When you bring your dog for boarding, can you bring your own food?
We get this question often enough that we wanted to explain our food philosophy here! Let's start with the simple answer: Yes!
Now let's get into the more complicated stuff: Why?
Why Should Dogs Keep Their Food Regimen During Boarding?
Our main goal when your pet joins our boarding program is to give your pup everything they need to thrive while they're in our care. When it comes to our interactive boarding program, this means several rounds of safe and monitored group play, followed by the rest your pet needs to recover for playtime again the next day! After all, a tired dog is a happy dog. For pups in our private boarding program, feeding includes extra one-on-one time with staff, and often includes added enrichment by feeding through slow-feeders and puzzle toys. When a pup is staying with us overnight, giving them everything they need to thrive will include feeding. Feeding can include breakfast, dinner, lunch for younger dogs or dogs with special needs, treats and snacks if selected as an add-on, and even certain medications. If our goal is to give a dog everything they need to thrive: that's going to include giving them the food regimen that keeps them happy and healthy at home.
There are plenty of considerations that go into choosing the right food for your pet. For some families, the right food means the right price tag from a friendly brand. For other families, feeding your dog the right diet will include research, advice from a veterinarian, or even a long process of trial and error to make sure your pup is eating well and digesting healthily. Just like humans, dogs each have their own unique preferences and stomach sensitivities. While some dogs can put away a chicken-based dinner with no problems, for other dogs, chicken meat causes stomach upset. We want your pup to feel right at home in our care, so we let you bring your own food at no added cost. This allows your pet to continue to benefit from their usual diet and your extensive research and knowledge of their unique needs!
Changing Food can Cause Stomach Upset
For some dogs, changing food brands can take a couple of days and can cause mild stomach upset. This is why we teach our Puppy Kindergarten students to change over food slowly, even when you're just swapping from one flavor by the same brand to another. This gives your pup's stomach time to adapt, so your dog (and you!) won't be dealing with gas or stool changes each time you swap to a new flavor of your favorite kibble. Each dog is unique, so some dogs can eat any kibble under the sun with no problems, while others will have loose stool just from changing from a beef-base to turkey-base. When your pet stays with us, we want their stomach to stay settled, so we don't rock the boat by requiring every pet in our care to eat the same diet.
Other Food FAQs
There are a few other questions we get now and again around food and pet boarding that we want to spend some time answering here!
What Food Do You Offer?
If your pup can switch kibble with no sweat, you're welcome to use the food we provide! The cost for using our food is $5/day of your dog's stay. At Kim's K-9, we use IAMS standard formula, which has an average rating of 4/5 on dog food advisor (we advise our clients to feed their dogs any kibble which receives a 3.5 or higher), and has not had a recall in over 10 years. We are always watching for recalls or advisories around dog food. If you would prefer for your pet to enjoy food provided by the kennel, you can choose from IAMS standard adult (flavors may vary), IAMS Lamb and Rice for sensitive stomachs, and IAMS Puppy for fully vaccinated pups within the recommended range for puppy food, within that cost of $5 per day.
Which Dogs Eat Lunch?
Typically, vets recommend feeding your dog at breakfast and at dinner. These regular intervals fit perfectly with our interactive play AND solo boarding schedules, and our veterinary partners continue to confirm this is the ideal setup for most dogs. Puppies or dogs with special medical needs may require an additional feeding around lunchtime. If there is an age or medical reason for your pet to enjoy a midday meal, we will of course accommodate! However, if your pup does not have a strong dietary reason for a midday snack, we will prefer to keep them to the tried-and-true schedule we've created here at the kennel.
We follow a strict feeding to playtime schedule to avoid a potentially fatal condition called bloat or stomach torsion. Our Puppy Kindergarten students are intimately familiar with bloat, what is believed to cause it, and how to spot the signs by the time they graduate. Each member of our staff is trained in the specific signs to watch for, and our kennel schedule is set around keeping pups safe from this painful and potentially fatal experience! Current research encourages us not to let dogs run for a full hour after eating to reduce risk. Adding a lunchtime meal to our schedule would potentially restrict your pet's availability for playtime or enrichment time, both of which are core to a dog's experience here at Kim's K-9!
What Happens if my Dog Gets an Upset Stomach During Boarding?
An upset stomach or loose stool are not abnormal occurrences during boarding or daycare. Our staff and trainers keep a close eye on your pet's vital signs (including whether they eat and what their bowel movements look like) to ensure they're having a blast and staying healthy during their time with us! If your dog is straining to poo or struggling with loose stool, we'll keep an eye on it. If your pet's tummy troubles are severe enough that we want to seek veterinary attention, we'll give you a call. You can let us know if you'd like to pick them up for an appointment with your normal vet, or if you'd like us to bring your pet to one of our emergency partners for an examination. Thankfully, this is not often needed! Some amount of stomach upset is normal during boarding, since their routine is so different from home, and since most dogs don't get quite as much exercise at home as they enjoy during their time at Kim's K-9. Generally, we will just take note and let you know upon pickup if your pup had any unusual symptoms in their time with us.
We've seen just about everything when it comes to bowel movements! From loose stool to a week-old, fully undigested balloon (true story), we've seen dogs pass items from the mundane to the truly extraordinary. In most cases, your pet is just fine after passing the (AirPod, pair of underwear, cotton from a stuffed animal, birthday balloon from a week ago, or other UPO (unidentified pooped-out object)). We treat your dog like one of our own, which means monitoring their vital signs and energy level just as carefully as you do from home!
Whether you're bringing in your usual kibble or springing for our IAMS options, your dog will enjoy a happy and healthy time playing with us at our safe and clean facility. If you have questions, or want to learn more about what makes boarding at Kim's K-9 different, message or call us today to talk to one of our professional trainers! We can't wait to share more about our interactive play groups and cozy private boarding options.
