Traveling Can Be Highly Stressful for Pets
When traveling with a pet, the first challenge is finding a hotel that allows you to bring him along. You will likely have to pay significantly more per night or put down a deposit in case your pet causes any damages. Even when you do locate a facility, the stress of travel and being in different surroundings can cause your pet to act in unpredictable ways. Dogs may bark non-stop and cats may urinate on the bed or floor, leaving an unpleasant odor and a hefty cleaning bill. Choosing a well-run boarding kennel before you leave on vacation is usually less stressful for everyone.
How to Evaluate a Boarding Facility
It's always a good idea to tour a boarding facility yourself before leaving your dog or cat there while you travel. It gives you the chance to ask questions of the staff as well as observe how they interact with pets in their care and whether the facility seems genuinely clean. Here are some things we recommend you look for when choosing a place to board your pet:
- Highly qualified staff
- Typical cleaning schedule
- Your pet's feeding and exercise schedule
- How many other animals would be near your pet
- Size of the kennel where your pet would stay
- If the facility allows you to bring comfort items from home
- Whether the facility includes extra services such as grooming in your daily cost
We feel confident that we meet these qualifications and more at Minnesota Veterinary Hospital's boarding facility.
How to Get Your Pet Ready for Boarding
To ensure the safety of all guests, your pet must be current on all vaccines before we can accept her. We encourage you to schedule an appointment at our clinic at least a week before you leave if your dog or cat needs any current vaccinations. If your pet has never boarded before and you plan to be gone more than a week, you might want to consider booking an overnight stay to get her accustomed to it.
Your pet will likely figure out something is going on when he sees you packing and notices your suitcase. Leaving your luggage out where he can sniff at it for a few days might help to ease his anxiety. You might also consider leaving something with your scent on it or a favorite toy when he stays with us.
We hope you have a wonderful vacation!
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