Health Check
Important Health Information
All of our guests must be fully vaccinated including all required boosters for puppies and annual boosters for dogs over 12 months old. A copy of your vaccinations must be provided to us so we can put the on file. All dogs must be vaccinated against canine parvovirus, canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis, Bordetella (canine cough), and, Leptospirosis.
By ensuring your dogs’ vaccination protocol is met, you provide protection against many diseases. Some of these diseases are highly contagious and can sometimes be fatal. Pet vaccinations can help prevent pet diseases and possibly help you avoid costly treatments for preventable animal illnesses.
We take the safety of all dogs in our care extremely seriously and we appreciate your compliance and understanding with our requirements. If our records show your dogs’ vaccinations are out of date, we may have to deny attendance until you can provide current vaccination status.
If your dog is unwell, please keep them out of daycare, let us know your dog is unwell, and that they will not be attending daycare.
If we suspect your dog is unwell, we will send them home. If your dog is sent home from daycare with any suspected illness, you may still be charged for the session that was booked for that day – there are a lot of extra services that go into caring for sick dogs; we pay extra attention to sick pups in order to monitor their health and provide you with important health information, as well as cleaning and sanitising all affected areas to maintain the cleanliness of our facility.
Typically, your unwell dog will not be able to return to daycare until 48 hours after their last symptom, or 48 hours after they have started antibiotics. But this can vary, so always best to check with the team
Canine Cough
Is a common, contagious, infectious upper respiratory disease, seen in dogs. Canine cough may also be referred to as kennel cough or (acute) canine infectious tracheobronchitis. It is highly infectious but is not often fatal (high morbidity, low mortality).
Keep an eye out for these symptoms:
- A honking, raspy or shallow cough
- Fever
- Sneezing, runny nose or watery eyes
- Loss of appetite
Most cases of Canine Cough are very mild, as all of the dogs at our centre are fully vaccinated. We sanitise daily with a viricide that kills canine parainfluenza and Covid19 – it is hospital grade, and all water bowls and toys are also sanitised.
Unfortunately Canine Cough a bit like cold and kids. And it is possible for it to be passed between any 2 dogs with nose contact, or drinking water from a dog bowl at a park, shop or café. Our experience is that it impacts dogs under 1 year old, much more than those over 1. After there second vaccination and a bit more life experience they seem to build up their immunity. We are careful to look out for any symptoms and stop the dogs at the door. However there is a 48 hour incubation period without symptoms – so we can’t rule out that another dog may have passed it on. It is also possible for some dogs to remain asymptomatic even when they have a strain. The vaccine often will ensure it’s a mild dose that passes quickly.
The advice if the vet confirms canine cough will likely be to stay at home, and not mix with other dogs for 7 days (that’s the normal advice). They will only give antibiotics if they think its necessary.
Canine Oral Papillomas
Also known as oral warts, or puppy warts, are small, benign tumors of the mouth caused by the papilloma virus. Papillomas typically develop on the lips, tongue, throat or gums, and while they are generally harmless they are highly contagious.
Unfortunately, this virus is contagious in the incubation stage (which can be 1-2 weeks before any symptoms show), while warts are visible (can range anywhere from 2 – 8 weeks), and dogs will remain contagious for up to 2 weeks after the last wart is visible.
This is a sneaky little virus, and we ask that you do not bring your dog to daycare should they show any signs of the warts. They will then need to stay out of daycare until 2 weeks after the disappearance of last visible wart.
Canine Gastroenteritis
If your dog has been suffering from vomiting, diarrhea or a combination of both, your poor pooch just might have a case of gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis in dogs is a common condition that typically involves diarrhea and may be accompanied by vomiting.
Though common, gastroenteritis can be frustrating, scary and — depending on its cause and its effects on the individual dog — challenging to manage.
Gastroenteritis has many faces. It can present as diarrhoea alone (anywhere from mildly soft stool to watery feces) or diarrhoea with vomiting. Less often, it can manifest as vomiting alone, though if the condition is confined to the stomach itself, veterinarians may refer to it as gastritis.
Giardia
Giardia is a microscopic parasite that is infectious to both humans and pets. These parasites are found living in the environment and can stay in your dog’s intestines for up to 12 days before it appears in their stool.
Giardia has to be ingested in order for the parasite to get into the intestines. Your dog can contract Giardia by either eating or drinking something has been contaminated by affected feces. This can be more direct, like eating poop, or less direct, like drinking from a puddle or pond.
The Dog Den provides fresh water for all dogs throughout the day, but if you have a dog who enjoys eating poop, it is possible for them to transmit or contract Giardia at doggy daycare if an infected dog is unknowingly present. Whether or not your dog is a known poop-eater, it is more common for dogs to contract Giardia by drinking contaminated water somewhere other than the Dog Den. Dogs with Giardia must steer clear of The Dog Den and any communal dog spaces until they’ve had a negative fecal test.