Canine Cough in dogs is similar to the common cold that humans pickup and spread. Much like kindergarteners going to school and coming home with various illnesses, no matter how much a school sanitizes, cleans, and has kids wash their hands - it is still easy for germs to spread.
Because dogs in a daycare setting are similar, it is very easy for the doggie cold (commonly called 'kennel cough') to spread. The good news is, it is easily treatable with a visit to the vet and staying home to get better.
Canine cough is not transmittable to humans - it is only spread species to species.
IS MY DOG SAFE AT YOUR SPACE?
At Sit Social we have high cleaning and sanitizing standards to prevent the spread of illness. We also require vaccinations for pups who enter our space. Throughout the day we are consistently cleaning up, wiping down, hosing down, and sanitizing the spaces and surfaces used by our dog friends. Unfortunately, despite these efforts, sending your doggie to daycare/boarding carries the same risk of illness as sending a child to school, and there will still be possibilities of catching a cold.
We take the health and happiness of dogs in our care seriously and when cases are reported to us by our clients, we notify you via text to keep an eye out for symptoms in your pup. It is up to each individual dog owner to determine their comfort level with sending their pup to daycare/boarding.
WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?
There is no way to trace where a cold originates for a pup - as a dog may have picked it up on a walk, at the park, or in our facility - but we do know that the easiest way to become ill with a doggie cold is through droplets between dogs or from items a sick pup has come in contact with.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS I SHOULD LOOK FOR?
The primary symptom of kennel cough is a non-productive and persistent dry cough. It usually sounds like a goose honk or as if something is stuck in your dog's throat. Runny nose, sneezing, lack of energy, decreased appetite, and mild fever are other symptoms to keep an eye out for and worth a trip to the vet to prescribe antibiotics and/or a cough suppressant.
We hope everyone's dogs stay safe and healthy and we appreciate you trusting us with the care of your pup at our space. We will continue to do our part by keeping rigorous cleaning standards and communicating with our clients when cases are reported. We appreciate our clients also keeping us in the loop and being responsible dog owners who keep their pup home until they are no longer ill.
humans@sitsocial.com