# Injured at the boarding kennel



## ristakrat (Jun 10, 2010)

My 5 year old intact male GSD was boarded for three days at a boarding facility he has stayed at before. When I picked him up I immediately put him in my car then came back inside to pay. On my way home I noticed he smelled horrible, kinda like urine but was clean and dry. Got home, put him in inside then left to run errands. When I got back home and started interacting with him I noticed his testicles were swollen. Upon further inspection I noticed that his testes are very raw and oozing with very large moist scabs. They don't seem to be causing severe discomfort but he is kinda walking funny. I am thinking maybe this is a reaction to the cleaner used in the kennel??? Maybe it wasn't diluted enough? I checked all of his feet and they seem fine but the underside of his nails are green. Has anyone ever dealt with something like this before? Should I call the kennel (which is also a vet's office) and see if they'll treat this because it happened in their care? Or just suck it up and take him to my vet?









Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Pioneer53 (May 5, 2006)

Yes on both. And then look for a new boarding kennel...


----------



## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

Yes. Call the kennel. It is actually not an uncommon thing for testickes to have a reaction to the cleaners used. At my kennel we don't use the cleaner with intact males. We used to have it happen with frequency. 

They should look at him for no charge. You could also cool compress them for a few days and put Neosporin on it. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

Call the Kennel, they may have switched products and he could be very well having a allergic reaction to something in a cleaner, if they are a vets then i am sure they would be happy to check him out for you.


----------



## ristakrat (Jun 10, 2010)

I called the kennel before they closed yesterday and took him to their vet first thing this morning free of charge. I was given ointment to put on the affected area twice a day. 
The kennel tech told me this commonly happens to the intact males that are boarded there. The way they prevent it from getting as bad as my dog's is that they wipe down and clean the testicles daily. Seriously? 
My dog cannot be handled by strangers, especially in an environment as intense as a boarding kennel so was left alone. I can't imagine how bad it would have been if our 3 day trip was any longer than that. 



Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## misslesleedavis1 (Dec 5, 2013)

....why is it such a common problem?

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

Wow. I'm shocked that this is routine. That's disgusting! I know when I was shopping for a boarding kennel, I ruled one out that absolutely reeked of pine-sol cleaner, with the tiles torn up and exposed subfloor. I can only imagine how much worse it would have been for a dog, with their keen sense of smell. But I never even thought of what kind of contact reaction he'd get! I'm horrified that this is going on, and overlooked, since it's part of a vet clinic. I hope your dog gets better soon - and you find a more responsible kennel before your next trip! They are out there, it's just finding them that sucks, lol.


----------



## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

Yikes, maybe finding a reliable pet sitter would be better.

Your poor boy, hope he's feeling better soon. Can they not get some sort of steam cleaner type of thing to sterilize the kennels if it's that big a problem?


----------



## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

I am amazed that they said it is a common problem. They should be looking at what the cause is and change their cleaners at the very least. If it happened more than twice then they need to fix the problem. There are green cleaners out there that are not irritating to skin. I would not use this kennel again if it were me, but then I never leave my dog at all as I take her with me to calm my anxiety when in strange places. She is my unofficial therapy dog because just having her with me helps me stay calm and not worry. Note, I don't tell motels that she is a therapy dog and only stay at places that are pet friendly so I am not abusing the therapy dog position. I hope your boy feels better soon.


----------



## ristakrat (Jun 10, 2010)

Below should be an updated picture. My poor boy has only gotten worse. We saw the vet very briefly this morning and I was sent home with ointment to put on the effected area twice a day. 
The veterinarian actually told me she had seen much worse. Whaaaat?! From your own facility?! She also told me that next time my dog stays with them that they will rinse his kennel more thoroughly. I'm not anticipating there ever being a next time. 
If you have an intact male canine and are scoping out boarding facilities ask them about any reactions boarders have had on their testicles. If it I referred to as common or regular don't let them take care of your dog. In fact, if they don't look at you like you are crazy, no such thing has been heard of in their kennel, stay away. Don't let this happen to your pet. 









Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Moriah (May 20, 2014)

ristakrat said:


> Below should be an updated picture. My poor boy has only gotten worse. We saw the vet very briefly this morning and I was sent home with ointment to put on the effected area twice a day.
> The veterinarian actually told me she had seen much worse. Whaaaat?! From your own facility?! She also told me that next time my dog stays with them that they will rinse his kennel more thoroughly. I'm not anticipating there ever being a next time.
> If you have an intact male canine and are scoping out boarding facilities ask them about any reactions boarders have had on their testicles. If it I referred to as common or regular don't let them take care of your dog. In fact, if they don't look at you like you are crazy, no such thing has been heard of in their kennel, stay away. *Don't let this happen to your pet.*
> View attachment 226922
> ...


So sorry for your boy!! Good to know about this!!!!


----------



## Pioneer53 (May 5, 2006)

So sorry for your boy, that looks like a (chemical) burn... Ask your vet what 'they' recommend. 

First tip off to me was the urine smell and stained feet, did they just toss disinfectant in his kennel?? They know about the problem, why were they not thoroughly rinsing all the kennels with plain water in that case...good grief. We never had problems like that...

Best of luck with him healing up well and finding a new boarding place. Maybe a reliable pet sitting service might be an option?


----------



## Juliem24 (Jan 4, 2014)

A hundred years ago when I was a kid, I worked at the local humane society. We scrubbed the kennels and runs with pine sol but then flushed for 10 minutes with the hose. I don't remember any testicle issues, but on the farm sometimes the teats on the cows would get very irritated with the cleansing solution and we used bag balm on them.


----------



## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Man so sorry to see this! Nothing I ever would have thought about! We have only used a kennel for our guys twice and it was out door kennels don't really remember what the ground surface was I know it wasn't a hard surface.

You might want to find another vet? I'd be getting very nervous maybe antibiotics are called for?

I've used a product called "Well Horse" in the past and been very pleased with it. I use it on both my self and the dogs. Vet used in a dog with road rash from being drug by a trailer!! It's protects the wound and is also a topical antibiotic.

Hope he starts getting better soon!


----------



## ristakrat (Jun 10, 2010)

It's been a full week since I picked up my boy from the boarding kennel and discovered chemical burns on his testicles. After 2 days of treatment provided by the kennel's vet I called my vet and she suggested I start giving antibiotics to my boy and recommended a product called bag balm. (I got mine from CVS) After applying bag balm twice I noticed a dramatic difference in the burn's appearance and in my dog. The wound stopped oozing and healthy pink skin started forming. My dog seemed to be much less restless which was a huge relief. He started healing so quickly I decided not to use antibiotics. Here is a picture from this evening.






No more scabs, no more oozing, just bright pink balls lol. Now that all the worrying has subsided I just feel sick with guilt for leaving my buddy behind because I wanted to take a trip out of town. I'm going to have a hard time leaving him anywhere now. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Bag balm is amazing. I'd give him the antibiotics anyway, just to kill off any potential infection that may have been caused with this. 

I'm glad he's doing better. Cant say I blame you for avoiding that kennel. Perhaps file a complaint somehow? If this isn't news to them, they need to change their practice.


----------



## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

That's great news and I would give the antibiotics also, they are not about what you can see.


----------



## Pioneer53 (May 5, 2006)

Glad to see he is improving! 

Antibiotics also kill all the good gut bacteria, so if he is healing markedly each day and acting normally, chat with your vet. You know your dog, she may agree that the antibiotics are not needed.


----------

