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[rant] So I'm hoping to get some help on an issue I'm having. We are leaving for vacation in one week, and I need to board my dogs this time as the family we usually leave them with is out of the country. They have never boarded before. SO a little over a week ago, I boarded them for an overnight stay to get them used to the idea before leaving them for a week at a scary new place...I thought I was doing the right thing to reduce the stress of boarding.. The owner of the boarding place was honest and upfront with me about their risks of catching kennel cough. Yes, they were vaccinated for Bordetella... But that only covers that one strain of Kennel cough. The owner had mentioned that while no dogs at his facility were presenting symptoms my dogs were still at risk. Basically since they're never been boarded before, and since they have not come from the pound they are at a higher risk of contracting it if exposed... Basically if exposed, he told me they will get it. I was under the impression it probably wouldn't happen unless an asymptomatic dog came and exposed them. Well Lo and Behold, exactly 8 days before we leave for our vacation one of my dogs has started coughing. He's going to the vet today of course. The other one hasn't presented symptoms, but is on antibiotics due to some poo problems she's having.
But I'm really torn on what I should do here. I don't want to lose my non refundable plane tickets and cancel our vacation because our dog has a cold! At the same time, I guess boarding him (even though he got it from them) is no longer an option. I have not called the boarding facility yet to inform them of our dogs getting it. But I'm going to assume they probably wont accept them anymore. I read that they can be symptomatic for up to 3 weeks and contagious for up to 14 WEEKS after symptoms go away! If I get him on antibiotics does anyone know if they're still contagious during treatment? (These are questions I'm sure to ask the vet too). Has anyone had this happen and can offer some advice on what I should do? Should that boarding facility compensate me for costs incurred in either finding new arrangements or cancelling our non-refundable flights to stay home? Or, since this is such a common thing to happen, are they not liable? Do I need to inform my neighbors their dogs could get it? I don't have very good options for other arrangements. All potential family in town has dogs. One of which was my parents dog. I think we unwittingly exposed her to kennel cough over the weekend. If at their house they would be left alone for 12 hours a day while my parents work. But that's like asking "Hey my kid has chicken pox. Will you watch him and get your kids sick too so we can go out?"
The other is making my teenage brother with no transportation of his own live at my house for a week. Or have my somewhat unreliable friends house sit and hope everything is OK. They won't steal, they just fall through with plans at the last minute for dumb reasons. I'm in Wyoming. The whole state is basically a small town, lol. So I'm not sure how reliable those online pet sitters like Rover would be. Asking a stranger to house sit is like lighting a beacon that says "Rob my house please!" Does anyone know reputable companies I could look into to see if they're available in my area? Does anyone have any outside the box ideas I might look into? Quarantine boarding at the vet maybe? If that's even a thing?
I know kennel cough isn't a serious condition unless they're very young, very old, or immunocompromised. But if I would have realized that they were guaranteed to contract it, I wouldn't have test boarded them. I would have just dumped them at the place for a week, and dealt with the kennel cough when we got back. Instead I tried to reduce the stress my poor fur babies would endure with boarding, and have created a worse problem then my dogs believing I left them forever at the boarding kennel. I realize that sounds terrible but "Sorry we can't come. Our dog has a cold & we have to stay home" is probably one of the worst excuses to miss something I've ever heard too. [/Rant]
But I'm really torn on what I should do here. I don't want to lose my non refundable plane tickets and cancel our vacation because our dog has a cold! At the same time, I guess boarding him (even though he got it from them) is no longer an option. I have not called the boarding facility yet to inform them of our dogs getting it. But I'm going to assume they probably wont accept them anymore. I read that they can be symptomatic for up to 3 weeks and contagious for up to 14 WEEKS after symptoms go away! If I get him on antibiotics does anyone know if they're still contagious during treatment? (These are questions I'm sure to ask the vet too). Has anyone had this happen and can offer some advice on what I should do? Should that boarding facility compensate me for costs incurred in either finding new arrangements or cancelling our non-refundable flights to stay home? Or, since this is such a common thing to happen, are they not liable? Do I need to inform my neighbors their dogs could get it? I don't have very good options for other arrangements. All potential family in town has dogs. One of which was my parents dog. I think we unwittingly exposed her to kennel cough over the weekend. If at their house they would be left alone for 12 hours a day while my parents work. But that's like asking "Hey my kid has chicken pox. Will you watch him and get your kids sick too so we can go out?"
The other is making my teenage brother with no transportation of his own live at my house for a week. Or have my somewhat unreliable friends house sit and hope everything is OK. They won't steal, they just fall through with plans at the last minute for dumb reasons. I'm in Wyoming. The whole state is basically a small town, lol. So I'm not sure how reliable those online pet sitters like Rover would be. Asking a stranger to house sit is like lighting a beacon that says "Rob my house please!" Does anyone know reputable companies I could look into to see if they're available in my area? Does anyone have any outside the box ideas I might look into? Quarantine boarding at the vet maybe? If that's even a thing?
I know kennel cough isn't a serious condition unless they're very young, very old, or immunocompromised. But if I would have realized that they were guaranteed to contract it, I wouldn't have test boarded them. I would have just dumped them at the place for a week, and dealt with the kennel cough when we got back. Instead I tried to reduce the stress my poor fur babies would endure with boarding, and have created a worse problem then my dogs believing I left them forever at the boarding kennel. I realize that sounds terrible but "Sorry we can't come. Our dog has a cold & we have to stay home" is probably one of the worst excuses to miss something I've ever heard too. [/Rant]