FAQs

For your pet’s first stay, please be sure to bring their shot record, the base ingredients of the food you feed at home (or the food itself if the pet is on a veterinarian-prescribed diet), clearly marked medication (if required), and any special instructions with regard to their care or medical history. Any subsequent visits will require the same items, though we do not need to see your pet’s shot record again unless the information has been updated or the records in our files are expired.

Yes, you can, but please remember that pets treat their toys differently when outside of the home, so we suggest that you do not bring a special or favorite toy. Reisterstown Pet Resort & Spa also has toys and treats that we provide to our guests during their stay. While we will do our best to give the toys back to you in the same condition that they came in, we are not responsible for the loss of or damage that may occur to any personal items which are left with your pet.

Reisterstown Pet Resort & Spa does not allow outside bedding, as part of our very stringent and effective pest control policy. Reisterstown Pet Resort & Spa provides guests with bedding of various thicknesses and size from our own inventory, in order to ensure the health and comfort of our guests at no additional charge to our customers.

We provide breakfast and dinner every day for each guest unless otherwise instructed (i.e. Only once a day* or three times a day).

*Due to the lodging environment (stimulation throughout the day, activities if requested, and eating around (not with) other dogs) Reisterstown Pet Resort & Spa will use its discretion in the number of times a guest is fed. Research shows that multiple smaller meals in a lodging environment can be beneficial to a guest’s comfort and health. The same daily serving amount is given; it may just be spread out between multiple meals.

Any guest staying over five days is given a weight check every three days. If we see a particular guest has lost a pound or so, or if we see a specific guest is particularly active we will adjust their feeding portions as needed. Because our guests have stimulation throughout the day in a lodging environment (versus sleeping for most of the day at home), active guests may require a little extra food to maintain their weight. The weight checks also provide a tool for Reisterstown Pet Resort & Spa to hopefully catch an illness (fever, stomach issues, cold, etc.) as soon as possible.

Please see the above question and answer about weight loss for one example as to why you may get back less food. You may also get less food if the guest tries to “bury” his or her food by tipping the bowl over. In the event of spilled food, we fill the bowl with fresh food. A guest accidentally knocking their food bowl over can also result in the same situation. If a guest is not eating their entire meal for any reason, we will lessen the amount of the servings to help entice them to eat more and to also prevent the wasting of food. Rewarding the guest for having an empty bowl allows us to gradually bring their portions up to the needed necessary. Also, depending upon when the guest checked in or checked out and the feeding schedule the guest was on, one or more servings may or may not be present.

Reisterstown Pet Resort & Spa offers tours between 1:00pm - 3:00pm, Monday-Saturday by appointment. Due to the tailored nature of our services and taking into account each guest’s individual needs, this time window creates the least disruption to our guest’s daily routine. Having this predetermined limited window also allows Reisterstown Pet Resort & Spa to provide the most detailed and customized tours to potential customers. Please call us to schedule your tour. 

Of course!! Your pet was either fed the food brought when he was dropped off or our high-quality dry food if none was brought with him. Occasionally, dogs and cats do not eat as much while they board, so it is “normal” for them to play catch up once they return to their homes.

At doggie daycare, (unless it is a puppy), pets are not fed lunch. Just like my 3-year old son when he gets home from school, they have usually built up a huge appetite playing all day!

Of course, it goes without saying that after a surgery or dental visit, pets are hungry because they were fasted the morning of the procedure.

All pets have access to water during their stay. That being said, when they are here just for the day, such as for daycare or grooming, they are given water when they are walked. This is to prevent them from splashing and turning over water bowls in the cages (and getting dirty). It is also normal for pets to feel more comfortable drinking water when they return home.

If we did our job, your pet had lots of play time and exercise while boarding or in doggie daycare and is worn out! There's so much activity in our hospital that your pet is likely over stimulated and excited. Because of this, his sleeping pattern can change in the time spent with us, and he just needs to catch up on his zzzzz’s!! I usually feel like sleeping a lot when I come home from vacation as well. Typically after a good night’s sleep, Fido feels like playing again within the next 24 hours.

First of all, if your pet was having diarrhea, the staff and doctors would have contacted you and started them on medication. That's the good thing about boarding your dog or cat at a veterinary hospital - if they develop problems, the issues are addressed immediately.

Secondly, pets often experience excitement when returning home and are often rewarded with treats. So this “excitement” leads to colitis, a common cause of loose or watery stool. Some pet owners expect it and we arrange to send them home with preventative medicine.

We take every precaution at Reisterstown Pet Resort & Spa to prevent viruses and parasites from being passed to your pet. Stalls, runs and cages are sterilized. We also require dogs to be checked every 6 months for parasites (unlike annually at most vet hospitals). This is the reason: some of the parasites we see are easily spread between dogs (Coccidia and Giardia) and are not prevented by monthly heartworm preventatives. We have staff that clean/scoop fecal material as soon as it hits the ground.

To recap, loose stool or diarrhea is not uncommon but please let us know if it continues for more than 24 hours once your pet returns home.