Dogtopia of Waco, TX Blog

Hey Dogtopians…are you ready to ruuuuuuumble?????? It’s time for our 2nd Mutt Madness! Submit a picture of your dog decked out in their favorite college team’s gear or colors to waco@dogdaycare.com with the subject line “Mutt Madness” to enter the Mutt Madness 2010 Contest! Submissions must be received by Noon on Monday, March 22nd.

Pictures will be posted here on our blog and doggies will go paw-to-paw for the most votes! Votes will be taken via the comments section with each round lasting two days. Top vote-getters will move on to the next round until we have our Grand Champion! Direct your friends and family to Doggyblogging.com/waco for blow-by-blow action and commentary. To see last years contest check out the blog and entries here.

 The Top Dog will receive a prize package worthy of any Champion: a 5-day daycare pass, a spa bath, canine massage by Groomer Michelle Smith, a Bottle Buddy toy and a Six Pack of No-bull sticks!

 Join us from 5pm to 7pm Saturday, March 20th for the official tip-off to the fun, our Woofs, Wags and Hoops party! Show your team spirit by sporting the team colors and having your picture made on the Dogtopia Court!

Snow. Oh how we Texans get a little crazy when those beautiful white flakes start falling! Typically at the first mention of *Snow* on the weather report everyone launches into crisis mode. This means heading for the grocery store to stock up on those important things like 3 gallons of milk, coffee, and firewood. In all fairness though, as most Central Texans know, snow for us usually means ice if we get anything at all. However, we finally got our Snow Day here in Waco and while the dogs enjoyed the flurries I think the Pack Leaders enjoyed it a bit more. During naptime I was in my office working when a snowball fight erupted in the lobby. Yes, I said LOBBY and it was started by none other than Kim! Using the Evaluation room as her home base she blasted Jade as she arrived for work but Ms. Molly made them take it outside where they waited for Sam to arrive.

It was great fun to see all of the creative snowmen in the neighborhood and all of the pictures on Facebook of dogs in the snow! Here are a few of our pictures from our rare snow day at Dogtopia Waco. There are more pictures on our Facebook page.

The other day while on the phone with one of our daycare parents they asked the question “Can dogs get colds?” Yes! They can get doggie “colds”, allergies, kennel cough and even tonsillitis. After opening Dogtopia we quickly found that just like a children’s daycare, the dogs share their germs and each one has a different immune system. Since we are the first off leash venue many Waco dogs have participated in many parents never happened upon minor illnesses such as these. Many of the dogs we see have allergies much like humans who live in Texas. They scratch, sneeze and even have a reverse sneeze that sounds a bit like they are clearing their throat so sometimes it is hard to distinguish if they are sick or not. Our advice to you is trust your instincts and when in doubt consult your Veterinarian. Nobody knows your dog better than you! If they are not acting like themselves or eating habits suddenly change then something is likely up.

So what can we do to prevent contagious illness? Here at Dogtopia we clean, sanitize, and disinfect like crazy. What we ask of you the parents is that if your dog seems overly tired, not himself, has green discharge from the eyes or nose in combination with sneezing or coughing it is best to keep them home until you feel they are back to their perky normal self! In addition, let us know! We want to keep parents well informed so please let us know if your baby isn’t well!

Below is an article on Kennel Cough from Dr. Johnston at South Bosque Vet Clinic that was featured in our newsletter a few months back.

 Dr. J’s Habits For A Healthy Hound  (by Jered Johnston, DVM)

Kennel Cough

What is it?

Kennel cough is an infectious bronchitis characterized by a harsh, hacking cough that most people describe as sounding like “something stuck in my dog’s throat.” Dogs typically show clinical symptoms 7-10 days after being exposed and symptoms can last from 4-14 days. Most cases, with time, clear up without complication, although occasionally symptoms can worsen and result in pneumonia or other lower respiratory tract diseases.

How do dogs get it?

Kennel cough is better described as a “complex” as there are many infectious agents that often times work simultaneously to cause infection. Bordetella bronchiseptica is the bacteria that takes the primary blame for kennel cough, however, Bordetella bronchiseptica usually infects dogs secondarily to a virus that has weakened the protective mechanisms in the windpipe.

The four common viruses of the kennel cough complex are the Parainfluenza Virus, Canine Adenovirus Type 2, Canine Herpes Virus and the Canine Reovirus. Any of these viruses can produce a minor sore throat and cough, ultimately allowing a way in for the more toxic Bordetella bronchiseptica bacteria.

Classically, dogs get infected when they are kept in a crowded situation with warmer air (i.e., a boarding kennel, vaccination clinic, obedience class, local park, animal shelter, animal hospital waiting room, or grooming parlor). Among dogs, kennel cough is fairly contagious depending on stress level, vaccination status, and exposure to minor viruses. Bordetella bronchiseptica is generally not considered contagious to humans, although it is closely related to Bordetella pertussis, the agent of whooping cough. Immune-suppressed humans could potentially be infected.

Treatment

If your canine companion develops a harsh, hacking cough, you should get them to your veterinarian as soon as possible. Although kennel cough is typically not life threatening, there are other, more serious causes for a hacking cough such as heart disease or collapsing trachea that your veterinarian can evaluate. Kennel cough is typically treated with rest, cough suppressants and, on occasion, antibiotics if your veterinarian feels they are needed.

Prevention

There are two vaccines that play an important role in preventing kennel cough, the DHPP or DAPP vaccine and the Bordetella bronchiseptica vaccine. Parainfluenza virus and Adenovirus type 2, members of the kennel cough complex, are covered by the standard DHPP or DAPP vaccine. This is the basic yearly vaccine for dogs that also includes Parvo and Distemper Virus.

For the Bordetella bronchiseptica vaccine there are two options: an injection given under the skin or a liquid vaccine dripped into the nose. The injectable vaccination is a good choice for aggressive dogs that may bite when approached. The downside to the injectable vaccine is that dogs have to get a three week booster following their first injection and it takes longer to develop immunity, typically 7-14 days. The intranasal vaccine does not require the three week booster after the first time vaccination and immunity is much quicker and usually active three days after the vaccine is given. Many veterinarians argue that the intranasal vaccine also provides stronger, local immunity since it is applied directly to the respiratory tract. The downside to the intranasal vaccine is that some dogs will have mild sneezing or nasal discharge in the week following intranasal vaccination.

It is important to realize that not all members of the kennel cough complex have a vaccine. Vaccination must be regularly boosted and the frequency will be set by your boarding or grooming facility. Many recommend yearly vaccination and still others recommend every six months. The frequency of vaccination truly depends on your dog’s exposure risk level, and your veterinarian will have the best recommendation. Vaccination every six months is safe and will provide the highest level of protection for your dog.

One important thing to understand about vaccination is that it is not full-proof. It is quite possible for a vaccinated dog to still become infected with kennel cough. The vaccine will muffle the symptoms and decrease the duration of the illness, preventing your dog from going through the severe symptoms that unvaccinated dogs develop.

To discuss your pet’s health with Dr. Johnston contact South Bosque Veterinary Clinic.

 If you haven’t met Bella then you should! This beautiful girl is a bundle of fun! At just 5 months old she is the star of the Toybox and keeps the Pack Leaders on their toes!

She loves to wrestle, romp, steal things, chew things, and crash when she’s done!

Meet Miss Hogan our dog of the week! This pretty girl is just as sweet as she looks! Hogan loves chasing her friends in the Toy Box,  jumping on the car bed and playing ball. She can also often be found in a Pack Leaders lap giving kisses.

Looking for a FURREVER friend?

Well here is your chance! Shelter groups and breed specific rescue groups throughout Central Texas will be participating in this exciting Adoption Event! It will be held December 5th from 11am-4pm at the HOT Fairgrounds 4601 Bosque Blvd. This event is sponsored by Fuzzy Friends Rescue, Waco Humane Society, and Heart ‘O Texas Fair Complex.

A link to the Fuzzy Friends flyer

As we get additional details on the event we will be posting on Facebook and Twitter.

Meet Sugar! She is one of our sweetest Saturday dogs! Even though she is a medium sized dog, she LOVES the little dogs and they love her. She spends her Saturdays wrestling and romping in the Toy Box and giving lots and lots of kisses to everyone. She is certainly as sweet as her name

Damon and his Mom Michelle invited Kim and I to a painting party at Practically Pikasso. Damon is a service dog so he goes every where with his Mom and one day they visited Practically Pikasso, an art studio that specializes in paint your own pottery as well as mosaics and glass fusing. While there they painted Damon’s paw print and Michelle asked Sammie, the owner, if she would be open to having a small puppy painting party.

I have to admit, I haven’t done any ceramics since I was a kid and my painting skills are very sad indeed but I was excited to go see what it was all about. Then I had one of those moments. You know the one…almost every parent has one when they bring their dog in today for the first time. What will my dog do? Will he misbehave? Alfie is one year old and spends practically all of his waking hours at Dogtopia. He is very well socialized with dogs….people not so much. He shys away from people he does not know and often hides behind me. There have also been occasions in the lobby when he was with me and other dogs approach, that he might not have been as polite as he knows how to be. I decided we had to start some where so this was hopefully the perfect opportunity. I may or may not have lectured him in the car on the way. 

There were four adults and four pups for our party. Michelle had yummy snacks for us and homemade treats for the pups. Sammie, the owner instructed us on how to get your dogs paw print on to a plate and assisted us in choosing colors that we liked. She was more than patient with the dogs helping us get just the right paw print and practicing before we put it on the plates. We laughed and had so much fun! To top it off we all now have painted plates with our dogs paw print in the middle. Sammie said that she has had owners come in to do paw prints before on tile, plates and even Christmas Ornaments. What a wonderful Christmas present for Mom, Dad, or Grandma!

Give them a call or better yet stop by and check out this really neat place!

Practically Pikasso ph 254-776-2200

4310 West Waco Drive, Waco TX 76710

 Holiday pet photos benefiting the Animal Birth Control Clinic’s Building Fund will be held at Dogtopia on December 6th from 12pm to 4pm.

Artist, Katie Croft of The Croft Art Gallery will be donating her time to photograph your pets just in time for Christmas. Photo’s can include a family member or just your pet. There will be a black background with a simple tinsel tree and a white background for black dogs and the scenes will be elevated. Sorry, no Santa Claus.

Suggested donation of $15.00 is appreciated.  All proceeds benefit the ABC Clinic Building Fund.

Tips for a great photo shoot:

Take your dog for a walk before to calm them and take their energy down a little. Bring thier favorite toy or snack to use for rewards and to keep their attention. Schedule your grooming appointments with Jacqui early so your pet will be pawsatively gorgeous and ready for their close up!

For more information please email animalbirthcontrol@sbcglobal.net