Kennels: Convenient, or Hell on Earth?

You'd like to leave Fido off at the kennel so you can get away for the weekend. But when your dog walks into that kennel, is it really all happy tails, or is it your best friend's own personal hell?

I left my 11 year old German Wirehair Pointer at a local kennel over a holiday weekend recently. She had an ear infection at the time, so I left the ear medication for the kennel employees to administer to my dog.

When I came back to pick her up a few days later, I quickly noticed that she was completely deaf. I took her to the vet as soon as possible, where I learned that certain ear medications can cause deafness, but that if it is caught early enough, permanent hearing loss can be prevented. If she had been at home, I'm sure I would have noticed her hearing loss as soon as it developed!

Kennels simply can't provide the same level of care and attention that your dog gets at home. So if your pet is on a new medication, he or she simply shouldn't be left at the kennel, as the personnel there have too many dogs to take care of and may not notice that your dog is having an adverse reaction to his or her medication.

For more information on the risks of prescription drugs and your pet, talk to your veterinarian, and look online to find more information on the dangers of your dog's specific medications!