NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Jon Austin, DVM with Hutchinson Small Animal Hospital is urging pet owners to make a plan for their pet if they are leaving on vacation, whether the pet is going with them or not.
"Sometimes, you know, it isn't appropriate to take the pet along," Austin said. "If that's the case, then you need to find somewhere that you can leave them safely or get someone who can come to your house and imitate you while you are gone. There are services that offer that for sale. There's a website called https://www.rover.com/ that my girls recommend to people and they can find house sitters and pet sitters on that website."
If you are boarding your pet, make sure it's safe for them and for any other pets staying there.
"There are several people who have boarding kennels in the Hutchinson area," Austin said. "There's three really good ones that a lot of people use. They have requirements for the pets that come to stay there of vaccinations and worming and things and so, you have to have a little lead time, you can't just decide on Friday afternoon, hey, I'm going to board the pet right now. It's not the way it works. You've got to make sure everything's up to snuff and satisfy their requirements so your pet can go. Just think ahead."
Being around unfamiliar animals is a risk, especially if your pet's vaccinations are not current.
"Kennel cough is usually the thing that happens," Austin said. "Yeah, we always suggest that they update their vaccinations and make sure the pet is healthy just before they go to the kennel. That's why those kennels require those vaccinations, so everybody there is on equal terms and is healthy and nobody has a bad experience."
If kennel cough is untreated in some animals with weakened immune systems, it can progress to pneumonia.
CLICK HERE to download the Hutch Post mobile app.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.