccinated, sometimes dogs still do go home with a bit of an upset stomach. If eating our house food, this can often be caused by the sudden switch from their usual food over to what we have on hand; as a general rule, dogs should be introduced to new food gradually, to prevent this kind of indigestion. If you’ve brought their food with them, then diarrhoea is most likely caused by stress induced gastroenteritis. Most domesticated animals are familiar with their routines and a change to such a regular situation can cause them stress. This in turn has some physical manifestations in the form of inflammation of the gut lining, causing loose stool. Rest assured that the stress is simply something that comes with a change in usual; much the way that humans can be stressed by the simple act of changing a work shift, or eating dinner at a different time. If your dog does come down with some diarrhoea while they’re visiting with us, we can try them on a more sensitive kibble and add some Chappie to their diet which can be a great option for handling digestive upset.

If for some reason, your pet is under the weather for any other reason while they stay with us, our staff will promptly get in touch with you and the veterinarian on record if necessary to bring them in and get them checked out, so they’ll be back to their usual selves in no time. If for some reason we’re unable to get an appointment with your vet, we’ll use our emergency vet locally. Rest assured that we’ll keep you up to date with your dog’s progress and what the outcome of any visit is.

LETHARGY

There is a very good chance that when your dog comes home, they’re going to be very tired. This isn’t because they aren’t given enough time to rest, but that they are stimulated and interested as to what is going on around them. They are interacting with other dogs and socialising even if they aren’t necessarily running and playing. As you may have experienced, even the simple act of socialisation for long periods of time can take its toll on your energy level. When they finally get home from their stay with us, often they need a day or two to get back to their normal energy levels, once they’ve settled back into their regular schedule. Unless this lethargy is prolonged, there’s no reason to be alarmed.

WATER INTAKE

Though the dogs have access to fresh water all day, often they’re simply too excited and busy to remember to drink. This means that when they finally slow down at home, their water intake may greatly increase. We monitor dogs in the kennels for signs of heat exhaustion and dehydration and will bring them inside and provide extra water to them, if we notice them suffering from either of these conditions. Some of our kennels are designed for this reason and are kept away from the direct sunlight. Much like kids when playing they need to be reminded to have a drink. They simply don’t realise how long they’re going without water and when they do drink, they have to make up for several hours of being too busy with their friends.

WEIGHT LOSS

With the increased level of activity that the dogs experience while they’re with us, it’s not uncommon for them to lose a little weight during their stay. This is particularly true of long term stays (seven days or more). To monitor this, long term stays are weighed on arrival and we monitor their weight during their stay if they are not eating what has been scheduled for them. For long term stays, we’ll also go ahead and get permission from you to increase the amount of food we feed them each meal. If you bring your own food in for your pet and your dog is particularly active or reactive to what is going on around them then we do suggest to add extra as we may need to increase their feeding times.

FRESHLY SMELLING DOGS

Don’t forget we have a grooming salon on site, so If you would like your dog to return home smelling fresh and clean please speak with a member of the team on arrival so we can arrange this for you!