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Getting Kennels and Pet Boarders Back in Business

Re-opening economies will have people looking to travel

As economies across North America begin slowly re-opening in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are beginning preparations to get some enjoyment out of their summer.

After months of isolation and confinement to their homes, this means many people may be looking to get away. And when they do, they will be looking for options for the safekeeping of their pets. In a world changed by COVID-19, pet
owners are going to be holding pet boarding and daycare facilities to a new cleanliness standard.

“If nothing else, COVID-19 has given everybody a better understanding of the importance of properly cleaning and sanitizing,” says David Hachey, President of Ogena Solutions. “People will want assurances that they are leaving their
furry companions in capable hands, without risk of infection or spreading of disease.”

Daily cleaning of animal housing areas is key to a healthy pet population and reduces stress for the animals. But it’s not just a matter of making sure pet boarding and daycare facilities use the right cleaning materials; it’s making
sure they are using the right cleaning materials and equipment properly.

The first tip is to do away with the mop and bucket. A mop head can quickly become a place where pathogens thrive, and ultimately all they end up doing is pushing dirty water around. In fact, you may end up with a surface more
contaminated than when you started!

Ogena Solutions offers the following cleaning tips for pet boarding and daycare facilities:

  1. Move the Animals — First and foremost, remove the animal from the stall to a safe place where the cleaning process may not cause them any distress. Then remove all items from the kennel, including blankets, toys and food and water bowls.
  2. Pick Up Debris — Pick up any feces on the floor and clean up any debris, ensuring the floor is clear.
  3. Clean it — Ogena recommends using a wet-vac system with Hydro-Jet Technology for optimal results in one easy step. When that is not an option use the following ‘Scrub & Squeegee’ method. Using a quality foamer
    or sprayer apply a safe non-toxic Hard Surface Cleaner and Deodorizer in an even layer over the floor and dirty areas of the wall of the kennel.
  4. Scrub it — Using a long-handled brush — ideally one not made of wood which can harbor pathogens— scrub every square inch of the kennel.
  5. Remove it – Rinse and/or using a squeegee  – again no wood – to move the residual cleaner to the drain or end of kennel for pickup with a clean disposable cloth or one that can be laundered.
  6. Disinfect – Using a foamer or sprayer (electrostatic if available), wet down all surfaces with your preferred disinfectant product.
  7. Wait — This is the step most people miss. For a disinfectant to be effective, it needs time to attack and kill the virus or bacteria. Let the disinfectant stand for the required contact time, but keep an eye on it as the surface needs to remain wet for the entire contact time. If it starts to dry, spray it again with a light mist of disinfectant.
  8. Final Step — Using a clean squeegee, move the water and/or disinfectant down the drain or to the end of kennel for pickup with a clean cloth and let the kennel air dry completely. It is now safe to return the animal to the kennel.

Additional measures to take:

  1. Be sure that all cleaning equipment is cleaned and disinfected regularly – ideally after every kennel and stored off the ground to prevent buildup of organic material that can harbor pathogens.
  2. Wash hands regularly, especially between handling pets.
  3. Offer exit baths.
  4. Protect surfaces from recontamination between cleaning/disinfection cycles by incorporating an Enhanced PCO system to clean the air.

Ogena Solutions provides the most innovative, effective, safe and efficient products and services for optimal biosecurity in both human and animal health.

Based in Stoney Creek, Ont., Ogena Solutions is a leading provider of effective, environmentally friendly biosecurity solutions, equipment and protocols that have made great inroads into the implementation of groundbreaking improvements in biosecurity protocols in the animal health sector, especially in animal shelters.

For more information, please visit ogenasolutions.com. Follow Ogena Solutions on Twitter @OgenaSolutions and Facebook at
/OgenaSolutions.

About Ogena Solutions:

Ogena Solutions, was formed from the company Anivac Corporation which was created in Canada in 2005. Ogena (pronounced “O-Jenna”) Solutions is dedicated to providing complete effective, environmentally friendly bio-security solutions,
equipment and protocols as well as ground breaking (patented) animal bathing systems. It currently operates in the animal health sector including shelters, veterinary, pet boarding and daycare, food animal and general farm applications.
Ogena’s own equipment, products and matching usage protocols are respected as being the best and most efficient products available in animal health today.

For more information, please call 1-855-900-8822.