By Matthew Bubear

It’s common knowledge that a visit to a veterinary clinic—whether for a quick check-up or a more serious surgery—has the potential to impact animal behaviour. Extending beyond the journey there and the physical examination, the clinic environment can hold negative or positive associations for pet and owner alike or influence such associations for future visits.

An oft-overlooked area, kennelling plays a large role in the wellbeing of animals at the vet. Experience and research show improper kennelling is a significant source of stress for pet, owner, and veterinary staff alike—potentially delaying patient recovery as well as impacting staff wellbeing.

In recent years, modern kennelling has focused on animal wellness, primarily the promotion of health and reduction in fear. More specifically, modular kennelling systems offer significant benefits for both pet health and veterinary staff while providing an opportunity to maximise revenue.

Issues with improper kennelling

It’s been said animal housing in veterinary clinics and shelters often do not fully consider the basic needs of animals or the practical implications for daily care.¹ It is true poor design can increase both stress and illness, exacting a daily toll on animals and veterinary staff. As the housing structure of kennels have tremendous potential to impact animal wellbeing, kennels have been identified as potential areas of high stress.^2,3

Characteristics that can impact animal patients range from kennel size and location within a clinic to the interior features and materials of the kennel.⁴ For example, clinical housing constructed primarily with materials that amplify noise, such as stainless steel, can result in environments damaging to both animal and human hearing. Noise is a key factor in the physical and psychological stress of animals, the closing of a metal cage door alone can reach damaging levels of 90 dBA.^1,5

Unfortunately, evidence does show that, often, animals are housed in the wrong kennel for their needs. This may be due to lack of kennel availability, incorrect kennel size, or budgetary constraints. Regardless, improper kennelling can trigger behavioural problems in patients, affecting their welfare and recovery time.⁶ When animals are stressed or in pain, they pose a risk to more than just themselves. Veterinary staff treating them are at risk of injury, most commonly from bites and scratches—signs of an animal’s stress, frustration, overstimulation, and anxiety.⁷

Kennelling requirements and needs

When it comes to veterinary hospitals, good housing also helps patients recover faster.⁹ In addition, it makes pet owners more comfortable and trusting of the care their pet receives.

Kennels are more than just a secure place of confinement. When an animal is being housed in clinic, it’s an expectation their health is either maintained or improved, and their daily care is efficiently and safely provided.³

So, what should optimal kennelling that fully addresses animal needs look like? The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has produced animal welfare guidelines for companion animal practitioners and veterinary teams.⁸ This guide includes:

• A suitable environment. When talking about kennels, cages, and hospitalisation facilities, it specifies appropriate size—where animals can stand up, turn around naturally, and stretch.⁸ In addition, WSAVA recommends species-specific needs, including keeping cats and dogs separated, as well as keeping individuals within each species apart.
• Ensuring animals are able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns. Husbandry routines and environmental provisions should be “planned to allow for the natural and behavioural needs of the animals.” These practices should be followed to promote behaviours and prevent frustration.
• Providing an environment where the animal can rest undisturbed when needed—which all good kennelling should allow for.

It is also important to consider certain stress points animals, and their owners, may have about kennelling:

• Measures considered for stress points include odours, sounds and noise, lighting, facility layout, and crowding.²
• Visually, the use of glass run gates and kennels makes for an optimum atmosphere. The “jail-like” appearance, caused by structures, such as steel cages, has been found to put people off. Moreover, glass provides strength and durability, contributing significantly to noise reduction. Glass can also be frosted or etched to assist with privacy.¹⁰ This is important as it gives animals that like hiding places, such as felines, a sense of control. This, in turn, can help alleviate stress.
• When it comes to smell, the obvious solution is ventilation. Often, traditional cages act as barriers to adequate room air exchange. For animals with sensitive olfactory systems, the presence of smells is a point of stress.¹¹ Individually ventilated cages, therefore, present an optimal solution.

The benefits of modular kennels

Modular kennelling systems allow for individual units to be attached, configured, and reconfigured as desired. This presents considerable advantages towards both improving pet wellbeing and a practice’ operational efficiency, including:

1) Flexible design

By design, modular kennels offer complete flexibility. They are extremely customizable, meaning they can be tailored to the specific requirements of a veterinary practice and its patients, and optimize ward space to its maximum potential—a particularly important consideration for those with limited space.

Kennels of different dimensions can be stacked vertically and horizontally. This allows for greater use of square footage and, in turn, maximizes revenue opportunities by ensuring more animals can be kept in the clinic under care.

Modular kennels can also be scaled up or down with ease, working in step with physical changes within the practice (i.e. expansions, moves, renovations). In addition, these kennels can be designed to accommodate different types and sizes of animals, with the stacking system able to cater to patients’ particular requirements. For example, some dogs may benefit from being kennelled at height due to a medical or surgical condition, or certain cats may have a movement restriction after surgery and need a smaller space than usual.¹² Equally, other animals may find being lifted and examined at height stressful. In which case, modular kennelling provides the benefit of also having kennels at floor levels.

Depending on patient needs, removable dividers can also be used to section off spaces or increase enclosure size.

2) Improved management of hygiene and biosecurity control

This is of utmost importance to prevent the spread of disease and ensure the safety and wellbeing of patients. Due to the materials modular kennels tend to be made from, such as glass, they can easily be disinfected and kept sterile.

3) Enhanced visibility

The transparent materials usually used for modular kennels allow for better visibility of patients, ensuring clinic staff can efficiently monitor patients’ wellbeing.

4) Increased patient satisfaction

Modular kennels can also help to mitigate patient stress through unique features, such as visual/privacy barriers, noise mitigation, and the ability to tailor each individual kennel environment. By being able to customize ventilation, lighting and temperature systems within individual stacked kennels, practitioners can cater care to the specific needs of each patient, thus optimizing their recovery. There is also greater opportunity for observation and non-disruptive monitoring, allowing for positive interactions with animals.

5) Esthetic improvement

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) notes that look and feel can make a difference in client acquisition and retention.¹⁴ Often stylish and professional in design, modular kennelling systems can be visually appealing. This can contribute to a positive impression on clients and provide confidence in the standards of care their pets are receiving; a particular advantage given recent design trends for open plan veterinary clinics without  back-of-house spaces or waiting rooms.

Conclusion

The right clinic design, from wider layout all the way through to animal housing, puts patients and owners at ease, minimizes risk of stress and injury to animal and to staff, and contributes to overall wellbeing.^2,13 Modular kennel design is a modern, convenient mode of animal housing that offers clear benefits to veterinary clinics—easier observation and monitoring, greater flexibility and scalability, enhanced hygiene control and workflows, and tailored patient care.

With the ability to adapt to both clinic and client needs over time, modular kennels can be a way to future-proof a veterinary practice and ensure the best care for animal patients. Given that animal housing can affect everything from stress level and disease risk to food intake and sleep quality, it’s vital to get
it right!¹

Matthew Bubear is CEO of CASCO Pet, a manufacturer of animal habitats and veterinary kennelling. Bubear has over 30 years of experience in the industry—with his passion for animal wellness at the heart of everything he does.

References

¹ UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program. 2015. “Facility Design and Animal Housing.” Resource Library. https://www.sheltermedicine.com/library/resources/?r=facility-design-and-animal-housing

² Lloyd, Janice K.F., and Patrick Butaye. 2017. “Minimising Stress for Patients in the Veterinary Hospital: Why It Is Important and What Can Be Done about It.” Vet Sci vol 4,2:22 (April). https://doi:10.3390/vetsci4020022

³ Wagner, Denae, Sandry Newbury, Philip Kass and Kate Hurley. 2014. “Elimination Behavior of Shelter Dogs Housed in Double Compartment Kennels.” PLoS One vol. 9,5 (May). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0096254

⁴ Cat Protection Society of NSW. N.d. Environmental and Infection Control Guidelines for Cattery Operations. New South Wales. The Cat Protection Society of NSW Limited. https://catcare.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Environmental-and-infection-control-guidelines-for-cattery-operations.pdf