Boarding....& so UPSET!

[Yorkie Luv of 3]

How sad for your babies,, but sadly I believe its just a sad state of affairs for the world in general,, no pride in anything,, care of others,, care of animals,,
why can't people just DO THEIR JOB anymore? and yes,, i would go and speak with the Vet at that office,, I doubt they have a clue what goes on with the boarding,, for the larger part it seems low skilled, uneducated people are hired at low pay to do such jobs,, but I am hearing of more and more "Luxury suite" type places for Pet Care, you'd probably do better than just looking for a place to board if you have to use such a service again,, hope your babies are all good this morning,, and enjoying all the love given them daily!

[hha]

Originally Posted by ckuz13

I worked at a wonderful vet clinic and we took great care of our animals. We kept our boarding to a minimum and made sure each pet got lots of attention throughout the day. We had a night shift too. And the Vet came to the clinic each and every night about 3:00 Am. to check on all the pets. Great place. But these are few are far between. I moved to Az and worked for a brief time at another vet clinic that also did boarding for extra profit. One holiday weekend the clinic overbooked the boarding facilities. The doctor out of pure greed, took in clients that we could not find room for. He assured us that things would be fine. He moved animals around to make room for the bigger animals. Nevermind that people payed for the cages based on weight. He let some friends of his board wolf hybrids. He put them in the bathroom with a pocketdoor as a barrier. In the middle of the night the dogs got out and ate one of our clients guinea pigs. She had boarded her often and felt this was a safe place for her. When I came in the next morning I was mortified. I heard the vet tell our client her guinea pig died of stress from being in the clinic. He said he would have her cremated and pay for her ashes as a favor. He took an unclaimed urn of dog ashes off the shelf and gave them to her. She was so heartbroken. I told the rest of the staff how horrible he was to do this. And I threatend to report him and I felt this poor women should know the truth. But I was the only one who felt this way. I was told I would only make things worse by telling her what really happened. But this poor women felt guilty for going to Hawaii and leaving her beloved guinea pig. I quit and never went back to this place again. This is the first time I ever told anyone outside my family of this incident. This was 11 years ago. I never ever boarded again. I carried the guilt of this story for a long time. Please do reserch if you ever have to resort to boarding. Check the facility ask a lot of questions. Go to the back and check the cages. If they don't let you back walk out. Spend the X-tra cash for a run. Even if you have a small breed. Friends or relatives are your best bet for care..thanks

If I were you, I would have spilled the beans on the vet and i would have gone to the lady...unfortunately, there are a lot of vets out there that are NOT on the up and up..

[hha]

Originally Posted by YorkichonBella

Thank you for sharing your story. I know this was hard for you. This was my reason too for sharing my story, to let others know what really goes on. I was upset about the care they got which was little. They are being paid. They should give quality service.

Exactly..You pay good money to board dogs out..I only used a vets office once for boarding, I was only gone 3 nights, but, after I got back, is when I found out they only let the dogs out twice a day..I never took mine back. She was outside trained, now, all of mine are trained to pee pads..But, the thought of them being in those little cages all day just upsets me...

[hha]

Originally Posted by MindieRose

I worked for a vets office with boarding facilities. For bigger dogs its not that bad. They can hold it much longer. We allowed anything in the run or cage with them that the owners requested, we would just write it on their chart. We had a large fenced in area that the dogs were allowed to run for 15 minutes, 3 xs a day, twice on weekends. They were fed twice a day, or once, depending on the owners request, with whatever food the owner brought, or if they didnt bring any, were fed Science Diet.
I do think the little dogs should be let out more, but they were very strict there about policy.
Personally, when I was there taking care of the dogs, I would hold them (if they were little), snuggle them, play fetch outside, and even take pictures of them to bring home and show the kids. I LOVED it, and treated them like they were my dogs. I would even walk throughout the kennel area several times a shift, bringing hypoallergenic treats to them so they felt loved.
If any dog had to be medicated, we could administer the pills, but if they needed an injection, the vet would have to sign off on it after it was done. It was VERY well organized. If a dog messed on its bed, we would wash it. But in your case, it could have just happened that day when no one was there.

Its a lesson learned in your case. Most vets offices are glad to answer any questions you have up front. Most every office is closed on the weekend, meaning only 2 outside trips.
I dont think complaining will do anything. They have their policy and their routine probably works well for larger dogs. If you ever board anywhere again, I would suggest asking every place how often they go out, and if they are walked or have a place to run. If they only go out 3 times a day, you can always suggest they go out more than that, I had more than one client do that before, and we did as they wished. You just have to make your requests known so they can write it on their chart and they will probably be more than happy (to your face at least ) to follow what you want, within reason.

LOL I don't know about bigger dogs being able to hold it longer..My 2 outside dogs pee a lot, my mom has a shih tzu that she lets out at 10:00 pm and then the next day, Mom has to wake her up between 12:00-1:00 to make her go out..I've never in my life seen a dog that small that could hold its bladder that long...

[pet]

Another suggestion would be to find a reputable in home doggie day care. I live in Ontario, and run a doggie day guest home service where dogs come and stay with me while the owners are away. Each dog gets the same attention as my own. Sometimes I may have a dog for an hour, or up to a month at a time. I would NEVER leave my dogs with a vet or kennel. They only care about the money the get not the dog!!

My dogs have never spent time in a kennel or the vets. I have a woman where my two go whenever I am away.

[tpaxton23]

There are a few good kennels/boarding places out there. I did a lot of searching before I boarded my dogs and found a place the dogs and I both love, Carrie's Canines. It came highly recommended from several people. My four all get to stay in one cage together 7' x 10' and it has it's own separate potty area in the back of the cage. Two nice cots that I can put their dog beds on and the continuous fresh water system. They are taken out 5 times a day to the play area to socialize and play with the other dogs that are being boarded. It is run by all women and they also take turns bringing a few dogs up front to the office for some extra attention. My dogs always come home happy. The only thing I don't like is that they don't have time to comb their hair and redo their ponytails so they come home looking pretty ragged. LOL Of couse, I don't expect them to do that.

Sometimes you can find a good kennel if you really search for one. I drive almost an hour to get to this one from my home but it's well worth it to me.

[tnpowell]

I am so sorry to hear this happened to your babies. I would address my happened with the Vet and let them know that you did not appreciate the service that you got and how you trusted that your babies would be in the best care with them because you were familiar with them and they disappointed your expectaions. Reading this made me very upset. I know I put alot of trust in my Vet along with my breeder. My expectations of them are at a higher level because they are suppose to be subject matter experts in there area, the well being of your furbabies. I am glad your babies are back home with you and I now they are also.

[ARCHIE]

Buddy has been boarded twice and I will never do it again.
First time was at my vet's for three days. He was neutered on a Fri
and I left him there 1 extra day to visit my sister over a three day weekend.
When I picked him up on Mon he was full of poop! It was stuck all over his
bottom! Was that healthy after just getting neutered too? Talk about
desease!
Because I would never board him again at the vet's I found and visited
a kennel not far from me. Each dog has their own little run that was
attached to their pen. Place was full of dogs so I thought that was a good
thing. I left him there for three nights again to visit my sister the next year.
Hence, this time he picked up a parasite that took four months to find
and a change in my vet because he could not tell what was wrong with him.
Vomiting and diahrea every day for almost four months. From Oct to Feb.
The new vet wormed him first visit and overnight he was better.
Never again.
We think they are being cared for but not even close to how we care for
them. Sorry your babies went through that experience but that's how
we learn too.

[nikkinack]

I have never had to board Lily but I have had to board my larger dog and I used the vet once and will never board my dog there again, my dog was so upset when I picked him up. He was put in a cage way to small and only let out 2x which is not enough. The next time I had to board him I did tons of research and visited 6 different kennels. I found a great one close to my house and it was the same price as the vet. The larger dogs get there own runs a cot if you dont have your own bed, they get let out into a fenced area for 30 min a day to run and be played with. If you have a small dog they will keep them in the back and they go out 5 times a day last time being at 9:00 . I think the key to a good kennel is will care for your dog as well as they care for there own.

[shelbys_mom]

I wouldnt have paid to begin with. I would of got my dogs stuck the dog-sitters the rod and left. What were they gonna do report you, you need to report them and you should of taken pictures of the beds right then and there at the vet's place for evidence. Please tell your vet what happened and if he cant compensate you for this "unnecessary" behavior by his staff then tell him your gonna report. (I would report anyway)

[diggy4]

sorry this happened next time bring them to me Ill baby sit them.

[MissSophie]

This makes me so sad. It also makes me wonder what to do with our furbaby. My daughter is getting married in Minneapolis on Memorial Day weekend. We have a friend who has offered to stay at our house with Sophie, but she works on Friday, when we will be gone. My sister thinks we should board her because of the story about what happened in Des Moines when a Yorkie went missing when staying with a sitter. I am so torn. I just don't know what to do. The hotel won't take dogs, and this is the one where my daughter will be staying before the wedding and is close to the reception site. We can find other lodging, but that would be a ways from everything. I just don't know what to do. This story makes me worry more.

[Jody Renfroe]

Wow! I'm so sorry this happened but I appreciate the warnings! I don't think I'll ever board Scooter. You would think that with them being at the Vet's office they would be in good hands, but Nooooooo!

[amandawash]

I am going to get flamed here and I'm am sorry for making this comment....

I realize everyone thinks that the vet's office should be the best place for boarding due to the fact there is a vet there. However, a vet does not go to 6-8 years of school to board dogs. They are extremely busy, many times they have nothing AT ALL to do with the boarders- why would they? They are busy with clients all day. And I am sorry, but a "good vet" should not be required to come in on their after hours to check out a dog. Many vets are on-call at least one night per week, sometimes more, and usually weekends as well. This is for emergencies. Are they not allowed a life with their family??

Most vet offices I have seen do not allow dogs to be released until working hours. They are not getting paid enough money to come in on their own time. If you don't like that, don't take them there.

I am not trying to be a you-know-what, but I am just a little sensitive when people start bashing vets. I know there are some REALLY bad ones out there (the one that lied about the guinea pig) but most are extremely good. I think most vets start out in their career by going absolutely above and beyond, but are quickly soured due to unrealistic expectations, overtly critical clients, and extremely long hours with absolutely no credit.

I'm sorry your babies had this experience. I would not board at a vet's office for the reasons you stated, but please don't blame the vet himself...

[Ellie May]

Sadly, this happens at quite a few boarding facilities. They only take the dogs out two or three times a day and even when your dog is hospitalized, they use collars (some vets believe that collars don't cause CT). I would have been very upset also but it isn't surprising.