If you are going away and are unable to look after your dog what are your options?
Note: All dogs going into boarding will need up-to-date vaccinations. Please contact reception to check if your dog is up to date. We can email certificates to your boarding facility.
Boarding Kennels
The safest option is to place your dog at a boarding kennel. There are local kennels up at Terrey Hills and Duffys Forest. There are also many boarding facilities further a field.
Pittwater Animal Hospital has a drop off arrangement with
If you book in for Hanrob, you can then drop off and pick up your pet from Pittwater Animal Hospital. This is an easy local option. The kennel van will arrive within a few hours and transport you dog up to the boarding facility.
All dogs going into a boarding kennel will need to have up-to-date vaccinations. Pittwater Animal Hospital vaccinations are highly regarded by boarding kennels as they have two part protection. The recent change to Bronchi-Shield Oral gives very rapid, high efficacy canine cough protection. A certificate is supplied following any vaccination at PAH but can be reproduced if you are unable to locate it.
Vaccinations are given every year. For more information refer to our vaccine pages.
It is important that you dog is well protected for ticks. A boarding facility may not notice tick signs in your pet as quickly as you would. It is best to update your pet’s tick prevention before going into boarding.
In Home Care
Many people have neighbours or friends who will look after your pet in your own home. Things to think about before you leave your dog include:
- Have you supplied enough food for the time you are away? This also means you will need to explain the feeding regime clearly – how much to feed and when to feed, (plus what foods to avoid).
- The carer will need advice on walking your dog. What harnesses to use and how to use them. Does your dog have any problems with other dogs? Sometimes the anxiety of walking with someone new will make your dog more reactive to other dogs.
- Are there any health problems to be concerned about? What vet should the carers take your dog to if they are concerned? (People commonly inform us when they are going away on holidays so that we can be ready to help out the carers if they are worried.)
- Are your pet’s microchip details and registration up to date? It is possible to check this from home. The receptionists at Pittwater Animal Hospital can also check for you, update details and even register your pet if it is not registered.
- It is law to have an identification tag on your dog when it is out on the street. Pittwater has a range of tags available at reception for you the choose from.
- Are your preventative health measures up to date? The most important is tick control. A carer may not search your dog as well and may not notice the signs of tick poisoning. If in doubt, for piece of mind, come in for our 6 month protection below.
Care in someone else’s home
There are several local people who have dogs come into their homes while the owners are away on holidays.
Just as for boarding, you dog will need to be up-to-date with vaccinations and tick prevention.
Follow all the steps from in-home-care to make sure your pet is well prepared.
