BUSINESS TRENDS
Rethinking
Kennel Spaces
A veterinary technician kneels in front of a modern, green-lit oxygen kennel containing a Golden Retriever. An infusion pump with a digital screen is mounted outside the kennel.
in Veterinary Clinics:

A Holistic Approach

By Matthew Bubear
Photos provided by CASCO Pet
H

istorically, veterinary clinic design has tended to prioritize clinical functionality over environmental comfort. No truer has this been than when it comes to kenneling. Traditionally, kennel setups have been geared towards containment over enhancing the wellness of pets and the veterinary teams who care for them. However, there is growing recognition of the impact of kennels on patient stress and well-being, staff workflow and efficiency, and overall clinic environment.

In an industry known for innovation, kennels are increasingly becoming an important feature of high-quality veterinary care, in step with design and transparency trends. The following will explore the impact of kennel design on patient and staff stress levels, and how environmental factors can assist in creating a more calming atmosphere for better well-being.

Design Trends
Demand for enhanced veterinary care that focuses not just on pet health but overall well-being is growing—driven in large part by the trend of pet humanization. This is prompting an increased focus at clinic level on environmental comfort, with growing importance placed on designing spaces that reduce patient stress and create a more calming experience for all involved.

Every animal that comes to a clinic has a unique temperament, medical history and treatment requirements. While it might sound obvious, what works well for a sociable Black Labrador will not work for a nervous Maine Coon that values its privacy. Design elements now include species-specific zones; reimagined waiting room spaces; biophilic touches; softer, more natural lighting; calming color palettes1 and targeted noise-reduction measures.

Californian veterinary start-up Modern Animal, for example, handles all client communications through an app to reduce front desk noise, which it credits with lowering patient stress levels. And Canadian veterinary clinic Fen Vet has eliminated waiting rooms entirely so that clients head straight into exam rooms to minimize animal contact.

Additionally, there is the transparency trend with open spaces and glass partitions, removing the traditional divide between front and back of house. This approach is designed not only to improve aesthetics but also visibility and ease of monitoring, fostering better client trust and satisfaction.

A wall of clear, modern veterinary kennels. The top left kennel is lit red with a small dog inside, while the others glow with a green-blue light.
While stress-reduction strategies can be applied throughout the clinic, the kennel area is often one of the most significant sources of patient stress and anxiety.
The Kennel Environment
While stress-reduction strategies can be applied throughout the clinic, the kennel area is often one of the most significant sources of patient stress and anxiety.2 A recent industry survey of more than 1,200 U.S. and UK veterinary professionals revealed that 72% reported seeing stressed animals in kennels frequently or very frequently.3 The majority used stainless steel cages.

When thoughtfully designed, these spaces can actively reduce stress, support recovery, and improve outcomes for both animals and veterinary teams. However, poor kennel design and layout combined with a lack of enrichment can significantly affect animal well-being.2

There are several factors within conventional kennel environments that can contribute to this. Visual contact with other patients and auditory and olfactory overstimulation can trigger negative psychological and physiological responses, such as high cortisol, increased heart rate and reduced sociability, which can impact an animal’s natural behaviors.2 This can complicate handling during examinations or treatment, raising risk of injury to animal or staff and impeding patient recovery.

A veterinary technician gently pets a tabby cat with a blue bandage on its leg, resting in a red-lit kennel. The cat is inside a warm, modern recovery unit with soft bedding.
when thoughtfully designed these spaces can actively reduce stress, support recovery, and improve outcomes for both animals and veterinary teams.
Impact on Teams
It is not just animals whose stress levels are affected—clinic staff frequently bear the brunt of an inadequate kenneling environment. In the same survey, 79% of respondents reported noise levels from animals in the kennel area as detrimental to staff well-being, while 58% identified handling anxious or stressed animals as a significant stressors. And 39% of veterinary professionals cited kennel materials and layout as direct contributors to workplace stress.3

In a separate survey, 75% of veterinary professionals highlighted the “excessive noise” generated by steel kennels as a challenge, with one in five noting it resulted in extended patient recovery time. In some facilities, noise levels from barking dogs and reverberating stainless steel kennels exceed 100 dBA—a level that can be damaging to hearing.3

Traditional steel bars can also be notoriously hard to clean (posing biosafety issues) and often poorly ventilated, inhibiting adequate odor control. Over time, these environmental pressures can reduce operational effectiveness and eat into staff morale.

Kennel Advances
So, how is modern kennel design adapting to keep pace with an industry increasingly prioritizing a stress-free environment? It starts with material selection.
  • Materials
    Moving away from traditional steel cages towards acoustic-friendly materials, such as safety glass,4 can help maintain a calmer atmosphere for patients and staff by significantly dampening noise and vibration from barking and tail thumping and eliminating the loud clang of metal. Glass surfaces and doors are also easier to clean and disinfect while serving as effective sneeze barriers—boosting hygiene, reducing airborne infection risks and cutting down on cleaning time, freeing staff to devote more time to patient care.
  • Airflow
    Thoughtful choices in airflow can also help create a sense of safety for animals, especially those in unfamiliar surroundings or vulnerable states. Dogs and cats have a strong sense of smell, which can heighten nervousness. Kennels offering advanced ventilation systems can significantly curtail odors and enable consistent air circulation, diluting airborne infection agents.
  • Temperature Control
    High-tech, patient-focused designs allow for tailored temperature control with built-in heat zones to tailor the kennel environment to the individual care and recovery needs of the patient inside. This allows patients to self-regulate and rest and recover at their ideal comfort point, reducing risk of overheating or other temperature-related issues.
  • Lighting
    Advances in kennel lighting can improve cleaning protocols. Specialized UV lighting illuminates organic materials to maximize biosecurity while reducing maintenance time. These lighting systems can be tailored to a patient’s needs, with “recovery” red lighting enabling continuous observation without disrupting a patient’s rest.
  • Modular Systems
    Modular, stackable systems have several benefits, too; they can be easily configured to exact requirements, whether for emergencies, isolation or quarantine, affording veterinary clinics the freedom to adjust to almost any situation.
  • Cabinetry and Storage
    Equally important is kennel ward cabinetry and storage. For veterinary teams, well-planned cabinetry that optimizes space and keeps equipment and consumables organized and easily accessible can make a noticeable difference. It helps streamline tasks, optimize workflow and decrease patient disturbance. Small efficiencies like these contribute to a quieter, more organized workspace and a calmer clinic atmosphere.
A veterinary professional, facing away, reaches up to an overhead white cabinet, stocking food above a wall of modern, glass-fronted, green-lit recovery kennels.
well-planned cabinetry that optimizes space and keeps equipment and consumables organized and easily accessible can make a noticeable difference.
Designing spaces in veterinary clinics requires a holistic approach that considers the emotional, physical and operational elements of the environment. It is not about ripping out a clinic’s existing infrastructure and rebuilding from the ground up, but about being smarter with space and design by putting well-being front and center.

Ensuring a calmer, more comfortable kennel environment can go a long way to enhancing care and recovery by mitigating stress and improving both patient and personnel experience. Well-rested animals recover faster, staff work more efficiently and clients feel confident in the care provided, strengthening a clinic’s long-term success.

Rethinking the kennel environment is therefore an essential step in aligning veterinary practice with contemporary standards of animal and staff well-being.

References:
  1. Fear Free Vet Design. Hinge Studio. https://www.hingestudio.net/fearfreevetdesign/
  2. Lloyd, J. (2017). Minimising Stress for Patients in the Veterinary Hospital: Why It Is Important and What Can Be Done about It. Veterinary Sciences, 4(2), 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci4020022
  3. Workload and understaffing ‘leading causes of veterinary burnout’, survey finds. CASCO Pet. https://gk.news/cascopet/press-release/workload-and-understaffing-leading-causes-of-veterinary-burnout-survey-finds/
  4. Edwards, P., Smith, B., McArthur, M., Hazel, S. (2019). Fearful Fido: Investigating dog experience in the veterinary context in an effort to reduce distress. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2019.02.009
Matthew Bubear headshot
Matthew Bubear is the CEO of CASCO Pet, a leading manufacturer of world-class animal habitats and veterinary kennelling. A disruptive innovator and entrepreneur, Matthew has more than 30 years of experience in the industry, with a passion for animal wellness at the heart of everything he does.
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