Dog in quarantine - survival tips?

Hi,

We just arrived a couple of weeks ago and our Sasha had to go into quarantine which will finish on Feb 19th/2008  :\\\'( It has been extremely hard to see her in that place confined to a 5ft x 7ft space. We adopted her this year from a shelter in North Carolina where she had spent already approx 2 years. I know she is used to this kind of environment, but this is the last thing I wanted to happen (relocation was not on our plan at the time of the adoption). In any case, I wanted to know if someone can share any tips on how to make the most from our limited visit hours.

I would REALLY appreciate your inputs.

I went through quarantine earlier this year. It was tough, but I found that it did get a bit easier as the 6 months went along.

For us, it was a 45 minute drive to go see Poppy. (Her quarantine kennel was actually very nice. She had a huge space with a nice bed inside and a large run outside.) It became a nice day out for us and I think our enjoyment of the whole thing (a country drive, getting out of town, and, of course, seeing her) came across to her.

She's a senior dog and was never really into playing, so we'd mainly just go and hang out for a little while. We'd give her some treats, maybe play chase for a few minutes. Most of the time was just sitting in folding chairs in the outdoor run while she relaxed at our feet.

The first few times we went, we sat on the floor with her, and we got the impression that she felt she had to entertain us. When we just went there and acted like we were all at home, she seemed to enjoy our visits more.

Adam's parents came with us a few times, so she got to meet them on those trips.

Mainly, though, the thing she seemed to look forward to most was me picking her up and then her going straight into my bag to find the treats.

Jen,

Thanks for replying. Did Poppy had to spend the whole 6-month period? I couldn't imagine my Sasha going through it.
Unfortunately the place where she's at in Bedfordshire is certainly not the best. As said before, she is confined to a 5ft x 7ft bedroom, and her "outside" space is only a 5ft x 12ft concrete space attached to her bedroom. We were advised that if we wanted a heater for her we would have to pay £40 more/month (which we certainly did  )... but they claim they only turn on the heaters at night. There have been times when I go visit during the day that it has been extremely cold, and the poor creature is shaking.

Anyway, we try to go every day that we are allowed (they open every day from 11 to 15.30, except thurs and sun). First few minutes we play like we used to at home, then when we feel is safe, we feed her secretly because she has clearly lost a great amount of weight. At the beginning I brought this to the attention of the kennel owners but they claim they're feeding her enough    GRRRR... Then, we spend the rest of the time just on the floor, because she like to cuddle right next you very tight... probably is the only time she can feel warm enough to have a good nap.

I could stay here telling you some other bad issues, but don't want to bore you guys more. Thanks again for your reply, any success story like Poppy counts to make us feel better and hopeful.

One quick question though... do you have pet insurance? could you recommend one?

Dogs don't usually eat well once they are in a kennel.  It's not like they are happy.  My dogs always lost some weight when I came back from vacation.

Poppy actually gained weight in quarantine. At first, she didn't eat much, but then she really got to like the food, which was a homemade blend with real mince in it. When she got home, we had to put her on a diet.

We use PetPlan for all of our pet insurance - cats and dog.  They are a bit more expensive than some other plans, but dealing with them for claims is fantastic.  We've  had to make claims both for our cats and the dog and have never had any problems -the forms are easy, processing has been quick and customer service when we've had queries has always been very good too.  Our vet recommended PetPlan since the cover is good and they are so easy to deal with.

I would definitely recommend their Super plan instead of the Budget plans though (I think it's called SuperDog and SuperCat).  We had Budget for one of our cats, which was something like £4,000 cover pa (should be plenty right?).  Unfortunately he suddenly got very very ill, and within 10 days of treatment at the Vet and Animal hospital we'd reached the £4,000 limit and I was left with an extra £2,000 in vet/hospital bills for him.  For a few extra pounds a month, I upgraded all of the cats and our dog to Super - unlimited coverage of vet and hospital for them gives me so much more peace of mind.

Hope your doggie gets through quarantine okay.   

We don't have pet insurance for any of ours. We just haven't gotten around to getting insurance for the kittens and Poppy is too old to be insured. No company will take an almost 13 year old dog on, even though she's in perfect health.

Didn't know pet insurance is that good in the UK.  It sucks here in the US.  I will definitely have to buy some.

Well I did a little more enquiries around and found that Petplan is indeed a good option here. I also found out that prices vary depending on where you live.
In any case, I think I will be taking it after Sasha gets out of quarantine, cause right now she is all covered there.