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Hi All,
We're back early from our Niagara Falls trip.
It started raining in Ontario on Sunday and we were missing the pyrs so we
packed up early. And a good thing too. First thing this morning I
went to the boarding kennel to pick up Daisy and the cat, Penny. I was
expecting a great big bear hug from Daisy, as this is her habit when she's not
seen you in awhile, but instead I was presented with a scraggly, dirty, heavily
panting mess that hardly resembled the dog I dropped off last Wednesday!!
She barely acknowledged my existence and made it clear that she just wanted to
get in the car. When we pulled up in front of the house, she made a
bee-line for the front door and drank three bowls of water once she was
inside. After that, she seemed more like her old self and crashed on the
basement floor. I was shocked at how dirty and stained her ruff and chest
were. It was too dirty to even brush through. On top of that, she
was "flea biting" excessively at her belly and front legs. I know she
doesn't have fleas as I treated her with Frontline the day I dropped her
off. Some of it is seasonal allergies but I think the rest is
stress. Has anyone else had a similar experience when boarding your
pyrs? Daisy was seriously stressed! And she's visibly lost weight in
just the few days we were gone. I was hesitant about boarding my pets in
the first place because all three (2 pyrs, 1 cat) are "used" pets from
rescue. I worried that they would think they were being ditched
again. We've just finished giving Daisy an oatmeal bath and Aveeno
rinse. I gave her some benedryl and she's completely passed out here under
my desk as I write this.
Badger, on the other hand, was very happy and
excited to see me, but he looked quite well. He boarded with the vet so
that care and treatment could be continued on his ears. He had his sutures
out and a good ear flushing while we were gone, and came home clean and
fed. Badger has spent so much time at the vet's in recent weeks that it's
like a second home for him! Everyone knows him on sight and he likes all
the technicians who work there.
After this experience with boarding (even the
grouchy cat was happy to be home!) it will be hard to leave
them again. We're already talking about alternatives for next year,
such as having someone we know and trust stay in the house with them. I've
already looked into pet-friendly hotels in Ontario for our next trip north WITH
the pyrs. Our other trip this summer is a driving tour down the Blue Ridge
Parkway and we plan to take Daisy and Badger with us. I think Penny will
make do at home with a self-dispensing feeder and waterer.
I wouldn't be surprised if some of you have already
experienced what I just have and no longer take summer vacations
;-)
Kim, Daisy and Badger
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