Nauset Kennels

We field quite a few phone calls from pet owners throughout the year with concerns about their pet(s). Sometimes it has to do with a lack of interest in food. Many times it has to do with “an upset stomach,” which is often code for loose stools. Still other calls invovle limping. Many of these owners will call us after scheduling a vet appointment, asking questions about shampoos, food or treats, exercise, and other possible contributing factors. Reasonable questions. And while we would never presume to anticipate what your vet would say, we do have up some common-sense practices that we can share.

Sometimes, it helps to remember that our own bodies don’t always act the same every single day throughout the years. For example:

Allergies develop in some people, but not others. You can go for years without having allergies, and then boom, you are sniffling and sneezing with the rest of us.

There are days when I am ravenous, and other days, not so much. 9 out of 10 days I will eat somewhat regularly, yet there’s always that day or two where I’m just not that into food.

Even when I was younger, sometimes I would tweak an ankle or wrist. It would hurt for a day or so and then the pain would dissipate.

And while my mother will have a chat with me about appropriateness and sharing too much information, the same concept applies when that food leaves my body. Some days everything works like clock-work, other days aren’t as stellar.

I know, TMI (too much information). But sometimes, when your dog’s poop is a little softer than usual or you see that he’s not eating with the same gusto as usual, people need that gentle reminder in terms of our own bodies. Sometimes, you can be a bit “off” without being sick. I certainly don’t call my doctor every time my stomach acts a little funny.

That said, when do you call the vet if your dog or cat is acting off? (This is where I’d love my veterinary friends to give some free advice or give me a shout out on any information they feel isn’t up to their standards).

Call the vet if there is blood in the stool and your pet hasn’t experienced any stress ( a long car ride, company or fireworks for example), particularly if the blood continues to be present in more than one stool.

Call the vet if diarrhea doesn’t clear up after two days, assuming you fasted the dog for one day and followed with rice for the second day (dogs only on this one!). Call the vet if the dog’s eyes are glassy or her gaze seems distant.

Call the vet if the pet is having trouble walking that seems more than a “sprained ankle” type injury.

Call if your pet is sickly, elderly, or currently under veterinary treatment.

Call if it just feels like the right thing to do.

Remember: your vet is there to help and will be happy to answer questions. If you feel like every time you call to ask questions you are rebuffed or told that you have to come in, then consider finding a vet that will work with you on a level you feel comfortable with. And if you still want to call us to chat about a problem, we’re happy to oblige.

*Note: We are not vets. We don’t pretend to be vets. And we don’t play vets on t.v.

At the end of the day today, we will grow from two dogs to three. Although Kirsten hasn’t told me yet, I am pretty sure that Lori will be coming to live with us tonight. Lori has been boarding with us for years, only recently coming to stay permanently when her human dad went into a nursing home. We initially asked if we could bring her to the nursing home to see him, but the family thought it would upset him too much, so we have stayed away. In the meantime, Lori has become an honored guest/resident of the kennel, and following in the footsteps of many others, will come to our house for awhile.

Halley, Shasta, Rex, Gilligan - there really are too many to name. Some came home with us “temporarily” and never left. Others didn’t even stay in the kennel very long until we (mostly our fabulous employees) found a perfect home for them. Emily and her brother, Bear came to us through an acquaintance who could no longer provide a home for them. Bear found a home almost right away, but Emily had heartworm. So we treated the heartworm and Emily recovered beautifully and is now living off-Cape with friends. Jake’s previous owner started traveling quite a bit for work and felt it unfair to Jake to spend hours cooped up in the house. It just so happened that one of our good clients had recently lost one of their dogs and was avidly looking for another. Kenny’s family had a new baby and no time or patience to work with him, so they asked us to help them find a good home for him. Kenny now lives with Max and the boys play and romp like they came from the same litter. The stories go on and will continue to go on. Things happen. Life happens. We know that and do our best to try and help. I am sure that most kennels do the same thing. (It’s a darn good thing we own a kennel and not the Animal Rescue League! We’d be up to our eyeballs in animals!)

If you are looking for an older dog to love, give us a call about Lori. I’d tell you to swing by the kennel, but like I said, I am pretty sure Lori will be joining us for dinner tonight.

We walk a good number of our boarding dogs daily. On our walks, we are very careful with the dogs. We choose the type of collar and leash according to the dog we are walking. We carry an animal repellent to ward off any coyotes that come a bit too close. During hunting season we wear flame orange hunting vests and put one on the dog as well. Basically, we try to control as much of the environment as we can.

What we can’t control though, are other dogs we might encounter on the way. Too often we are out walking a dog and another pooch comes bounding up, sometimes playful, sometimes not so much. Usually, the owner is a few steps behind, not always in site though, and will call out, “Don’t worry, he’s friendly!” For many of the dogs we walk, this is not a problem and a few moments of dog sniffing and frolicking will ensue. For a few of our dogs though, this is a major problem.

The dog bounding toward us might be friendly. But what about the dog we are walking on leash? There are some dogs that do not tolerate other dogs. If another dog approaches us on-leash being controlled by the owner, the environment is controlled. We tighten the leash and keep walking. If the approaching dog is off-leash, well, that is another matter. Most of the time we do the same thing: tighten the leash and briskly walk away. So far, we have been very lucky and have been able to put some distance between us and the other, unleashed dog. All it takes though is one time; one time for that other dog to get a bit too close.

It’s easy to forget that not all dogs are friendly towards others. Even in controlled environments, things happen. Keep all of our dogs safe and walk them on leashes. You never know who else might be out enjoying the day.