At ACOC, we are proud of our ability to offer our boarding patients both medical consultations and services should they need it from one of our veterinarians during their stay. Our regular boarding prices cover the basic care that includes interactive potty and play breaks, feeding, cage care and comfort, access to toys, a stress assessment & plan, and check-ins with you, the pet parent. Our regular boarding services are meant to provide as close to all the comforts of home as possible. However, we get many requests from boarders that have medical conditions. Many of these conditions are multiple, very involved, and like that of a hospitalized medical patient. We also regularly make accommodations for pets that are anxious, arthritic, or high-energy. Our regular prices do not cover multiple accommodations, medications, and the increased amount of time when specialized care is required. Nor do they cover for a Veterinary Nurse (VN) to oversee the care, a DVM exam and plan, or additional communication and updates to you.  

With these considerations in mind, we are now offering and charging for a level of boarding called “specialized care”. The criteria listed below will be utilized to determine whether your pet falls into this category and assessed an additional fee to cover the extra care, time, and staff required.  Specialized Care Boarding and associated fees will begin on August 1st, 2023. All reservations, even those already booked, that fall on or after this day will be included and assessed according to the criteria below. Should you not want to keep your reservation, we ask that you call and cancel with us so that we can offer your pet’s spot to another.  This fee (beginning August 1st, 2023) will be $5 for cats additional to regular and seasonal boarding fees per night and $8 for dogs per night. 

If your pet requires any of the below, they will fall into specialized care boarding:

1. Unable to walk on their own and require additional support and accommodation for breaks and set-up.
2. Are urinary or BM incontinent.  Occasional accidents or stress-induced incidences do not fall into this category.
3. Require the medical team’s involvement such that a VN or DVM is consulted, and a plan developed to address the medical issues. Episodes of stress & anxiety, stress related GI issues and mild inappetence do not fall into this category. Note: if a DVM must perform an exam, develop a plan, or write a prescription there is also a separate examination fee associated with this circumstance regardless.
4. Require a VN to come into the hospital outside of regular hours. Note: there is also a separate visit fee associated with this circumstance. In this instance, needs may fall under hospitalization charges. 
5. Require more than five (5) oral medications per day or requires any number of medication(s) but also needs additional support giving the medication(s). Anything more than admin via meatballs/pill pockets or careful “pilling” is considered additional support.
6. Require any medication that is given other than orally, like IM or SQ. All IV meds would fall under hospitalization and some IM do as well.
7. Severe Fear, Anxiety, and Stress (FAS) where we must make above and beyond accommodations that include but are not limited to specialized handling and involved cage-set – including entrances and exits. Note: we do prefer pets with this level of FAS to not be boarded outside the home environment as it is not typically in the pet’s best interest. We can suggest an in-home pet sitter and even offer some additional options.

Important: The specialized boarding service does not replace a pet’s possible need for hospitalization and / or care that is required by a facility that provides 24-hour (emergency) care – which we are not. We do hospitalize patients at our facility but the level of hospitalization, as well as any transfers needed to a 24-hour facility, is case by case dependent. Hospitalization care is provided by our medical staff and overseen directly by a DVM – with daily exams, orders, etc. This is not the same as boarding or to be confused with “specialized care boarding” services. We reserve the right to transfer your pet to either specialized boarding or even hospitalization should it require it and will make every attempt to contact you as soon as possible.