What will the boarding facility do in case of an emergency?

So if you board them here, our vets are on staff seven days a week. Now, we aren't here overnight. We're not a 24-hour facility, but if something goes wrong while we are here, the doctor's two steps away, and we're going to intervene. As far as an outside kennel type of situation, they have hospitals that they work with and wouldn't hesitate to take them to an emergency facility if needed. Of course, that would be a car ride. They would contact you and make sure you were okay with that. Yeah, I haven't had any problems with local facilities not reaching out if there is an emergency. So you just have to ask—what is the plan? What happens if my dog gets diarrhea or gets cut or gets in a fight or things like that? It's wise to know.

I can speak for the Animal Hospital of Statesville. Because the veterinary clinic is attached to the boarding facility, our kennel staff can contact us if there's an emergency. We can contact you and authorize what medical treatment might be needed. We, of course, ask on the front end, are there any medical concerns that you have for your pet, and in the case of an emergency, what are your wishes? You may think, well, of course, I would treat them, but there might be situations where your pet is older or sick or something where you would want them to be comfortable. We will contact you and let you know about that. And we all always ask for an alternative contact or someone that we can actually get hold of if you're out on a Caribbean cruise and can't be contacted. We'll contact someone who can make that decision for you that you trust to make that decision. It's always good to have that second contact to authorize treatment. Make sure they know that you're putting them down. Hey, you know, I'm going out of town, and you're my backup for my boarding pet.

I can only speak for North Carolina. I can't speak for other locations or other states, but at least in North Carolina, each boarding facility has an annual inspection. They're checking for things like cleanliness and ensuring that there are exits, the equipment is secure, and there's fresh food and fresh water available for the dogs at all times. Those inspectors take their job very seriously because the welfare of your pets is really at stake. One of the considerations with an emergency is every veterinary or every boarding facility will have a resource veterinarian, a source of a local veterinarian where there is an emergency contact. So in the event of an emergency, although every clinic or every facility does it differently, they will alert the pet parent that there is an emergency, in which case they will take the pet to that emergency clinic. Some boarding facilities will want to know who your full-service veterinarian is when you bring your pet in. If that full-service veterinarian does provide emergency care during operational hours, and if there is an emergency during office hours, they can take your dog to that clinic. There are after-hours veterinary clinics in many towns, but not every town, and for the weekend situations, if your regular veterinarian is closed, so they can always take it to an after-hours emergency clinic if need be.

If it's during business hours, they should contact your regular veterinarian. If it's outside business hours, then it is their responsibility to get them to a veterinary emergency clinic.

When considering a boarding facility for your pets, an important question to ask is about their after-hours care and monitoring. It's crucial to know who will be checking on the animals outside of regular business hours. I'm particularly fond of boarding facilities that have incorporated the use of cameras, allowing pet owners to check in on their animals remotely. This feature provides an added layer of reassurance, as you can visually confirm your pet's well-being anytime.

As someone who is deeply attached to my pets, I understand the desire to be constantly aware of their status. If I were to board my animals, I would likely be frequently monitoring them through such cameras. This kind of vigilance is akin to being a 'helicopter mama' for pets. Since I don't have children, my animals are like my surrogate kids, making their safety and comfort my top priority. The ability to have eyes on them at all times, even when I'm not physically present, is an idea I strongly advocate for and appreciate in pet boarding services.