My dog has just died at a boarding kennel

[Orc]

Looking for advice. We are on holiday and my dog has just died at a boarding kennel.

We have been using this kennel for years. They phoned me at 9.45 to say he had shallow breathing. And that they would normally take him to the vet straight away but they were short staffed and could not.

So they phoned my emergency contact, my sister, who lives 40 minutes away. By the time she had got there he had died. They said “ideally we like emergency contacts to live closer”, whilst also admitting that they had failed him.

I am so shocked and angry. We trusted them. I also feel like I have let him down as I was not there when he needed me.

I’m not sure how to process this but I feel like they could have done more to help him. What should I do?

DSis is taking him to the vet so we can find out how he died.

edited to add: he died about an hour after they first called. My sister did tell them it would take her 40 to 45 mins to get to them. The kennels are a 15 min drive from the vet.

This. They'll be shitting themselves.

I am so sorry for your devastating loss xx

Op what star rating does the kennels have? If 4 or 5 then a higher staff to dog ratio is required

They have a 5 star rating and said there were only 2 members of staff…

How many dogs? That’s key

I’m so sorry - how awful (a similar thing happened to our cat when I was little).

So they didn’t follow their ‘duty of care’ because they didn’t have enough staff and what exactly did they expect your sister to do?

There is nothing that will ease the pain of your loss but I’d be raging.

I would wait and speak to the vet. Ask their thoughts on the situation. In the meantime put everything down in writing - times, calls etc. If the vet thinks this was negligence then I’d be writing to the owners with the facts. I’m not sure what would be a ‘suitable’ outcome though.

I don’t know of kennels are regulated or have to be registered with any organisation?

I was wondering about this too-are there minimum requirements for staff to animal ratio?

I am so so sorry for the loss of your lovely dog @Orc I think post mortem is a good idea-at least if you know it many give you some peace.

I am def not impressed by the kennel's attitude!!

What I don’t understand is why they’d be taking your dog to your vet?

The dog keen will have its own vet to which it would contact / visit / send / take animals

Oh dear God, I am so sorry to read this, OP. Really thinking of you.

So sorry for your loss, OP.

I've had 3 dogs over the years, and the loss of every one of them has broken my heart, so I know how tough it is, even without the possibility that it could have been avoidable.

I'm too old to get another now, but I look after friends' dogs from time to time, and I wouldn't hesitate to call their vet if any of them became unwell.

2 staff means 1 could leave in an emergency. It's kennels, not ITU.
HOWEVER, what you describe suggests that your dog was going to die regardless. He was allowed to do so peacefully and naturally. It would be stressful to be scooped up and driven to the vet in a panic. It is highly unlikely a vet would be free to rush out in that moment too. (Based on experience).
So very sorry for your loss - try to focus on his peaceful end.

What a shock for you @Orc. Our boy is an old man now, and I’m dreading the day, but in your circumstances, I can only imagine how you must be feeling. So sad.

This is a good point

What a horrendous shock for you, I'm so sorry for your loss. We are life long dog owners and losing them is like losing a family member and best friend all rolled into one.

I would be kind to yourself, and try not to let your thoughts run away with you just yet. You'll know more once the vets have done some investigations. He clearly came down with something acute, and the likelihood is that even if they had taken him in immediately, the outcome would have been the same. Given his breed, a GDV is a real possibility, or it could be something like a ruptured mass or an underlying heart condition.

Wait until you know more before you decide how to proceed.

The minimum requirements for people being on site at kennels are shocking. You can have a 5 star licence and have no one on site 24/7, technically (depending on what other criteria you hit).

Owning a kennels is very similar to being a breeder. The 5 star means very little for both. For kennels, it means that 50% of the 'higher' standards of animal welfare are adhered to. The higher standards are what most people would consider to be basic.

A few examples:

The 'higher-standard' under my local council for how often the animal should be checked is once between 18:00 and 08:00. Most of us would never leave our dogs for 14 hours unattended - but for a kennel, that's considered 'high-standard' if you do less.

The 'higher-standard' under my local council for exercise for dogs is 2x20 minute walks a day. How many dogs only need 40 minutes exercise a day?

The 'higher-standard' under my local council for emergencies, is a member of staff on sight 24/7. So that means, technically, any kennel could be 5 star licensed, but actually not have to have someone on site 24/7. The 'basic standard' (which means someone could have a 5 star council licence) is having someone 30 minutes away from the kennels.

Unfortunately, the standards of care in many kennels - that many people believe to be excellent - are often very minimal. It's shit and it's shocking.

@Orc I’m so, so sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved boy. My heart really does go out to you. I’m sure my boy Logan (a rescued Belgian Malinois from Cyprus who was also taken far too young and far, far too soon 3.5 years ago from rapid and acute kidney failure) was waiting to welcome him at the other end of the rainbow bridge 🌈

For now, please just focus on finding out from the vet (if you’re able) what went wrong and allowing yourself to fully feel your grief. Any further action can come down the line when you’re ready for it.

If you don’t mind me asking, what was your boy’s name? Whilst I’m not religious I do often give a little devotion at night time to my Logie, thanking him for the time we had with him and letting him know we still love and miss him. I’d be honoured to include your pup tonight. 💙

I'm so, so sorry about your dog. My dog died while I was on holiday earlier this year and the lack of closure makes it even worse. I went away, came home, and he was just... gone

It sounds as though the kennel has been negligent. I appreciate that people phone in sick but they should have contingencies and a plan for emergencies so this never happens.

It's really sensible that you're getting a post mortem, in case it was poisoning or something - or if was he administered another dogs medication in error.

I'm so sorry, this must be an awful shock.

I am so sorry for you. What an awful shock. This happened to a friend of mine and it turned out to be bloat. Dog had bolted his food down and just happened quickly.

You did your best by him. You were not to blame. I think you're being sensible with the PM but I would fully expect a call and some better care from the manager.

If I ever get another dog, I don't think I would use kennels again. I still feel guilty about kennelling my old boy. He came out with a dicky tummy and though he was fine for another year, I still feel bad about it. Be kind to yourself. 💐

How awful, I am sorry. 💐

All you can do at this stage is grieve your lovely boy and do some evidence gathering. Enlist some help from a friend if you can. Did they give you a copy of their Ts&Cs? Is there anything on their website you could screenshot? Speak to your vet once the autopsy results are back.

If there were only 2 staff on duty, I can see why they might have been reluctant for one of them to take him to the vet, as it would have left them with inadequate cover. Lone working with housed animals, stressed in a strange environment, is something they would try to avoid.

They could still have requested their vet come out to them though. It is expensive (and might have been at the kennel’s expense) but they should have tried. Did they?

Thank you, that’s very kind of you and sorry about Logie, that’s so young and must have been heartbreaking. His name was Riley 💔.

I wish we had never gone away now. It was meant to be a pre-Christmas trip to get in the mood for December but it has turned out to be a really sad time.

Do you have children Op? Do they know?

I can’t comment on emergency situations but the kennels I use for my dogs will use the animal’s normal vet for treatment if something happens whilst the dogs are there. Works for me as my dogs are familiar with the vets and vice versa and I have a health care plan with them that gives a small discount on consultation appointments etc.

But the kennels will have their one vet to call In precisely situations like this who would be able to visit

it is a min requirement the dog kennel has its own vet

I would be very angry that they were too short staffed to deal with a sick dog.

They should ensure there is always someone on hand if an emergency should arise.

Imagine if this was a nursery for children and there were just 'not enough staff' to help a sick child. It just wouldn't happen and if it did there would be outrage, because they need to make sure they have spare staff.

I'd potentially think about suing/ trying to claim some kind of compensation, although of course it won't bring your dog back, but might make them think twice about their staffing roster next time.