A month ago, our German Shepherd Brad was injured at a boarding kennel. He’s doing OK, but we’ve learned some hard lessons from this experience, so I decided to post them here.
Our vet recommended a well-established boarding kennel. After touring it to make sure it was clean and safe, we boarded our dog and cat for 5 days. We left our vet’s contact info, the local phone number of a family member, and our cell phone number for emergencies.
Two hours after we dropped off our pets, our dog was attacked by two Rottweilers in the next pen.
There’s a small gap at the back of the walls separating the dog kennels, and it’s large enough for a dog’s tail to protrude into the next pen. The Rottweilers pulled our dog’s tail through the gap, and ripped the last 10” of skin completely off his tail. The kennel employee had to hit one Rottweiler with a pole to make her release our dog.
(Warning, graphic details!) Brad’s tail was degloved (the skin was removed entirely) and our vet amputated the last two vertebrae, since there was not enough skin remaining to cover the whole length of his tail. He put the skin back on and stitched it up. Degloving injuries are hard to heal, and we’ve had our share of problems; the tip has now reopened and the bone is visible. If it doesn’t heal on its own in several more weeks, they’ll have to amputate more bone and suture the tip again. (Okay, graphic warning off.)
Brad also broke both canine teeth on one side, with resulting tooth nerve pain. If the pain doesn’t subside, the teeth will have to be extracted, but so far Rimadyl seems to be helping the nerve pain subside. We’re keeping our fingers crossed; canine tooth extractions aren’t simple.
We never received any notification from our kennel or our vet about the attack or surgery. The kennel told the vet that they would phone us, but they didn’t. Our vet said he thought the kennel had reached us. So, Brad went through surgery and the first five days of his recovery, and we knew nothing.
When we picked up our pets, the kennel employee said they’d had “had a small problem with one of them,” and told us about the attack and amputation. We were sick as they led our hysterical dog out, with a dirty plastic surgery collar, and 9” of stitched and shortened tail. They gave us a copy of the $400 vet bill they had paid, and a full price bill for the boarding. At no point was any regret or apology expressed. They said they “never called owners unless it was life threatening.”
Days later we insisted on meeting the kennel owner, and seeing where the attack had occurred. After ridiculous excuses about why they hadn’t called us, he admitted their policy was to never contact the owner unless the animal had died. He also said that another dog had suffered a similar injury five years ago (same problem, tail through the gap) but that he would not make any changes to the kennels, since the gaps allowed the kennels to be hosed out.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
1. An established kennel recommended by a trusted source is a good start, but it’s no guarantee of safety. You still have to do your homework.
2. Inspect the facilities carefully; clean is important, but it’s not enough. Look for gaps behind or under walls. Don’t allow your pet to be kept in any enclosure that does not completely protect him from adjacent animals, indoors and out. You have no control over the nature or number of animals they put in the next pen.
3. Tell the kennel which vet you want contacted in case of emergency, and list a back-up vet if possible.
4. Read the fine print on the kennel’s release form. I later learned the form I signed (without reading well) stated that the kennel had the right to take our pet to a vet other than the one we listed, or to care for the animal themselves. Fortunately, they did the right thing, and took him where we had specified.
5. Leave complete emergency contact information with your vet any time you board your animal. Don’t assume leaving contact info with your boarding kennel is enough.
6. Specify the exact circumstances under which you require the kennel (and your vet) to contact you. Don’t assume they will call you if anything happens. They may not.
7. Establish a limit for vet care in your absence. (Thank you mgh, for posting this in the thread about Poor Maggie!) If you can’t be reached, and your animal needs expensive emergency care and you have not authorized the cost, your pet might be at risk for euthanization.
8. Don’t worry about sounding like a nervous owner. It’s OK to call the kennel to check on your pets, or have a friend or family member check.
I’m sorry this is so long. I’m hoping it will help someone else keep his or her beloved pet safe!
Here’s a photo of our Bradley, 11 days after the attack at the kennel.
Sheri
