When preparing to board your dog, it’s important to ensure they’re up-to-date on all necessary vaccinations. Boarding facilities, like ours, prioritize the health and safety of all pets in our care, which is why vaccinations are a critical requirement. This blog will walk you through the essential vaccines your dog needs before staying with us, explain why these vaccinations are important, and offer some helpful tips for pet parents planning for their dogs’ boarding stay.
Why Are Vaccines Essential for Boarding?
Vaccines help protect dogs from contagious diseases that can spread in communal environments like boarding facilities. When your dog comes into contact with other dogs, there's a higher risk of exposure to illnesses, even if all the dogs seem healthy. By ensuring that every dog staying with us is vaccinated, we minimize this risk, creating a safer and healthier environment for everyone’s pet.
Vaccines protect not only your dog but also other dogs they interact with. Many contagious diseases can be transmitted through direct contact, shared food or water bowls, and even through the air in enclosed spaces. Vaccinating your dog is a simple way to prevent the spread of illnesses that could otherwise cause harm to many pets.
Required Vaccines for Dogs
To ensure the health and safety of all pets staying with us, we have specific vaccination requirements. Here is a breakdown of the vaccinations your dog needs for boarding:
Required Vaccines for Adult Dogs:
- Bivalent Canine Influenza: Canine influenza is highly contagious and can spread quickly in settings like boarding facilities. The bivalent vaccine protects against two strains of the virus (H3N8 & N3N2), helping prevent respiratory infections. This vaccine has two doses that need to be administered 2-4 weeks of each other. Please schedule the second dose while you are at your vet for the first dose. Otherwise, you may need to start the vaccine process over.
- Rabies: This vaccine is required by law in Maryland state and protects against the rabies virus, which is deadly to both dogs and humans. Rabies is transmitted through bites, so it’s essential to ensure every dog is vaccinated.
- Distemper: This is a viral disease that affects a dog’s respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. It's highly contagious and can be fatal, so vaccination is a must.
- Parvovirus (Parvo): Parvo is another highly contagious and life-threatening virus, particularly dangerous for young or unvaccinated dogs. This vaccine is crucial for preventing this gastrointestinal disease.
- Bordetella (Canine Cough): Bordetella is one of the main causes of canine cough, a common respiratory illness in dogs who stay in close quarters with others. This vaccine helps reduce the risk of canine cough spreading through the facility.
- Leptospirosis (Highly Recommended): Although not mandatory, we highly recommend vaccinating your dog for leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that can affect the liver and kidneys. This disease can also be transmitted to humans, making it even more important for protection.
Required Vaccines for Puppies (16 weeks to 9 months):
Puppies are especially vulnerable to contagious diseases due to their developing immune systems. For this reason, we have specific vaccination requirements for younger dogs:
- 16 weeks old: At this stage, puppies must have completed their 3rd round of vaccinations, which includes:
- Distemper
- Rabies
- Parvovirus
- Bordetella
- Bivalent Canine Influenza (1st round)
Leptospirosis is also highly recommended for puppies.
Required Vaccines for Felines (for families with cats too):
If you also have cats staying with us, we require:
- Feline Distemper
- Rabies
These vaccines protect against common, serious feline illnesses.
Timing for Vaccines
It’s important to note that all vaccines must be administered at least 2 weeks prior to boarding. This allows the vaccine time to fully take effect and ensures your pet is adequately protected before joining the rest of the boarding community. And, also to ensure your pet’s immune system is not under distress while lodging with us and they have fully processed the vaccine.
Why Vaccination Timing Matters
When your dog receives a vaccine, their immune system needs time to develop the necessary antibodies to fight off any potential illness. Administering vaccinations too close to the boarding date can leave your dog exposed during the time it takes for their immunity to build. The two-week window is recommended by veterinarians to ensure your dog has the full protection needed to stay safe and healthy during their stay with us.
Vaccines Are for Their Well-being
Vaccinating your dog is not only a requirement but also one of the best ways to protect their well-being in a boarding setting. We have cleaning procedures in place to fully disinfect toys, bedding and water bowls but the common air is something we cannot prevent. Vaccines help protect your dog from diseases they might not normally be exposed to in their everyday environment.
Boarding with Fieldstone
Boarding your dog or cat can be a fun and enriching experience for them, but it’s crucial to make sure they are protected before they arrive. Vaccines are the first line of defense against contagious diseases, and by keeping your dog’s & cat’s vaccinations up-to-date, you’re ensuring a safe and healthy stay for them and all the other pets (and people!) in the facility.
If you’re not sure whether your dog is up-to-date on their vaccines, check with your veterinarian well ahead of time to ensure they meet the necessary requirements. If your dog is due for any vaccines, remember to get them at least two weeks before their stay to ensure full protection. With these steps, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your furry friend is safe and ready to enjoy their boarding experience!
