Cleaning Kennels - What Do You Use?

[carolineh1]

Looking into our processes at work for a better method!

So, for those that work, or have worked, in kennels - what detergents, cleaners, disinfectants and methods do you use? How about daily clean versus super-clean (ie. when an animal goes home etc)?

[Dame Aussie]

F10, Trigene and Bleach

[Podengo]

I've worked in three kennels over the last 9 years and they were all a little different!

Daily clean

First kennel - pick up waste, hose kennel out, spray a disinfectant (can't remember what), hose that out, wipe clean with squeegee

Second kennel - pick up waste, hose kennel, spray disinfectant, scrub kennel all over with brush, hose again, spray different disinfectant, leave to dry.

Third kennel - pick up waste, mop kennel floor with a mix of bleach and disinfectant, leave to dry.

When an animal goes home

First kennel - Take bed out and hose it off. Hose kennel out. Spray disinfectant over bed and kennel and hose out. Spray bed and kennel with trigene mixture and leave to dry.

Second kennel - Hose kennel out. Spray disinfectant and scrub. Hose kennel out. Spray everything with trigene.

Third kennel - Mop kennel out with a mixture of bleach/disinfectant, use a cloth to wash surfaces with bleach/disinfectant mix then dry surfaces with another cloth and then spray with trigene.

First kennel every day after dogs had been put away would hose/disinfect/hose/dry the corridors.

Second kennel did a similar thing.

Third kennel would vacuum and mop.

I prefer the cleaning method of the third place that I've worked, especially in the winter, as using hoses in NZ means that the kennels never really get that dry. Using a mop (especially with heated floors) means the kennels are dry within half an hour so the dogs can come back in to a dry room. I think the second kennel that I worked at were a little too concerned with cleaning, scrubbing everything on a daily basis was a waste of time IMO - time I could have been spending playing/interacting with dogs. Obviously it's important to clean everything when a dog leaves, but I don't think any dogs house was as clean as these kennels were!

One of the kennels changed food and water bowls on a daily basis

One changed only food bowls on a daily basis

One had the same food/water bowl in for the dog the whole time.

I like changing food/water bowls daily as it stops a goober build up in the bowls and if you have a dishwasher it's not that bad to wash them.

One of the kennels did each load of washing 3 times - I thought that a little excessive. Very clean blankets though :laugh:

[Podengo]

Also worth noting that while I was studying vet nursing they encouraged that in vet clinics the cleaning products we use should be rotated every few weeks to try and prevent resistance - I will bring that idea to any kennels I work at from now on.

Hospital disinfectants created drug-resistant Acinetobacter strains

Klebsiella pneumoniae susceptibility to biocides and its association with cepA, qacΔE and qacE efflux pump genes and antibiotic resistance.

[flame ryder]

I asked the same thing on here a while ago. Someone recommended the stuff that is used to clean out your wheelie bins (sorry can't remember the name). And it works a treat!! Really strong smell but I diluted it more than it said to and rinse well.

[Guest crazydoglady99]

How interesting.. I have only worked in one kennel establishment - and they used.. Water. Hose. Pooper scoop. That's it.

[Airedaler]

I asked the same thing on here a while ago. Someone recommended the stuff that is used to clean out your wheelie bins (sorry can't remember the name). And it works a treat!! Really strong smell but I diluted it more than it said to and rinse well.

That would be Phenyle (sp?)

[flame ryder]

How interesting.. I have only worked in one kennel establishment - and they used.. Water. Hose. Pooper scoop. That's it.

I guess it would depend on the finish you have on the floor. Nice smooth concrete might hose off well, but I have pavers with a slightly rough surface in the dog pen and it used to stink. Nowdays the dogs sleep inside in our bedroom so that has worked well for us. No need to scrub anymore :)

[flame ryder]

I asked the same thing on here a while ago. Someone recommended the stuff that is used to clean out your wheelie bins (sorry can't remember the name). And it works a treat!! Really strong smell but I diluted it more than it said to and rinse well.

That would be Phenyle (sp?)

Could be....and when reading the fine print on the container it did recommend for cleaning and disinfecting dog kennels as well as bin cleaner

[VizslaMomma]

I asked the same thing on here a while ago. Someone recommended the stuff that is used to clean out your wheelie bins (sorry can't remember the name). And it works a treat!! Really strong smell but I diluted it more than it said to and rinse well.

That would be Phenyle (sp?)

Could be....and when reading the fine print on the container it did recommend for cleaning and disinfecting dog kennels as well as bin cleaner

Have to be careful with Phenyle.

Make sure to use only in wide open air and never confined spaces.

Edited December 26, 2014 by VizslaMomma

[alpha bet]

Many factors: Remember you have to consider what the objective of the cleaning is - tidy up, just a clean, prevent infection, sterilize......I own a boarding kennel, so would like to make a few points on this.

When I had a large incubator for hatching eggs, a friend (degree in chemistry) lent me a book which was about cleaning chemicals and how to sanitise. This brought up some very interesting points.

1. Chemical products must be used at the dilutions as per manufacturer recommendation... over or under dilution can alter the way they works.

2. Using two different chemicals can counteract each other as they can have different bases.

3. Impossible to sterilise most normal environments as you have to remove all dirt first, including anything you are going to put into the room, books, beds, chairs, dogs.

Often people think that they need to use chemicals to sanitise the area to prevent spread of infection or just to prevent contamination from one dog to another.... however consider this....

The most effective way to sterilise anything is to first clean to remove dirt, then wash with clear water to remove any residuals from the cleaner. The next step is to steam clean ideally with a temperature over about 70 degrees celcius. Hence this is impossible to do in a kennel environment.... dogs cannot be steam cleaned.... and even if you steam cleaned the floors and walls of the kennel the minute a person walks from outside to inside they bring micro organisms back into the kennel....

Also most of the infections we might be worried about are airborne... so a dog barks which can release bacteria into the air and spread.....

There are also many issues with how the kennels are set out.... fully indoor facility such as some of the new ones we are starting to see which are build in industrial areas in a type of factory... or large sheds with indoor pens and some outside paddocks or ones who have each pen with indoor or outdoor... there are also some kennels that have outside pens with a small shed for shelter....

Different environments might need different approachs... good ventilation is important..... either natural or processed.... remember that air conditioning can pose problems especially if the unit isnt serviced properly or situated to even distribution... Washing also is another issue... as having dogs on a wet area can pose health problems.

The more complicated the process the more issues that can develop.... and trying to make regulations just poses further problems.

For the record....

• generally we don't use chemicals (dogs have 1,000's more nose receptors than us so more issues for the smells) we might throw some soapy water on a dirty area and broom off but thats about it.
  We have an indoor area with painted concrete and outside sand - deciduous trees that shade in summer but allow sun in winter.
  Lots of natural ventalation but insulated roof and solid mud brick walls that remain at a comfortable temperature
  We use a blower to remove the dust and when needed we use a pressure wash to clean
  Dogs go out during the day to play into large paddocks, full of trees, grass, dirt and bathtubs with water that often gets dirty as dogs jump in and out...
  

20 years and we don't have issues with health, nor have we had kennel cough to this point.

[Scottsmum]

I woeked in a small kennel/cattery for a while. Small dogs under 20 kilos and cats only. Basic process:

Both cats and dogs.

Paper lining removed from every cage.

Full scrub down with disinfectant every day

Dried

Reline with news paper.

Refresh towel.

Towels washed daily.

Bowls changed twice daily (breakfast and dinner)

All cat litter trays changed as needed. Min 2 times a day. All lined with newspaper too.

Floor in cat and dog rooms swept and mopped daily.

Occasionally all items bleached with a powdered bleach. I forget name.

Larger maintenance as needed / on weekly or monthly rotation. Eg washing machine disinfected weekly. Lint filter daily.

All surfaces wiped down at fortnightly (feed bins, newspaper storage shelf... etc)

All cages pulled out from wall and walls and floor scrubbed monthly

Air con filters washed monthly.