Welcome to the first major update for June 2019!

This update includes a new Pet Friendly loading icon when you are loading data and reports. What do you think..? We love it!

Drag & Drop Bookings on the Scheduler

The most highly voted for new feature for Pet Manager in the last months has been to be able to Drag & Drop Bookings.

Well we have made that a reality! You can now drag & drop bookings vertically between pens on the scheduler.

Please note: You can only drag vertically and change the pen, you cannot change the dates of the booking by dragging horizontally.

To use this functionality, simply open the Booking scheduler, hold the mouse clicked on the booking you wish to adjust, and move the mouse until the booking appears in the desired pen.

Pricing may be recalculated if you drop into a pen with a different price. In this case, click on the booking to see the new charges and consolidate if required.

GDPR (EU Requirements)

As Pet Manager will be expanding into the UK in the coming months, we have built in some aspects of our program to meet GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) Requirements in the EU (European Union).

The GDPR is focused on improving the privacy, security and transparency of handling personal data online. You can read more about the GDPR and the specific requirements here: https://gdpr-info.eu/

Here’s a brief outline of the changes to Pet Manager for GDPR.

• New GDPR Export action in Edit Customer dropdown on Customer view
  • This action will download a PDF with the customer data and their booking history. Pets, invoices, payments and booking notes are not shown.
• New GDPR Remove action in Edit Customer dropdown on Customer view
  • This action will remove/redact all personal information on the customer including name, email, phone, address and all customer and booking notes.
    Non identifiable information including pets, bookings, invoices and payments are left untouched.
  • Once a customer has been GDPR removed, it is marked inactive and can no longer be edited, or have any bookings created on it.
• New “Consent To Contact” field on Customer
  • This checkbox will be enabled by default on all existing/new customers.
  • It is enabled by default in the Remote Booking widget, but can be toggled off from there.
  • Customers who don’t consent to contact will show a warning on Customer view and Booking view.
  • E-Mails/SMS can not be sent to customers who don’t consent to contact using the system, including automated E-Mails.
  • Customers who don’t consent to contact will also not appear on Mail List export or for Mailchimp Export.

If you are a UK customer and want to trial our awesome Pet Boarding Software then fill out the form our this page and let’s get started!

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What is Canine Cough or Kennel Cough?

Canine cough (or Kennel Cough) is a highly contagious condition that inflames the upper respiratory system of dogs. It can be caused by a bacterial infection or a virus. The main symptoms are a “honking” type cough often followed by gagging. Although not normally deadly, it is a common ailment that requires disease prevention strategies and awareness.

Canine Cough is easily transmitted via the air wherever infected animals are in close contact with other animals such as kennels, dog parks, dog shows and training classes.

How Can I Help Prevent Canine Cough?

If your dog is going to be in contact with other dogs in an environment like this it is best that your dog is immunized against the prevalent strains of the disease Bacterial – (Bordetella bronchiseptica) and Viral – Parainfluenza. In fact, most pet boarding facilities in Australia require an up-to-date vaccination before they will allow your animal to check in. Nothing could be worse that arriving at a facility on your way to the airport and finding that they won’t take your precious pet!

Many kennels in Australia will require a current C5 vaccination or a C3 vaccination + a Canine Cough booster, usually dispensed every 12 months. The complete C5 vaccination covers all the potentially deadly Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Bordetella bronchiseptica. Please check with your chosen Kennel as to their specific requirement to make sure your pet has the required immunization.

Be aware that vaccination just as in humans with flu vaccines does not mean that your pet is completely protected. There are many strains of the virus and if your animal has an immune deficiency they may be more prone to disease in general. There are no kennels that guarantee that kennel cough does not exist in their facility as no amount of supervision or highest level of hygiene practices can completely eliminate the presence of Canine Cough.

How Do Kennels Deal with Canine Cough?

If Canine Cough is detected at a pet boarding facility the standard procedure for Pet Boarding facilities is to segregate the animal to lower the risk of transmission of the disease. They will also treat the animal to make sure they are comfortable and in a low stress environment. Be aware that you as the Pet owner would be responsible for an Veterinary expenses incurred by the kennel should your dog be require treatment for canine cough whilst at the facility.

Kennels also play their part in reducing the risks of Canine Cough infection. By requiring up-to-date vaccinations prior to check-in, they can maintain a good preventative baseline for all the animals under their care. Many Pet Resorts use Kennel Software such as Pet Manager to simply maintain and alert when a customer’s vaccination records are not up-to-date. They also keep their kennels clean with scheduled cleaning rosters. Some also regularly spray with Veterinary disinfectant to more effectively control causes of disease such as bacteria, viruses, fungus and spores.

What To Do if Your Animal Shows Symptoms of Canine Cough.

Symptoms of Canine Cough can take up to 7 days to appear. So if you pet shows any signs of Canine Cough after staying at a Pet Boarding facility, make sure that he/she gets plenty of rest and is well hydrated. If the symptoms persist or your pet becomes lethargic then don’t risk it and take them straight to the vet.

The post What You Need to Know About Canine Cough (Kennel Cough) When Boarding Your Pet appeared first on Pet Manager.

You have a very busy day ahead, there are customers lining up out the door with their dogs and cats waiting to check in and suddenly there is a glitch with the Pet Resort Software you are using.

“Damn!” you think. “It is going to take until tomorrow morning to get this fixed! I just can’t afford that time right now.”

The Problem

Until now most Software for Pet Resorts has been written for and is supported out of the USA or UK. If you try to call from Australia – of course they are asleep! To get through you will have to call in the night here. Well what about email? You may experience a similar issue – replies to your support requests can take overnight. So what if they need to remote into your computer to fix something or assist you? Do you want to stay back late at work?

If you have been running a Kennel or Cattery for quite a few years you may have come across another problem. Traditionally Pet Resort Software has been installed locally on your office computer and possibly shared to other computers on your network. With Installed Software like this have you ever had issues after your Windows or Mac Computer updated overnight? What about when the software or database had to be updated? The problem here is that your computer is always different to those owned by other Pet Resorts. With installed software there is no control on how to run the software in the ideal environment.

What about backups? They are really important with locally installed software. If you run software like this you will know the added pain in remembering to backup your data everyday and taking it off-site in your handbag or case.

Thankfully there is a much better way.

The Solution

A better solution to supporting your Kennel or Cattery would be to select or move to Software that has been designed, developed and supported in Australia. You need to be able to call during Australian Eastern Standard Time with your support question or request and get a Support Representative on the other end of the phone. You want an Australian person to reply to your email request quickly and efficiently.

Imagine that issue in the first paragraph. If you have someone supporting you and getting your issue solved then you can quickly check in those customers that are waiting and maintain your awesome customer service record!

So what about the problem with locally installed software. How is that problem solved? Well Modern Software is now using all the benefits that the Internet brings. Instead of installing and running the software on your computer, you simply open your web browser and login!

Every time you login there may be new features available without having to do anything! The software now runs on a managed server. Backups and data protection are all taken care for you so you save that time out of your day immediately.

Any Recommendations?

Pet Manager has been built to solve these issues. Pet Manager has been built in and is supported from Queensland, Australia. You can actually call Pet Manager Support (07 5446 5701) when you need them! Send through an email and get a snappy response.

Pet Manager is Modern Software that will work in any browser including on your Android Phone, Windows Phone or Apple iPhone, Android Tablet, Windows Tablet or Surface or Apple iPad as well as any type of computer with a modern browser. If you have Safari, Firefox, Chrome or other popular browsers, you can use Pet Manager.

Backups are all automatic and handled for you – forget trying to remember to backup at the end of the day. Your data is encrypted and made secure and your important data is hosted in Australia.

If you are a Pet Resort Manager and are looking for a solution – have a look at Pet Manager.

It was purpose made for your Pet Resort – Modern, beautiful and functional.

Try a 60 day no obligation trial and see for yourself!

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