Spring clean all year round
 Wherever
there are lots of dogs in stressful environments, you will always get some who are harbouring
the odd virus or bacteria with them. Strict hygiene methods are a must especially when dealing
with many dogs at an event. Okay, you may have been lucky so far but it's always better to be
safe than sorry. Jacquie Neilson of Rain Rescue
explains how to avoid infection.
For any
successful kennel, breeding, boarding or rescue to survive hygiene is paramount. This also
applies to multi-dog households and has never been more so than in the present climate.
Cleanliness is a media hot topic as the NHS has highlighted the problems being caused by the
complications of dirty housing environments. It is now known that MRSA is a danger for
our pets and so the public are also keen to safeguard their loved pets when out of their own
hands too.
Illness,
disease and bacteria strike when an animal is at its lowest point. Any animal undergoing stress
or change is susceptible to picking up these life threatening causes. In addition, puppies,
pregnant or lactating mums, convalescents and our veteran dogs are at an even greater risk of
coming under attack from these life threatening forces.
It would
be bad enough to loose one of our own loved ones due to bad hygiene conditions, but to loose a
young mum whilst feeding young puppies, to loose the best potential show dog from the litter or
to loose one of your precious boarding dogs and the possibility of your reputation is
frightening beyond our wildest imagination.
In
addition to the animals in our care these days in the world of litigation and high figure law
suits we have to also remember those people who enter our kennels on both a part time working
basis or those doggie friends who visit our homes and caravans. Whilst we may be more careful
ourselves whilst handling toxic chemicals and whilst measuring out that carefully monitored
1:100 dilution ratio that is not always the easiest thing to manage when left to other
members of our team.
When
visitors are stressed or run down and the immune system is compromised, bacterial rapidly
multiply and become pathogenic or disease producing. In the society we live in today, many of
the dogs or people in our kennels will have taken anti-biotics in the not too distant past.
It is the over user of anti-bionics which has led to these rapid spread of diseases and
infections which are so hard to control once they are in your work-place which has led to
the need for scrupulous hygiene and cleanliness.
 In
a busy working kennel environment, enforced hygiene routines are paramount to ensure that
strict measures are second place to us. The enforcement of deep cleaning down of areas after
ever change of a dog. Something not always that easy to do when kennel space is tight and
changeovers are not going to plan. Where holding spaces could house up to 12 or 14 dogs
in any one day whilst one kennel becomes available and another is filled. Entrances and
exits, pathways and cleaning areas reception, doorbells telephones all points where
multiple hands will pass over during the course of a day, a week, a month and a year.
These
risks of passing infection over have always been around. Most kennels will never have
experienced a problem and wonder why they need to change their methods over now. The
difference is the highlight of the drug MRSA and just what impacts this lack of good cleaning
routines can have on a kennel and its reputation. MRSA may be more common in people but now
it is increasing in our pets.
Kennel
hygiene has to be organised according to a methodical routine and good quality tried, tested
and approved disinfection products must be employed routinely and properly. Ensure that
the products that you are using conform to current Health and Safety standards where they are
being handled by staff. That the labelling on the products have proven test results to
ensure they do what they say they do and that they wont burn your staff or your boarders and
so harm instead of clean.
Some of
these chemicals that we use around our pets will corrode the steel in our kennels and burn the
paint off our floors over years of use at just normal dilution rates. What on earth is
that doing to those sensitive paws, noses and bottoms of our tender care. When they have
to sit, walk and lay on them for 23 hours a day whilst with you how much damage will that do
to them.
If this
article does no more than make you stop and look at the products that you are spending your
money on and invest that money on something that is safe to your pets will kill all the
diseases, bacteria and infections in your kennels, receptions, puppy pens, vehicles and
entrance halls that its supposed to. Leave a nice fresh aroma to be inviting to your
visitors (both 2 leg and 4) and most of all safe for you, your staff and your care whilst you
come into contact with it even when its wet. The article was worth the investment of
you reading it.
 About
the author...
Jacquie
Neilson
is a Distributor for Safe Solutions Disinfectant specialising in dogs in the drug detection -
working or multi dog environment at events or functions.
She
originally got involved with the Safe Solutions company due to her absolute devotion to animal
welfare dealing primarily with dogs in dog pounds. Work in this field saw many dogs in
horrendous conditions often with weeping mangy sores on their bodies and cleaned out with
bleach - ultimately laying in bleach on their open wounds. This led her to research
alternatives to find to offer to the dog pounds. She wanted a top market product - that was
within budge for the councils and pounds to purchase and found Safe Solutions. These
products wipe out all disease and infections that they should do - and yet don't harm the
animals they are there to protect.
Jacquie runs a animal rescue charity called Rain Rescue which helps dogs and cats that are in
crisis situations. www.rainrescue.co.uk and are always seeking funders and supporters for their
work.
Jacquie has been in animal welfare for nearly 13 years and involved with dogs all of her life.
Always searching for something that's effective to keep her kennels hygienic and odour free.
At last has found that with Safe Solutions products.
Safe4 Disinfectant and cleaning products are
available from E-K9 or
Agility Warehouse
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