Im going away in a couple of weeks and cant take poppy with this me time ,so im looking for a bording kennels ,i live in walton on thames, surrey ,and i thought somebody might know of a good kennels in my area, dont mind traveling a little way out. also has anyone got any advice on this Kennel cough nasel thing ,i asked my vet about it but he said most people dont get it, but some of the kennels ive looked at insist on it being done at least 5 days before they accept them ??? Do people not bother because its not very effective or something? should i get it anyway? shes never been borded before and shes fully vaccinated ,would she be at risk because i thought that parainfluenza virus was one of the causes but shes vaccinated against that??? sorry in advance for all the questions just want to find her a nice place for her holiday! Thanks all Daniella

Hi Dani

I've had to board my BT twice since I've had him. He is vaccinated (not against kennel cough, but the other usual ones) and the first time I boarded him for 3 days. I had him home for 2 weeks and he started barking like a sea lion so I phoned the vet who then diagnosed kennel cough. Apparently when they go to the kennels they just pick up everything. Some kennels insist on a kennel cough vaccination (which only lasts for 6 months incidentally) but most do not. I would suggest boarding in the best kennels you can find and the dearest (believe me!) are not always the best by a long shot. If I were you I would consult my vet about all vaccinations if you are going to board regularly because the vacc are soooooo much cheaper than the cures.

Hope this helps CG

Erm Copper girl, if your dog coughed 2 weeks after boarding there is EVERY chance he picked it up AFTER he left the kennels, as the incubation period is 3-11 days. You are mistaken if you think kennels are rife with infection, I would suggest that you find another one if this IS the case with the one you use. What people don't realise is Kennel cough is NOT kept by the kennels, it is bought in by YOU, the public, your dogs incubating the disease, picked up at the park, off the street or more easily at the vets or training classes. Sorry to be sharp but it is fact.

The KC vaccine is not 100% successful which is why most kennels will not insist on it, it only protects against "Bordatella" which is just one of many strains of the virus, "Parainfluenza" is another type covered in your annual vaccines. Thare is no cure for a virus, only anti-biotics to guard against secondary infection, if a dog contracts the disease whilst boarding, then the kennels should provide treatment, this should be covered on the insurance policy you will be paying for (check its included).
Dawn.

I wish I did. All I can recommend at this time of year is not to use the boarding kennel/quarrantine facility in Ottershaw. My dog was quarrantined there for 6 months, the quarantine kennels were very well kept, and my dog had no problems being there from April - first week of October. It's owned by a judge and dog breeder. Because of that positive experience I used it twice for boarding while I was on holiday, even though the boarding areas is not as nice as the quarantine. The first time was one warm August and after I picked her up she threw up for a day. (She was boarded many times in the past, so this was not due to boarding.) The next time I boarded her was the last week of October to first week of November. After never being afraid of fireworks before from that time on she was absolutely terrified - to the point of shaking and drooling from fear. The next year, I noticed that this place was selling fireworks!

Stacey