Mile High Canine Club - Dog Daycare

MEDICAL TOPICS

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Like children, dogs are susceptible to whatever bug is going around. The standard vaccines are excellent at protecting dogs against the more serious diseases; however, there are many things they can still pick up from other dogs.

Kennel cough - It’s the dog version of the flu and although it’s not deadly it seems awful when they catch it. It sounds like a very deep, froggy cough that occurs when your dogs is pulling on his leash and collar, early in the morning when they first get up or after exercising. Your dog can get this at a dog park, daycare, walking around the neighborhood or even at your vet. It is a highly contagious, airborne virus and healthy dogs that show no symptoms can sometimes spread it.

We recommend the Bordetella vaccine twice per year and have found this to be a successful way to keep kennel cough down to a minimum.

Worms – Worms are a parasite dogs can pickup when playing in groups. Dogs love to get “personal” and can get worms from each other when inspecting their buddy’s private parts. Some dogs also love to eat poop and this is another source of picking up worms. If we see that a dog has worms we will isolate that dog and contact the owner immediately to let them know. Once a dog has been de-wormed they should stay home for at least a week to give the dead parasites time to get out of their system.

Giardia –It’s a protozoan parasite that causes the equivalent to Montezuma’s Revenge that humans get. Your dog may have bloody diarrhea and/or bloody vomit. The blood is usually quite voluminous and it often appears that your dog has burst something and is bleeding internally. It smells awful, and you should get your dog to the vet ASAP as this can cause severe dehydration and further weaken your poor pup.

Canine Oral Papillomavirus “Puppy Warts” – Viral papillomas are round but often have a rough, almost jagged surface reminiscent of a sea anemone or a cauliflower. They occur usually on the lips and muzzle of a young dog (usually less than 2 years of age). The infection is transmitted via contact with the papillomas on an infected dog. The incubation period is 1-2 months. This infection is primarily one of young dogs and puppies. Beyond this, transmission details are sketchy. It is not known whether the infected dog must actually show visible lesions to be contagious, nor how long after regression of lesions contagion is still of concern. They should go away on their own as the dog’s immune system matures and generates a response against the papillomavirus.