animal care by animal people

<h3>Which vaccinations does my pet need?</h3> <div class="faq_ans_img"><img loading="lazy" src="https://d12fifzdy7ujh4.cloudfront.net/images/faqs/faq_17.jpg"></div> <div class="faq_ans_text"><p>If you're relocating your pet into the UAE, the best place to get this information is on our <a href="/what-we-do/global-relocations/pet-imports" target="_blank">Pet Imports</a> page and in our document <em>Relocating Pets into the UAE</em>.</p> <p>If you're planning to board your pet with us, or partake of doggy daycare, then take a look at our <a href="/what-we-do/boarding-daycare/prices-admission-requirements">prices & admission requirements</a>.</p> <p>Research and reading is just so much fun, don't you agree?</p></div>

<h3>Should I be worried if my dog or cat has lost or gained weight during their boarding stay?</h3><p>No and yes, depending.</p> <p>A little bit of weight gain or loss is very common. It doesn't happen to all pets during every stay in a boarding facility, but it does happen. Pet owners, understandably, often immediately feel that this must mean their pet has not been taken care of properly, but in fact it is more important to look at the entire context and the extent of the loss or gain.</p> <p>Commonly, pets staying in a boarding facility are not eating exactly as they do at home. They may or may not be eating exactly the same food (depending on the arrangements you've made with the kennel or cattery), and even if they are, they may not be eating exactly the same amounts because, despite every effort to get it just right, human beings differ and the precise amounts they provide may be a little different than you do when your pet is at home. So, all this small change can lead to weight gain or loss, in and of itself.</p> <p>More important and relevant than this, however, is that pets are generally much more active in a boarding facility than they are at home. Now <em>wait</em>! We're <em>not</em> saying that you aren't taking good care of your pet by not giving him or her lots of activity. No, not at all. It's just that in a boarding facility, especially one that has a good number of staff and lots of other animals around, the whole environment is very stimulating and there is a lot of exercise for dogs and lots of other general interest for both dogs and cats. And this keeps them more active and generally more stimulated, even if they're in their enclosures. And this, in turn, often leads to a bit of weight loss.</p> <p>And one more thing: In many cases, a little bit of weight loss for dogs and cats is a good thing and although we have many customers who do worry about this, we also have a great many who are pleased to see that their pet has lost a little weght in our care because, in fact, they came in to us a little overweight.</p> <p>But of course, everyone has a different perception of this, and if the weight of your pet is not medically bad, one way or the other, then we do try to maintain the weight your pet comes in with.</p> <p>This all said, too much weight gain or loss IS a problem and if you feel there has been too much either way, we truly hope you'll talk to us about this. We monitor this aspect of your pet's health very closely, with a weight check when they first arrive for boarding and then regular checking every week, or more often if we perceive a potential problem. And if there is a problem, we always let you know about it while you're away and take action when required by adjusting feeding or even consulting your vet.</p> <p>If you're interested in more insight about this important subject, take a look at our page, "<a href="/what-we-do/boarding-daycare/weight-loss-or-gain-while-boarding" target="_blank">Weight Loss or Gain While Boarding</a>".</p>

<h3>Is the canine cough vaccination absolutely necessary for my dog to board/daycare?</h3><p>The canine cough vaccine is an additional vaccination generally needed only for dogs who stay in a kennels, daycare or any other community of dogs for any period of time. It is often referred to as "kennel cough" because people understandably associate the "cough", and therefore the vaccine, with kennels, but in fact it's an illness, similar to a human cold or flu, which can be caught and spread around in any community of dogs, much like a human cold caught by kids at school or adults in an office environment.</p> <p>This is because when dogs are in close proximity to each other and are barking and playing and running around, they can easily transmit, or get, the disease. Canine cough is a highly contagious but generally not very severe upper respiratory infection and causes a dry, irritating and hacking cough. Kennels facilities use the vaccination as a way to limit outbreaks and to prevent the spread of the illness if it happens to be brought into the facility by an affected pet. Most facilities will not accept a dog without this vaccination being up-to-date and it is a good idea to have it administered because it generally either prevents or reduces the severity of the disease if it is indeed contracted.</p> <p>If your dog regularly, or even annually, spends time in a kennels, daycare or dog park (or with any group of dogs in any situation), it's a real good idea to keep this vaccination current, even if not asked for or required by the facility you're using.</p>

<h3>Should I bring toys for my dog when coming to board?</h3><p>Toys are great, and helpful, when dogs are at home because they grab their wild attentions and abate boredom. In boarding though, your pooch has lots of other dog friends to play with and, believe it or not, they end up losing interest in those toys!</p> <p>However, for dogs still interested in their toys when with us, but staying in our Lounge, Feedroom or in one of our offices where all the dogs are in groups and close proximity, there is sometimes the possibility of them getting possessive of their toys, which doesn't help anyone. <img alt="" src="/graphics/ic_smiley3.png" height="15" width="15">  Of course, if your dog has a toy that he's REALLY attached to, and if he's staying in an enclosure by himself, then you can always bring that along.</p>

<h3>Do I need to get my bird's wings clipped?</h3><p>DKC has ethical concerns regarding wing-clipping. Instead, we strongly advocate teaching your bird about and familiarising your bird with his home environment and surrounding territory, and keeping him in a safe environment where he cannot fly away.</p> <p>If wing-clipping is a decision you feel you must nevertheless take, the procedure is fairly straightforward and will be done either with or without anaesthesia, depending on the bird involved and their reaction to the process (i.e. their stress levels). But do be aware that even after wing-clipping, birds can still fly a very little bit and will gain some height in the air while trying ~ especially smaller birds ~ but they will not be able to gain and sustain enough height and could well fall from the air and injure themselves.</p> <p>Give this all some thought and talk to us if you'd like more guidance and insight.</p>

<h3>Is someone looking after my pet during weekends, holidays and at night?</h3><p>Simply, yes. Even when we are closed to our two-legged customers, we have staff on-site every single day of the year. Full stop.</p> <p>Furthermore, we have staff on-site even at night. And because of our relocations work, which takes place mostly at night, every night, we have at least a couple of hours spread throughout the night when things are going on at DKC. Now, in fairness, we're not actually working with all the animals during the night as we do during the day, but after all folks, your pets need to sleep too! <img alt="" src="/graphics/ic_smiley3.png"></p>

<h3>Can my cat/kitten socialise with other cats/kittens?</h3> <div class="faq_ans_img"><img loading="lazy" src="https://d12fifzdy7ujh4.cloudfront.net/images/faqs/faq_107.jpg"></div> <div class="faq_ans_text"><p>As you know, cats and dogs are VERY different when it comes to socialising. Most cats prefer to be loners or to only socialise with their own family members. However...</p> <p>We actually do have quite a few cats and kittens stay with us who are much more interested in and amenable to socialising than you might anticipate. Yep, it's true.</p> <p>If you're interested in us playing around with the playing around of your cat or kitten, including Buddy-Boarding, just talk to us about it and we'll see what we can do. It's not a guaranteed thing (as it often is with dogs) but we can certainly try and, rather wonderfully, it goes really well quite often, indeed. It's easier with kittens, of course, due to their youth and fun and playful nature, but it doesn't always stop there. And older cats often enjoy the camaraderie too.</p></div>