To Board or Not to Board at a Veterinary Clinic

In many towns, you have the option of boarding your pet at your local veterinary clinic or at an actual boarding facility. The question you have to ask yourself is, which one would be better for my pet?

Boarding at a Veterinary Clinic Pros:
      • There is a veterinarian on staff if your pet comes down with an illness or injury.
      • The staff knows more about medical conditions in general; especially if your pet has a chronic disease.
      • The staff loves animals!
      • The facility is set up for pet emergencies if one was to occur.
      • The staff knows how to give any and all types of medications in addition to general pet care. Boarding at a Veterinary Clinic Cons:
      • The clinic's kennels for their boarders can be on the small side.
      • They are set up primarily for medical-related situations, not necessarily the long-term comfort that a boarding facility could offer.
      • If they do have sick patients, while your pet is extremely important to them if there is a medical emergency, the staff has to give their full attention to that patient instead of your pet. (This is completely understandable since we all know that if it was our fur-child involved in the emergency, naturally, we would want the best primary care and attention on our pet first) Boarding at a Boarding Facility Pros:
      • The staff’s primary responsibility is to ensure the comfort of your pet; they are all treated equally.
      • The rooms of the facility are usually, but not always, larger.
      • The daily schedule of the facility is focused on keeping your pet happy and healthy while boarding. This ensures they will go out on a precise schedule, eat at the correct times, notes will be taken, all while in a similar environment to their home life.
      • Staff members love animals!
      • Staff is trained on how to give medications including topical, oral, injection, etc.
      • The staff is around ‘healthy’ animals the entire day so it becomes very easy to notice if a dog is acting strangely.

Boarding at a Boarding Facility Cons:
      • There isn’t necessarily a veterinarian on staff.
      • If there is a medical emergency, the facility isn’t usually set up to handle it; the pet will have to be transported elsewhere.
      • Some boarding facility staff members might not have as much medical training/knowledge as the veterinary staff would. (Think of it like this: having your child being babysat by a nurse (veterinary staff) versus a professional babysitting service (boarding facility staff).)

Obviously, you can see there are pros and cons to each choice. Be sure to ask the staff questions, ask for a tour, and please remember, even if you have had a bad experience in the past with one or the other, do not let that discourage you from trying a completely different facility. You are bound to find one you and your pet will absolutely love!