Sending freeze-dried fish to the boarding kennel

Fish treats for boarding start with a phone call, because the kennel decides what outside food is allowed. If the answer is yes, pack the dog's normal daily share for each day of the stay, weighed, in a resealed bag with its label, and add a short note for the staff.

Can you send fish treats with a dog to boarding?

Ask first. Whether a kennel accepts treats from home is the kennel's call, and we will not guess at any kennel's rules. Only the person at the front desk knows.

When you call, have three things ready: the name of the fish, that it is a single-ingredient treat, and that it is freeze-dried raw. The listing names anchovies as the only ingredient. Freeze-dried raw means staff will handle raw fish, and the staff should hear that from you before the bag arrives.

If the kennel says no, that is the end of it. Leave the fish at home.

If the kennel says yes, the rest of this page is your packing plan. The fish in mind here is our anchovies, which come in one size, a 2 ounce bag.

How much fish should you pack for the stay?

The stay does not change the dog's share. The dog gets the same weight of fish on day five that it gets at home on any ordinary day, and you multiply by the number of days.

So start at home with a daily number. It comes from your veterinarian, whose number wins, or from the treat calculator on the anchovy page, which starts at a default of 10 percent of the day's calories. That default is for dogs.

The anchovy bag says: "Metabolizable Energy: 2,930 kcal ME/kg (approximately 83.1 kcal/oz)." The calculator already uses that figure, so you type only your dog's daily calories, and it returns one day's share in grams and ounces.

Weigh out one day, then multiply that by the days of the stay. Hand the kennel only what the stay needs, so the extra is not sitting in a kennel cupboard. The weighing guide explains the scale.

How do you pack fish treats so they stay sealed and dry?

The anchovy listing and the sardine listing agree on the basics: reseal the bag, keep it cool and dry, and no refrigerator is needed.

On the Fish Trio page, anchovies are the smaller, drier fish of the three and the easiest to pocket. That is the page's description, not a measurement.

Here is the packing list, short enough for the kennel to check at drop-off:

• The anchovy bag, or the daily portions in a closed container, with the label kept alongside
• One portion for each day, weighed
• A note for staff with the daily share and the handling lines below
• Pieces already broken to the size you want, since the anchovy listing says to break them into pieces for rewards

Close the bag every time it is opened, and tell the staff to do the same. For the bag at home, before and after the trip, the storage guide has the details.

What should the kennel staff know?

Put these on the note, in plain sentences.

First, the fish is freeze-dried raw. The sardine heads listing says, "This is raw fish, so wash your hands after handling it," and the anchovies are freeze-dried raw as well, so ask staff to wash their hands after handing out the fish.

Second, someone should watch the dog while it eats the treats. Every one of our listings says to supervise.

Third, these are treats or toppers. The anchovy listing calls them not a complete and balanced diet, so the dog's meals stay what the kennel and you agreed on. Fresh water goes out with them.

Fourth, if your dog has had trouble with seafood before, tell the staff and your veterinarian ahead of the stay. The anchovy FAQ says, "If your dog has had trouble with seafood before, ask your veterinarian first." That line belongs on the note, so it reaches the staff on shift.

Last, say that the daily portion is the whole share for that day. If staff want to hand out more, the answer on your note is no, or a call to you or the veterinarian.

We make no claim about how a dog feels at a kennel. The note covers the fish and nothing more.