What Is The Right Raised Animal Flooring For Your Veterinary Hospital?
It’s a delicate time for animals and their owners when they are in a treatment clinic or veterinary hospital. From a rehabilitation and recovery perspective, it is important to have facilities that contribute to quick, safe and comfortable recovery for animals after treatment. That resting and recovery period after major treatment is crucial to the overall success of a surgery.
Flooring may seem like a variable that is out of sight and out of mind, but proper flooring for your veterinary hospital or other treatment facility for animals can be a major contributor to best practices and smooth workflow in day to day scenarios.
This article seeks to help those involved in the planning and operations of a veterinary treatment facility understand the options for flooring that are available on the market, and how the selection of the right flooring can improve workflow, animal safety and comfort, and provide tangible value for management.
Furthermore, RACS (Ridglan Animal Care Systems) believes that there is a significant value add for their product and seeks to show those decision makers the additional benefits of using flooring made from steel and coated in poly vinyl for the treatment of animals in a clinical setting.
RACS Raised flooring can be a viable option for Veterinary kennel flooring and Whelping Floors
Before we get into competing products or solutions, which can be viable in many instances, we’d like to introduce RACS flooring to you as a veterinary professional or an interested party. We believe that we can provide a novel value to the market and for those that have not seen our products before – we want to show you the benefits in day to day operations that our products can deliver.
We have a product that is usable indoors or out. That means that RACS raised animal floors are suitable for kennels, operating areas, enclosures and other pet centric areas, without the worry of UV degradation, stuck feet or paws, discomfort to animals or cleaning concerns.
Cleaning and maintenance is easy thanks to the Plastisol coating. You can use animal friendly cleaning agents, pressure washing equipment or hoses without fear of rust, and without spending too many labor hours on the task. The design, which features drainage holes, the durability and ability to disinfect means that incontinence and injuries are easily handled with enhanced safety for the animals. The coating is also mildew resistant. An autoclave safe design allows an additional level of cleaning and removal of bacteria.
Comfort is enhanced thanks to the poly vinyl coating (also called Plastisol). The combination of surface design and polyvinyl coating aid in traction and slip resistance. The surface is smooth and offers some cushion, as well as help in managing temperature extremes. The insulative properties of the coating mean that there is no risk of the flooring being too cold or too hot regardless of ambient temperatures.
Strength and load capacity is unmatched. Even the largest animals treated in most facilities will not be able to deform or cause sagging to the panels which are made from welded steel in the USA. The coating and design ensure that no sharp edges exist and that maintenance is minimal over the life-cycle. Many customers have had products of ours for decades.
Standard Sizes and customized options ensure quick setup and reliable day to day implementation for even the most complex floor plans. We have engineered our flooring to fit anywhere with both a standardized sizing and a custom aspect to every order. Contacting our representatives can help you quickly navigate the sizing and planning process to ensure you have an easy installation.
You can shop for all of our flooring products here.
Some background on comparative products or veterinary flooring solutions
Industry wide, other solutions for veterinary flooring exist. They have been standards for many years, and some can provide real benefits. Below let’s explore some of these options with a high level overview.
Concrete Flooring
Concrete is the original solution because it is relatively inexpensive per square foot of coverage and it can last a long time if properly implemented. However, concrete can also have a unique set of concerns when it comes to urine and feces, since some absorption and safety issues may be present. This can lead to an overly humid environment indoors, and can be uncomfortable and unsanity for animals.
Most specifically, when animals are nursing injuries which require cleanliness, concrete is a poor choice to mitigate infection due to these issues.
Long term maintenance is generally minimal, but resealing and frequent cleaning are among those labor intensive processes which are part of using concrete as a standalone solution.
Rubber Flooring
Rubber flooring is comfortable for animals. Unfortunately, it too has a set of drawbacks that may make it less than optimal for clinical settings. Animals can easily chew through edges or seam connections and even eat the flooring; and some rubber compounds can become slippery when wet.
Ventilation is lessened because of the density of the material and there are many complications possible with installation. Complications include long timelines and adhesives that are either not animal friendly or could create a fire hazard.
Hard Plastic Flooring
Hard plastic flooring can be very good for cleaning and general maintenance and provides good ventilation.
However, there is a limited customization aspect to installs which can create costly conflicts and increase installation times. Furthermore, Plastic cannot boast the high weight capacities and durability of other options like concrete or coated steel veterinary flooring. Hard plastic flooring can also absorb odors over time.
How can you evaluate animal clinic flooring options – Some questions to ask yourself
Questions should ask when planning for an installation, remodel of a clinical area, or kennel area with flooring needs:
What specific needs does your veterinary clinic have?
Do you need to account for sun or weather exposure? Do you have an indoor whelping area that needs temperature control, or must service small paws? Will your flooring need to support the weight of multiple attendants or veterinary professionals in addition to the animals?
What types of animals do you treat? A marine animal environment like a zoo veterinary enclosure will have different needs than a dog kennel or a veterinary hospital that specializes in reptile care.
What are the weights of the animals? What is the day to day cleaning that is necessary, and will you need to have surgical disinfection potential? What type of environment will the flooring be subjected to (e.g. salt water, high humidity, increased heat, etc.)?
What does the area for the flooring look like from a dimensional and build style perspective?
Do you need a safe way to aid rehabilitation for animals that is durable and easy to clean – like RACS raised animal flooring? What is the current configuration of your kennel or rest areas? Do you have custom needs because of a floor layout that requires smaller flooring options?
Why RACS Flooring makes the most sense for a Veterinary Hospital and Animal Clinics of all types
We believe that RACS flooring is a perfect fit for a vast majority of veterinary needs and treatment facilities. We stand behind our product and feel confident that the engineering and considerations of the product, as well as the material selections and finishing processes make them a best in class option.
Our raised animal flooring has been installed in more than 5,000 animal hospitals throughout the USA. Additionally, our raised kennel flooring and other flooring options are known for promoting enhanced animal health, comfort and safety.
We invite you to request a quote today to determine if you can get added value from investment in the RACS flooring system compared to other industry options.