Risks

While we make every effort to ensure the health and safety of our doggie guests, in a highly interactive boarding situation like ours, injuries and illness can happen. Before allowing your dog to participate in any activity at Green Doggie, please make sure you are willing to accept the associated risks including but not limited to the following. You are responsible for all veterinary costs incurred by your dog.

INHERENT RISKS OF SOCIAL PLAY

Strains, sprains, and soreness

It is not uncommon for dogs to be sore or walk with a slight limp after playing with their friends at Green Doggie. Just like us, when dogs overexert themselves they may be sore the next day or two.

Nicks, cuts, scrapes, and bites

Even with the friendliest of dogs, rough and tumble play, racing around jumping over things, and play biting can sometimes leave marks on a dog and even break skin. While squabbles between dogs here are extremely rare, dogs can be unpredictable so we cannot guarantee a fight will never happen. We only take non-aggressive dogs and we are quick about breaking up play that is getting too rough.

Paw pad injuries

INHERENT RISKS OF SWIMMING

Swimming is one of the safest forms of exercise for your dog but it still has its risks. Dogs are always supervised during swim sessions.

Ear infections

Hot spots and other skin issues

It is not uncommon for K9 swimmers to get hot spots particularly during warmer weather. A spot may start off small but if the dog licks or bites the area, the spot can spread significantly in a short period of time. The treatment of hot spots often involves shaving the hair around the affected area.

Diarrhea and/or vomiting

Taking in large amounts of chlorine water often causes dogs to have loose stool and/or vomiting.

Paw pad injuries

Bloat

Larger K9 swimmers particularly deep chested breeds are at higher risk for bloat or twisted stomach. Bloat is a life-threatening medical emergency that I have first hand experience with. It happened to my own dog after swimming one day. Thankfully we were able to get him into surgery in time and he made a full recovery. We are very careful about making sure dogs rest before and after mealtime. We also monitor water intake when dogs are exercising and encourage them to drink smaller amounts more frequently throughout the day rather than gulping large amounts at a time.

INHERENT RISKS OF HIKING & WALKING

Ticks, fleas, and insects

Even though we check dogs over after outings, please recheck your dog when you get home. If you find fleas on your dog (even just one), please let us know immediately no matter what time it is. We can deal with having to remove the occasional tick but if we ever were to get a flea problem here, it would be disastrous. Be proactive about removing and killing any flea or tick you see on your dog. Don't just rely on his flea preventative as these meds are not 100% effective. Dogs can get flea allergy dermatitis from flea bites. Insect bites can turn into hot spots. So not fun for your dog or you! Ticks can transmit diseases to hosts within several hours so the sooner a tick is removed, the lower the risk of disease. The symptoms of most tick-borne diseases include lethargy and fever. Some tick-borne diseases can also cause tick paralysis, lameness, joint swelling and/or anemia.

Rattlesnakes

We strongly recommend K9 hikers to attend rattlesnake avoidance training as we do cross paths with rattlesnakes from time to time. The training is not full proof but we have seen it work on many of our dogs so we believe it is the best thing you can do for your dog to minimize the risk of him getting bitten. We have never had a dog get bitten while hiking with us but that doesn't mean it can't happen.

Foxtails, burrs and other potentially harmful plants

Foxtails and seeds can pose serious risks to dogs. The tall grass develops seed heads with tiny barbs that can attach themselves to your dog’s coat and become lodged in his skin, paw pads, ear canals and nose. Removal of barbs may require surgery if they are lodged in deep enough. Even though we've checked your dog over, please recheck him when you get home. Foxtails are easy to miss especially on dogs with thick or long hair. Don't forget to check between paw pads.

Sprains, strains, and soreness

Cuts and scrapes

Paw pad injuries

Heat stroke

Heat stroke can be deadly so it is something we take very seriously. We don't advise dogs to hike in hot weather but ultimately the decision is up to you. Fresh cold water is provided and hikes can be cut short if needed.

Allergies

Encounters with off leash dogs

Risks of swimming

RISKS OF HIKING

Hygiene