Illness does not occur often here. However, we cannot prevent the risk entirely. We take many precautions against illness and other health conditions that are a risk of attending doggy daycare and like children, there are instances where your pup could potentially fall ill.
 

Other Dogs

• We vigorously require ongoing proof of vaccinations for all dogs who enter our facility for any service.

• Like humans, some dogs can carry an illness but not show any signs of it themselves, then pass it along to others. The customer may not even realize it themselves. This can be very challenging, but is a reality with dogs.

 

If a dog shows any sign of contagious illness:

• We immediately remove any dog from play who shows signs of contagious illness, and get it to the vet immediately if necessary.

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Facility Features

• All of our floors are coated to prevent the harboring of bacteria.

• Our air handling system brings in tons of fresh air throughout the day and exhausts air to the outside. 

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Cleanliness

• We keep our facility very clean, including scrubbing floors and walls every night.

• We clean up poop right away, but some dogs love to eat it. If a dog eats poop, this can lead to health conditions, such as gastroenteritis, worms, or giardia. We strongly dissuade having dogs in play who eat poop and will communicate this to our clients if we notice their pups engaging in this activity.

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Chemicals

• We use veterinary-grade chemicals that are specifically made for pet care and combatting pet-related illnesses. We spend more on chemicals than typical pet businesses because health and well-being are very important to us. 

• We use the chemicals every day, we dilute them, and we have found that they are not harmful to dogs. They are used in veterinary and other animal-related facilities across the country, and are meant for this purpose. We are not responsible if your dog has a reaction to our chemicals, as it may have sensitive skin or an underlying health condition.

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Your Dog's Immune System

• Like humans, a dog can have a weak immune system and be more prone to illness than others. This is especially true with puppies and older dogs, but is entirely possible with dogs of any age. A weak immune system can be caused by factors such as their food, whether they have a chemical deficiency, a thyroid problem, whether they are around other dogs often, their age, and how much exercise they get.

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Common Health Conditions

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• Canine Cough (Kennel Cough) or Bordetella

  • ​We do not experience canine cough often, though we do expect to see a few cases during the seasonal changes.

  • Canine cough is the most common health condition for dogs in group play.

  • Canine cough is spread by a dog coughing or sneezing.​​

  • It typically lasts for a few days and goes away, sometimes with medicine, most of the times not. Normally, it is not seen as a major threat to a dog's health.​

  • If a dog seems to be coughing, many vets may not be sure about whether it is canine cough or something else. It could be from barking, or even a tight collar. Oftentimes they will treat it as canine cough, just to be on the safe side.​

  • If you have a puppy, you should expect that it will get canine cough somehow, whether at the park, on a walk, from your building, or possibly at daycare due to their weak immune system (like babies). Once your puppy has gotten it, its immune system should help fight it more strongly in the future.​​

• Giardia

  • Dogs can contract giardia by drinking from puddles at the dog park or even stepping in poop then licking their paw. They can also get it from eating poop, or drinking from a water bowl that another dog with giardia has taken water from.

  • Giardia causes poop to have an odor that is worse than normal. It can be misdiagnosed, and you should always get a fecal test from your vet to confirm whether it is truly giardia.

  • Giardia can be treated and cured with medicine, although some dogs can be giardia carriers.

• Canine Papilloma Virus (aka CPV or "Mouth Warts")

  • This appears as pink growths on your dog's skin, frequently in the mouth. It is very contagious.

  • A customer could bring a dog here that has CPV, and neither the owner nor our staff may realize it is present. We normally do not check dogs' mouths unless there is a good reason.

  • CPV can possibly be removed at the vet. If you choose not to remove it, it will normally go away on its own, but this could take some time.

  • Like chicken pox for humans, once your dog gets CPV, it shouldn't get it again, at least any time soon.

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Veterinary Care

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• Your dog may need to go to the vet for either illness or injury while here for daycare, and if so, you are solely responsible for directly paying for the veterinary costs, whether we transported it or you did. If we cannot reach you, we would make the decision about which vet to go to, which will normally be based on proximity, hours, wait time, cost, quality, reputation, and capabilities. We would not go to a vet that we believe provides poor-quality care, and we have no financial relationship with any vet whatsoever. It may not be your normal veterinarian. If not, you could certainly have an emergency contact take your dog to any vet of your choice.

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• If we take your dog to the vet, they may likely call you for authorization and to discuss payment obligations, before providing any medical care. You should not be upset by this - it is how it works in the veterinary and medical industry. If the vet cannot reach you, and the dog requires immediate and urgent care, we may need to sign in order for them to proceed. You would be responsible for payment in this scenarios.

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** Inspired by Tucker's Pet Resort