About twice a week I send Karloff to daycare for four hours or so. The people who run it are nice and seem responsible, and Karloff loves it so much that he practically drags me to the door, but I wonder how safe it is. It's an entirely indoor facility, essentially a huge romper room with many dogs running around, and they relieve themselves on the concrete floor. An attendant quickly cleans up the mess (or at least is supposed to), but when I watched through an observation window the cleanup was done with what looked like a Swiffer-style mop--I didn't see any bucket of disinfectant or anything like that. Karloff of course is up on his inoculations, including kennel cough, but what about giardia or noxious bacteria?
Fafhrd
hmmm.. this would bother me too. As long as all vaccines are up to date and he is on a worm preventative you should be okay. My question is do they screen the dogs personality before letting them all be together? Also, how many people are watching how many dogs? If there is like one person for 20 dogs that is bad. Swiffer products are not safe to use around dogs. I would ask questions.
He does take Heartgard, but does it prevent intestinal worms, or only heart worms? And should I worry that he may pick up giardia, etc.?
Yes, that they do, and it seems fights and biting are very rare. If a dog misbehaves it is placed in an isolation area.
There are always at least two. There has never been a bad incident during the 20 or so times when Karloff was there, and I've met several people at the park who take their dogs there and have never had a bad experience. The dogs who go there seem to become friends, and I do think the attendants are very alert to hostile signals. There's a rule that if any dog becomes hostile it is no longer welcome.
I assume this is because they just smear the filth around, instead of picking it up the way a good janitor's mop does?
And thanks for your reply, Puddincat.
To me, it seems like when you take your kid to daycare -- it takes awhile for their immune system to build up immunities. You will not be able to vaccinate and medicate your way out of exposure to different bugs (it wouldn't be healthy to), so I would focus on good nutrition, etc.
I would want to make sure that there is always someone supervising that knows about canine behavior and has some training background. Dogs at daycare are much like kids on the playground.
I would want to make sure that there is always someone supervising that knows about canine behavior and has some training background. Dogs at daycare are much like kids on the playground.
i really don't like doggie day care. but, sometimes its the only thing workable for people that have busy work schedules and want their dog to have stimulation, etc.
yep, you never know what really goes on at doggie day care when your not there, thats the biggest thing. things do happen when you get alot of dogs together in the same area. bite wounds, etc.
also, some of the transferable issues, and the kennel cough shot does not cover all strains of it. so, like anything there is a huge chance things can be picked up, but usually treatable.
its an individual choice to do the doggie day care thing, but if you are uncomfortable with something you see, you need to ask about it.
debbie
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yep, you never know what really goes on at doggie day care when your not there, thats the biggest thing. things do happen when you get alot of dogs together in the same area. bite wounds, etc.
also, some of the transferable issues, and the kennel cough shot does not cover all strains of it. so, like anything there is a huge chance things can be picked up, but usually treatable.
its an individual choice to do the doggie day care thing, but if you are uncomfortable with something you see, you need to ask about it.
debbie
As far as swiffer being "not safe" for dogs ... it is a myth.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_swiffer_wetjet.htm
If doggie daycare is working for you then that is great. For some dogs it certainly helps with socialisation and learning appropriate dog behaviour.
As far as guardia and noxious bacteria, there are many products available to any dog (animal) based business that will safely sanitise any soiled areas to help prevent incidence of this type of contamination. When I was a dog groomer, I used these products every night in the cleaning process plus during the day in a spray bottle for any incident where contamination could occur. I would ask the staff whether they use such products and, if not, suggest that they do. Dogs are fairly tolerant to normal bacterial activity but some types of contamination do need greater diligence.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_swiffer_wetjet.htm
If doggie daycare is working for you then that is great. For some dogs it certainly helps with socialisation and learning appropriate dog behaviour.
As far as guardia and noxious bacteria, there are many products available to any dog (animal) based business that will safely sanitise any soiled areas to help prevent incidence of this type of contamination. When I was a dog groomer, I used these products every night in the cleaning process plus during the day in a spray bottle for any incident where contamination could occur. I would ask the staff whether they use such products and, if not, suggest that they do. Dogs are fairly tolerant to normal bacterial activity but some types of contamination do need greater diligence.
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