You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Introducing new animals into a kennel or cattery environment brings with it the risk of introducing transmissible diseases, so sensible precautions should be taken to prevent this

In a closed group of animals it is possible to minimise the likely introduction and spread of diseases by :

• Avoiding contact with animals which are likely to be carrying diseases (eg strays)
• Preventing access to environments that are likely to pose a health hazard (eg overcrowded exercise areas)
• Provide preventative treatment for the animals to minimise the chances of them developing a disease even if they are exposed to one  :
  • Routine worming
  • Routine flea control treatments
  • Regular vaccination programmes
• Isolate and treat any ill animals as soon as they are identified
• Barrier nurse animals with suspect infectious diseases to prevent indirect transmission via handlers, clothing, utensils (eg feed and water bowls) 

To appreciate what methods should be taken it is important to understand how diseases are often transmitted between animals :

• Direct contact with
  • saliva - licking
  • faeces - contamination of hair
  • urine - contamination of hair
  • skin or hair coat - parasites, fungal infections
  • discharges - eg eye or ear discharges
• Indirect contact
  • contaminated environment  - though faeces, urine, skin/hair debris, parasites
  • on handlers hands
  • on utensils - brushes, combs, feeding and water bowls etc
  • contaminated pet carriers
  • aerosol spread - through particles sneezed out or coughed up by the animal

Some infections require a breakdown in the animals usual defence mechanisms before they can become established. Normal immunity can be reduced by :

• Tissue damage - eg wounds in the skin
• Stress
• Internal diseases
• Inadequate reinforcement of preventative treatment eg inadequate vaccination status, incorrect timing of worming treatments

If you plan to introduce a new animal into a kennel or cattery environment Provet recommends that you take the following precautions :

• Only buy or acquire an animal from a reputable source ..ie a clean environment with no evidence of a disease problem
• Insist on up to date vaccination, worming and flea (and other ectoparasites such as lice and mites) prevention status
• Have the animal examined by your veterinarian before you acquire it
• Insist on negative screening tests for serious diseases (eg Feline Leukaemia Virus FeLV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) ).
• Keep a new animal in isolation for 3-4 weeks so that you can observe it and make sure that no signs of illness develop. Animals that may be carrying a respiratory disease or which are sneezing or have obvious nasal or eye disharges (eg cats) should be kept well away from other animals and be kept in a well ventilated environment because of the risk of aerosol spread.
• Never introduce an obviously ill animal into your facility. If you must take in a stray or an ill animal, have it treated off your premises before you introduce it, and get your veterinarian to advise you when it's health status is ok.
• Use potent disinfectants across your facility for cleaning floors, cages, kennels, bedding, baskets, utensils.....your veterinarian can recommend the most appropriate ones for you.
• Ensure basic hygiene procedures are in place..for example animal handlers should wash their hands between handling different animals.

Updated October 2013