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RESERVATIONS:
Please make reservations in advanced, due to only having twenty K9 Cabins we get booked rather quickly, especially for holidays. Please be on time for your appointment to drop off or pick up and please park in designated areas so as to not block the entry of the cabins. We do keep a waiting list when there are no vacancies, and you will be contacted if a cabin becomes available.
TOURS: Due to our busy schedule and your dog being our FIRST priority, please call 704-528-3517 and schedule a tour as opposed to just showing up. This will allow us to schedule plenty of time to show you our facility and also to let your K9 Kid sniff around. We prefer to schedule tours during the week, but if you can only come on a weekend, we will try to schedule you in!
Prio to check-in please have the following information available:
WHAT TO BRING FOR YOUR K9 KIDS STAY AT THE CABINS:
- WE REQUIRE THAT YOU BRING YOUR PET'S OWN FOOD, to ensure they have no digestive problems during their stay with us. (We do have bags of Eagle Pack brand food and treats available for purchase if you forget their food.)
- You may bring all the beds, blankies, toys, and treats that he/she desire! There is plenty of room!
- PLEASE WRITE YOUR DOGS NAME ON EVERYTHING....WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ITEMS WITHOUT THEIR NAME ON THEM.
- If your dog is accustomed to sleeping in his crate, we welcome you to bring it along so he/she will feel right at home.
- Please be sure that your dog has a collar and a leash (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT).
(PLEASE NO HARNESSES, EXTEND-A-LEASHES or CHOKE COLLARS). In the event of an emergency we must have a collar and leash readliy accessible. Please comply.
- We will not need your dogs' bowls as we have stainless steel ones that get put thru the dishwasher after every feeding. GLASS BOWLS PROHIBITED! Again, we are not responsible for any bowls that you bring.
In the best interest of your pet and to ensure that our K9 guests are content and stress-free during their stay, the K9 Cabins & Dog Trails, Inc. reserve the right to refuse AGGRESSIVE and the NON-STOP OBSESSIVE BARKERS.
VACCINATIONS ARE REQUIRED!
Dogs must be up to date on the following vaccinations you may have your Vet fax the information to me if you do not have time to pick your dogs records.
REQUIRED VACCINATIONS: RABIES, DHLPP, KENNEL COUGH, (PUPPIES REQ'D TO HAVE CORONA) (SCROLL DOWN TO READ MORE ABOUT VACCINATIONS).
RECOMMENDED VACCS: LYME, HEARTWORM
Rabies
The rabies virus is fatal once symptoms appear. Rabies vaccination is required by law at local or state levels because the disease is fatal to humans as well as dogs, raccoons, coyotes, foxes, skunks, cats, and other mammals.
Some veterinarians use three-year rabies vaccine; those in areas with disease outbreaks give boosters every year for maximum protection.
Distemper
The American Veterinary Medical Association considers canine distemper to be the greatest single disease threat to the world’s dog population.
Canine distemper virus is fatal to 80 percent of the puppies and 50 percent of the adult dogs that contract it. Symptoms include congested lungs, nasal discharge, gunky eyes, coughing, weight loss, vomiting, and diarrhea. As the disease progresses, it attacks the nervous system, often causing partial or complete paralysis and seizures.
Distemper is highly contagious. Dogs can get the virus through the air, by direct contact with urine, feces, or secretions from infected dogs, and by contact with kennels, bedding, toys, or other objects that may hold the virus.
According to AVMA, “Some veterinary medical scientists estimate that practically every dog that lives to be a year old has had contact with the virus at some time. ... Distemper is so prevalent and the signs so varied that any sick young dog should be taken to a veterinarian for a definite diagnosis.”
Most distemper cases appear in dogs less than six months of age and in old dogs that have not been routinely vaccinated. Once the dog is infected, there is no cure. Treatment is supportive; i.e., fluids are given to prevent dehydration and symptoms are treated, but the disease must run its course. Dogs that recover from distemper may develop hardened foot pads and nose leathers and have vision and nervous system problems throughout their lives. In addition to these consequences, puppies may also have mottled teeth from damage to developing enamel.
Distemper can be prevented by vaccination. Some university studies indicate that immunity lasts longer than a year after inoculation, but pet owners should discuss frequency of vaccination with their veterinarian. Generally, older dogs that remain at home may not need annual boosters, but dogs that spend time in training classes, grooming shops, day care centers, or boarding kennels; dogs that participate in public events; and dogs that compete at shows and trials should be vaccinated.
The North Carolina State University published a vaccination protocol in 2001 that “highly recommended” vaccination against distemper with a modified live vaccine but noted that, because some studies indicate that dogs are still protected for five years or more when challenged by the disease, “a booster vaccination of every three years among adult dogs is reasonable.”
Parvovirus
Distemper develops over a course of days, but parvovirus can overwhelm a dog within hours of the first symptoms and result in death within 48-72 hours.
Found throughout the world, parvo is a highly contagious disease that attacks the intestinal tract, the white blood cells, and sometimes the heart. It is spread through contact with the feces of infected dogs and can be carried on shoes, crates, equipment, or on the hair or feet of infected dogs. One infected dog at a show, a canine expo, a charity walk, a shelter, a boarding kennel, or any other event or facility where dogs congregate can spread the virus to hundreds of unprotected dogs.
Symptoms of parvo appear five-to-seven days after exposure and include depression, loss of appetite, vomiting, and severe diarrhea. Feces are generally light gray or yellow-gray and may be streaked with blood. Puppies under the age of six months are most susceptible to the disease. If the virus attacks the heart, puppies can die within hours or live for a few weeks or months. Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers appear to be at higher risk for parvo than other breeds.
As with distemper, there is no treatment that kills the virus. Instead, nursing care consists of replacing fluids lost in diarrhea and vomiting, keeping the dog warm, controlling vomiting and diarrhea, and dosing with antibiotics to prevent secondary infection.
Because parvovirus can live for months in an infected area, thorough cleaning of all surfaces is necessary to eradicate the disease in a kennel or home. Household bleach is an effective cleansing agent.
Vaccination against parvo has dramatically reduced incidence of the disease. The NCSU protocol “highly recommended” vaccination with a modified live virus vaccine and noted that dogs are still protected against parvo when challenged by the disease as much as seven years later.
Infectious canine hepatitis
Hepatitis is also known as canine adenovirus type 1 or CAV-1. It is inhaled or ingested by the dog, enters the bloodstream, and targets the liver, kidneys, eyes, and the cells lining the inner surface of the blood vessels. Some cases barely show symptoms; puppies may have a slight fever or be slightly lethargic and recover quickly. Some cases are quick and deadly; puppies show fever, tonsilitis, reddened mouth and eye membranes, colic, then shock and death, sometimes within 24 hours.
The in-between manifestation of the disease is the one most commonly described. The early symptoms are similar to the other forms; some puppies recover within a week, but others develop internal bleeding, central nervous system involvement, and liver disease.
There is no cure, only supportive treatment. Vaccination against this disease is actually done with a modified live or killed product made from CAV-2, the other adenovirus that affects dogs. The NCSU protocol recommended vaccination with CAV-2 but noted that dogs challenged with the disease as much as seven years after vaccination were still protected.
Kennel cough
This common name for respiratory disease in dogs covers the actions of several infectious agents, including Bordatella bronchiseptica, a bacteria, canine adenovirus-2, and canine parainfluenza virus.
The parainfluenza virus is related to the canine distemper virus. Symptoms of these diseases range from a dry hacking cough to inflammation of the larynx, bronchial tubes, and trachea. CAV-2 also produces pneumonia in 10-20 percent of the affected dogs.
Kennel cough agents are highly contagious, especially in kennels or shelters where canine immune systems are stressed, leaving dogs susceptible to pre-existing infections or new attacks from infected dogs. Good kennel ventilation helps prevent these infections from taking hold, but vaccination is the only sure preventive.
A combined kennel cough vaccination contains CAV-2, parainfluenza, and Bordatella in one dose of nose drops. While the diseases usually present symptoms no more severe than a bad cold, vaccination is recommended if dogs are to be boarded or will come in contact with large numbers of dogs.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease spread in the urine of wild and domestic animals and capable of causing illness in humans as well as dogs. Several species of the bacteria produce disease in dogs. Symptoms include lethargy, kidney inflammation, low-grade fever, vomiting, reddening of the mucous membranes and conjunctiva, and blood clotting abnormalities. A more generalized form of the disease can cause elevated liver enzymes, jaundice, pneumonia, and intestinal inflammation. Chronic kidney problems can result.
Antibiotic therapy is effective in fighting the bacterial invasion and supportive nursing (replenishment of fluids, administration of diuretics to flush the kidneys and prevent kidney failure, blood transfusions if necessary) is required.
Lepto vaccines, however, are not recommended unless there is a disease problem in the area. The vaccines help lessen the severity of the disease but do not prevent it and may not be effective for more than six months. Furthermore, puppies and small dogs can have adverse reactions to the vaccines. Therefore, many veterinarians do not recommend inoculation against leptospirosis. However, if a lepto outbreak occurs and veterinarians do recommend vaccination, dogs should be inoculated against all four strains of the disease unless the particular strain is identified.
Lyme disease
Lyme is a bacterial disease spread by ticks. Symptoms in dogs include lethargy, joint pain, lack of appetite, lymph node enlargement, and fever. Some dogs have antibodies to the disease, indicating that they have been exposed, but they show no symptoms.
Treatment is with the antibiotic tetracycline.
A vaccine is available but is not widely recommended because the disease is self-limiting and protection is limited to no more than six months following inoculation.
Lyme disease is more serious for humans than for dogs. Thus it is important to eliminate ticks by removing them from the dog and using appropriate chemical and biological controls.
Coronavirus
This virus causes diarrhea and vomiting and can be confused with parvovirus. The mode of infection is direct contact with an infected animal or its feces. Some dogs have antibodies but no symptoms; others lose their appetite, have smelly diarrhea, and are lethargic and dehydrated.
Treatment involves replacing lost fluids and controlling vomiting and diarrhea. A vaccine is available but not widely recommended. The NCSU guidelines noted that the disease is not widespread enough to justify routine vaccination of all dogs.
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