Keeping Them Healthy

Just like children in daycare and school, dogs in daycare will exchange germs during normal interactions.

The dogs are in direct contact with one another. In daycare, dogs will sniff, lick, play, and share water bowls and toys. All of this sharing will include sharing germs.

We share an overview of common illness and conditions that you may see with every new dog family as they start daycare. Watching for symptoms and catching them early are important. Some just require a day of rest and reset, while others should prompt a call to your veterinarian. If in doubt, call your veterinarian for their advice.

Illness

Diarrhea:  It can be caused by diet change, excitement, stress, parasites, and disease. We have dogs continue on their own food from home when staying with us to eliminate one of the causes, and do our best to reduce stress. For a mild case, adding boiled rice or pumpkin are often enough to get things moving correctly again. If we suspect stress is the cause, we may have the pups take extra breaks or consult with the owner about starting a calming treat that contains CBD or melatonin.

Lethargy:  Full days of play can be enough to leave a dog tired for days. However, exhaustion can also be a sign of illness. We recommend keeping an eye on your dog, and calling your vet if you see any other symptoms.

Hot Spots:  Hot spots, or acute moist dermatitis, are a common skin ailment in dogs. These irritated lesions can be caused by anything that breaks the skin, including insect bites or scratching. They grow quickly and are red, moist, and hot. However, they aren’t as alarming as they look. They are generally bacterial, not fungal, and therefore not contagious. To reduce risk, keep your dog’s coat clean and free of mats. This will limit the amount of bacteria that could make its way into a small break in your dog’s skin and help prevent moisture from being trapped under their coat against the skin. If you notice a hot spot, clean the area with a dog-safe antiseptic, apply antibiotic ointment, and don’t let your dog lick or scratch at the area. Hot spots can expand rapidly so keep a close eye on the spot and schedule a vet visit if needed.

Upper Respiratory Infections:  Upper respiratory disease can be caused by a multitude of pathogens, including parainfluenza, distemper, adenovirus, canine influenza, and mycoplasma canis, and Bordetella bronchiseptica. Often, the agent causing the disease can be spread before any symptoms are detected. Symptom free dogs can be contagious. Vaccinations are a good step to prevent or lessen the symptoms and duration of many upper respiratory illnesses.

Some common symptoms of upper respiratory illnesses include:

• Cough – may be productive, producing phlegm or spit up, or a dry, hacking cough
• Sneezing – with or without nasal discharge
• Discharge from the eyes
• Lethargy – general tiredness or decreased activity
• Vomiting or spitting up

If your dog is showing any of these symptoms, please keep them at home until your vet has cleared your dog to return to daycare.

We recommend contacting your veterinarian if symptoms last more than 48 hours and/or worsen over time. If any tests, such as swabs or cultures are done, please let us know the results so we can proactively inform our customers, and treat our facility as needed.

If a dog is showing signs of any illness during their stay with us, several steps are taken to reduce the risk of transmission and exposure to our other dogs. The dog is removed from the play group and kept separated. The parents are notified and follow-up care or treatment is established.

Puppy Warts (Canine Oral Papillomavirus): In most dogs, they get one or a few small warts that will go away on their own with no further treatment. Because the time from first exposure to canine oral papillomavirus to the appearance of the first wart can be several months, and the warts themselves are usually of no medical concern, we do not restrict daycare attendance for those with warts. Reinfection is rare. There is the slight risk of a large case of warts interfering with the ability to chew, or impeding the airway – in which case you should visit your vet immediately.

Prevention

While we cannot eliminate the risk of all illnesses, we have in place several preventative measures to decrease the transmission of upper respiratory and other illnesses.

• Daily cleaning and sanitation of the playrooms, boarding suites and play yards.
• Seven zone HVAC system, and high volume ionic air purifiers.
• Vaccination requirements for all dogs for Rabies and DHLPP. We recommend Bordetella and Canine Influenza vaccines as well, but we defer to your veterinarian’s vaccination plan.
• Monitoring of dogs for any signs of illness, with removal of any dogs from play groups who are showing symptoms.
• Recommend a high quality diet and herbal supplements to support your pet’s immunity.