As most of you know i have been away and my babies went to kennels for a fortnite.Myself and the family went to pick Shadow and BJ up on Sun morning and were all very excited to see the dogs again. We noticed that the dogs were very smelly and was told that they had been walked that morning and had been in the river which we were told was very smelly too. They hadn't been bathed as we were quite early and i overlooked this and put it down to us picking them up too soon. I paid the bill and gathered all there things and started our short journey home 1/2 hr max with sunroof and all windows open. The dogs reeked and not just of stale water. When we arrived home BJ drank two huge bowls of water without stopping and Shadow one bowlful, then BJ laid down and didnt move for 6 hours. He didnt even bark or make a sound when there was a knock at the door,and anyone who knows my dogs knows this is totally out of character. I couldnt bath the dogs that nite as i didnt have any shampoo but i tried to groom
BJ only to discover what i can only describe as wee and dirt clinging to his fur all

round his back end and base of his spine where the tail starts. I had already decided to make a vets appointment cause of his eyes (very sore and weepy). We put up with the smell for the nite and i had to bath BJ twice mon to try and get rid of the smell and the dirt.We noticed mon morn that his poo was like dirty dish water and that his nose was completly dry and very hot. I managed to get an appointment at the vets for first thing this morning. On examination he has a temp of 105 and he has lost 5kg in weight. He also has a severe eye infection. He has suffered with his eyes before but never this bad. I have been told to completely rest him no exercise and put him on a chick and rice diet till fri when the vet wants to see him again. Shadow on the other hand is a picture of health albeit a bit smelly. Where did she take her dogs you might be thinking, well i took them to the kennels which breeds GSD and is where i purchased Shadow. In my naivety i am partly to blame i didnt check the kennels out i presumed that the dogs would be looked after well seeing as she breeds them. I have learnt my lesson and will never take people on face value again. I know my dog has been neglected whilst in someone elses care and will decide what to do about it after fri visit to the vets.Im sorry this post is so long but it all is important wanted to warn others not to make the same mistake as me with regrds to kenneling. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Anita

I had excatly the same thing happen to me a few years ago with my two labs.

When I went to pick them up they stank and were extremely mucky. On top of that they had extremely bad kennel cough which tokk four weeks of antibiotics to clear the infection up.

I asked why they hadn't done anything about it as I had paid for extra insurance for vets bills but got the answer of 'It had only got bad that day ! What a load of tripe. I have however since put them in other kennels and they have loved it. It shows there are good and bad whereever we go !

Hope you babies are feeling better.

Lucy

Oh Anita, I'm so sorry. :( Two of mine have just spent 4 days in kennels and they were clean, shiny, happy and walked 4 times a day. She even hangs out their beds whilst they're walked, so that they don't smell too doggy.

I guess there really is no substitute for a recommendation and an inspection.

Hope your dogs are better soon.

9th & TH (who was in a 4* hotel and not a 5* kennel!)

I think the kennels insurance should still be in force for 48 hours after leaving the kennels, that is the case with the kennels I use anyway. I must say I find the idea of the kennels letting your dogs swim in the river a bit odd. One of mine loves a swim and I allow her but I think it is always a bit of a risk not least from infections so I am surprised that they would take that responsibility but then again I reckon it could just be a porkie pie.

Hi there, I know how you feel, when I went on holiday in April I put my dogs into what I thought were great kennels ( I had thoroughly checked them out ) they told me they would feed my dogs on the food they usually get, the day took them to the kennels they announced that they did not stock that food, alarm bells were ringing in my head then but as I was flying out that day there was nothing I could do about it.
So I left them there, on return I picked them up and was pleased to see they looked nice and clean, was told they had been bathed that day, how nice, I thought!
Well, for about a week after that the diarrohea just poured from them, my GSD had also lost LOADS of weight and he was in perfect shape before I took him there. Even now he is still thin.
I am very reluctant to ever board my dogs at kennels again should I have to go away, I had looked everywhere before finding kennels I thought I was happy with, and still something went wrong, mainly because they obviously just fed them whatever they wanted to, and not what I had asked them too.
Its not nice is it?

Ollie has just spent 4 days in kennels. When we picked him up his eyes were matted and he was a bit off. He usually has sleepy eyes in the morning, but cleans them on the carpet at home... :). Took him to vets who diagnosed conjunctivites (sp?) and said he had a temp and swolen glands came away with antibiotics and eye drops. Other times he has been fine at this kennels, but I was cross that they hadnt at the very least bathed his eyes....

Hi.
Your dogs should not have came out of kennels in this condition. Are they lisensed? and I cannot believe that someone elses dogs were taken anywhere near a river never mind swim in it.

Dogs can however lose weight easily in kennels. They are on the go all day, not like at home, and when I take my dogs to work just for the day it is normal for them to be shattered for the rest of that day and night, they use up loads of energy. Your vet bills should be paid if the kennel is insured, however it is up to you to check these things before leaving your dog there.

This kennel cough thing really annoys me. Kennels DO NOT keep kennel cough to give to their boarders, it is the boarders that bring it in !! It can take up to 11 days to manifest itself, often after the infected dog has left, but has passed his disease onto everyone else. I do get fed up with people saying "he got kennel cough" etc.. in those kennels so we want to come here, when I can't see how people fail to realise that where ever dogs are kept in close proximity any infection is likely to be spread very quickly. Saying that all dogs should be treated by a vet if they are ill, and there is little excuse for dogs leaving a kennels in the coat condition described above. Lastly if anyone is unhappy with the care that their dogs recieve, REPORT IT, to the environmental health, constant monitoring may prompt them to take more care.
Sorry if I sound a little hard.
Dawn.

Hi all. Just a quick update on BJ, whatever the vet injected him with is starting to do the trick as he has perked up 50% but its going to be hard not to exercise him till friday. I didnt realise that the kennels were near a river as i would have warned her what Bj was like, im sure he should have webbed feet but she seemed to find it perfectly accecptable that my dog went swimming with hers as they all got on well together. Shadow the pup is like i said a picture of health and you wouldnt know that they had been to the same place, but saying that i did provide Shadows food as he is on different food to what she gives and we have just got him sorted out, but it makes me wonder as to wether they have been kept together or not as this is what i asked for.Will let you all know how he is doing and many thanks for your replies
Anita

Anita
I'm so sorry to hear what a terrible experience BJ and Shadow had - I know how hard you found it leaving them. I hope they are both feeling much better soon and that it hasn't ruined your holiday.

Phoebe and Neela send their love.
Mail me soon, keep in touch
KirstyS
:)