Whether you’re a business, animal shelter, or pet owner, kennels provide safe, secure housing for the animals you love, and proper ventilation is vital to keep them happy and healthy. Between spills of food and water, waste products, and the simple act of breathing in an enclosed space, toxins, gasses, and pollutants can build up without adequate airflow. Clean, fresh air helps carry away these contaminants and maintains a more comfortable environment for the animals and the humans who care for and work around them.
In short, kennels with good ventilation create healthier conditions so the animals in your care can thrive.
Circulation and Ventilation: Catching and Directing Air
It’s important to understand that while the two are related, ventilation and air circulation aren’t interchangeable concepts, but both may be needed in your kennel space.
- Ventilation is the intentional introduction of outside air into an enclosed environment, especially as it relates to design features in constructing an enclosed space, such as a kennel or kennel area.
- Circulation – The movement of air in, around, and through your kennels, whether powered or natural, is circulation. By controlling air circulation, you control air quality.
Effective ventilation lets you bring in fresh air and eliminate stale, toxic air, and circulation makes the process more efficient.
Why You Need Good Kennel Ventilation
As noted, ventilation plays a vital role in the comfort and safety of the animals in your care. A properly ventilated and circulated kennel space offers three significant benefits:
- Sufficient, Controlled Airflow – Humans, dogs, cats, and other animals all need clean, fresh air, but not all airflow is equal. Too much air movement can lead to drafts, which can be dangerous and uncomfortable for small animals in the winter. If the airflow is insufficient, the environment can feel heavy and oppressive, making the animals feel too warm or overly agitated and restless.
- Maintain Consistent Temperature – The actual temperature of the space is better maintained when kennel ventilation and circulation are planned to keep air moving throughout the area. Designing your circulation system to eliminate dead spots can reduce the workload on your HVAC unit by eliminating cold and hot spots, increasing efficiency.
- Remove Odors, Gases, and Excess Moisture – One of the most important health benefits of better ventilation is the elimination of toxins from animal waste. Urine and feces contain methane, ammonia, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide that can off-gas from the solid material, filling the air with increasingly high concentrations that can become dangerous if unmanaged. Animal respiration also adds a lot of moisture to the air, making breathing more difficult and potentially passing on infections.
- Reducing the Risk of Kennel Cough and Other Airborne Diseases – Bordetella is an airborne respiratory disease that can run rampant in poorly ventilated kennels. While vaccination is recommended, it is not required. This highly transmissible disease and others like it can infect dogs, humans, and other animals, making prevention vital.
Kennel ventilation and circulation keep the animals in your facility and the people who care for them healthier.
Building a Better Kennel Area with TriStar Vet
When deciding on veterinary equipment and supplies, look for designs with plenty of natural ventilation. Plan your circulation and HVAC layout to bring fresh air into the kennel space, guide it through the entirety of your kennel area, and channel it back out through an exhaust vent.
Our experts design professional-grade animal care products for pet care service professionals who help animals lead happier, healthier lives. Order the innovative and durable veterinary equipment you need from TriStar Vet today.