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Dog Vaccinations and Health Details

vaccinations & health

At the Dog Ranch, we pride ourselves on ensuring a scrupulously healthy environment for your dog. 

We provide a full-body health check on all dogs upon their arrival for boarding but all guests staying with us must be in good health and have up-to-date dog vaccinations including Bordetella (annually), DHPP and Rabies. Titer tests for DHPP are accepted, but must be renewed annually. Please consult with us regarding the rabies vaccine as rabies is rare so dogs who are sensitive to vaccines or elderly may possibly be excluded from getting it to stay with us.

Please submit written confirmation from a Veterinarian that your dog has received the following vaccinations, as listed below. Forms can be sent to [email protected], or uploaded into your Customer Portal from our Make a Reservation page.

Senior dogs are welcome at the Bowen Island Dog Ranch if they stand up and able to walk outside to potty. They will be on our “geriatric schedule” and a few times a day based on their mobility, are able to wander around our artificial turf and flatter forest trails to get some fresh air with other older dogs and our staff. We cannot take senior dogs if they are incontinent.

Our required puppy vaccinations and age requirements can be found below.

Mandatory Vaccinations

Bordetella (for Kennel Cough): Annually

All dogs who have been previously vaccinated for Bordetella and are overdue for re-vaccination, must have had an intranasal booster no later than 72 hours BEFORE arriving at the Dog Ranch. Five to seven days before arriving at the Dog Ranch is ideal to ensure full protection, and monitor for a reaction. Please note that with the injectable booster, it will take 10 days before your dog is fully protected. If your dog has their regular annual Bordetella vaccine within approximately a month of it being overdue, we may lessen our 72 hours window if it’s a last minute reservation, but your dog must not be showing any signs of illness or a cold.

The Bordetella vaccine procedure can vary between vets, but the most common local timeline is for a first-time Bordetella vaccine your dog will get an initial injection followed by a booster two weeks later. The booster must be done at least five days before boarding and 7-10 days for puppies. Your dog will be fully protected 10 days following the booster. Alternately, and intranasal vaccination for the booster will achieve full immunity after five days.

Please note that the Bordetella vaccine covers most strains of the virus, but as it mutates yearly like the human cold, there is always a chance that even if you’re dog has the Bordetella vaccine, they may still show symptoms. It does however, usually lessen the severity of the Kennel Cough.

DHLPP (distemper, adenovirus [hepatitis], leptospirosis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza virus):

The DHLPP vaccines is administered every one or three years, depending on your Vet’s protocols. We accept Titer tests for DHPP, updated annually.

Rabies

The rabies vaccination is given every one or three years, depending on your Vet’s protocols. We accept senior dogs that do not keep up their rabies vaccination in their later years, and your dog may be exempt from the rabies vaccine if it is medically sensitive to it.

Other Health Details

Should a medical emergency or issue arise with your dog, our staff will attempt to contact you or your emergency contact immediately. Based on our conversation and your approval, or if we cannot contact you and vet care is needed, we will use our medical judgement and take your dog to our Bowen Veterinary Services hospital. If Bowen Vet is not available, we will take your dog by ferry to Caulfield Vet Hospital in West Vancouver, or the nearest clinic that is open.

For after-hour emergencies, we will take your dog to the nearest available emergency vet hospital on the mainland. If no staff are available to drive your dog, we will do our best to arrange with Bowen’s 24-hour water taxi service and a mainland pet taxi service.

On the initial application form, we ask if you have Pet Insurance and, if you do not, to indicate a maximum amount you are willing to pay for Veterinary care.

The amount of money you are willing to spend on your dog’s vet visit is EXTREMELY important in the event that we cannot communicate with you directly prior to an emergency or vet visit. The amount you are willing to spend will help both the Dog Ranch managers and the Veterinarian make the important medical decisions on your behalf. We recommend $1000.00. Please provide an emergency contact who is NOT the person you are not travelling with­­, and we will consult with them if needed.

We accept boarding and board & train puppies and dogs that are un-neutered or un-spayed on a case-by-case basis. We need to know the timing of your female dogs heat.

We do not recommend spaying or neutering your dog until your vet recommends the best time. If your puppy is spayed or neutered, we can board them after their third set of vaccinations or 16-week vaccination booster given at least 2 weeks before arriving. Please be aware that your puppy may still be susceptible to illness and we cannot guarantee immune protection until one week after the final boosters (between 4 and 5 months of age).

On admission, all dogs must be free from any condition which could potentially jeopardize our other canine guests. Any dog who has been ill within the last 30 days will require a Veterinarian’s certification of health to be admitted or re-admitted to the Bowen Island Dog Ranch.

On admission, all dogs must be free from fleas and ticks, and must be on a monthly flea and tick prevention regime. We accept dogs who are on either an oral or topical preventative. Here is a list of preventives we accept:

Oral: Capstar, Comfortis, Trifexis, Sentinel, Bravecto, Nexguard

Topical: Advantix II, Advantage II, Revolution, Frontlineplus, FiproGuard, FiproGuard MAX, PetArmor, PetArmor Plus

Medication can be given with food in a pill or liquid format. We are only able to give subcutaneous injections. Please provide clear instructions in the original packaging from your Vet or Pharmacy, and pre-prepare the pills for each use (break pills in half if necessary). We keep a daily record of medication administered. We also need to know what condition the medication is treating, so please call or email to brief us on your dogs’ medical issue, well before arrival.The Dog Ranch keeps a daily record of medication administered. Extra medical care may be given by our staff such as bandaging, cleaning wounds, ointment application etc.

We do full-body health assessments on every boarding or board & train dog upon arrival, and once or twice more dependant on their length of stay. We look out for any basic medical issues such as typical ear and eye problems, and we let you know if we find anything of concern. If an infection, limp, hot spot etc persists, we will appropriate action after contacting you, and a Vet consultation may be pursued. A health journal is kept daily.

We are dedicated to ensuring every dog receives the care it needs for a happy, healthy, and safe stay. We understand some dogs have special needs and require considerably more care and attention. If your dog requires specialized handling for proper care, or has extraordinary medical considerations, a daily or one-time surcharge may be added at the discretion of Bowen Island Dog Ranch. Read about the special requirements surcharge.

City & Bowen Shuttle Transportation

We make it easy to transport your Pup to the Dog Ranch with one of our three city shuttle options.

Prepare Your Pup

For Their Visit

In order to keep your pup happy, healthy and safe with us, please read this important information.

Boarding School for

Your Dog Works!

Board and Train is shaped around an essential truth: a properly trained dog is a happier dog.

We are dedicated to ensuring every dog receives the attention and care it needs for a happy, healthy, and safe stay with us.

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