A mysterious canine respiratory illness has now spread to 14 states, including California, and many dog parks, daycare centers and boarding facilities are seeing fewer dogs.
A pack of pampered pooches were hanging out at Grateful Dog in San Francisco on Wednesday.
Owner Ernie Servantes says he has seen the mysterious canine illness affect his business.
“As far as numbers go, we’re not seeing as many dogs. Especially our regulars, who aren’t coming in as much as we’d like,” Servantes said.
Servantes estimates that anywhere from a quarter to a third of his regular customers are now keeping their dogs at home, just to be safe. He had a full house over the Thanksgiving holiday. He says not one dog came in or went home with the virus.
“So if a dog comes into our facility and they’re coughing and sneezing, they’re turned away,” Servantes said.
Meanwhile, Fetch! Pet Care is getting a lot of calls about its services. Owner Robyn Archie finds pet sitters who can also do in-home boarding.
“We’ve had a spike in requests for sitters to come to clients’ homes this season so they don’t have to deal with a lot of new dogs,” Archie said.
Archie says some of her clients have expressed concerns about their pets being around other dogs, since veterinarians say this disease is spread through close contact with other dogs.
“I’ve been around for 17 years, so we’re always busy at this time, but it’s a shift in the service people want,” she said.
At Grateful Dog, Servantes said workers heavily sanitize the facility and he trains staff to look for symptoms. With the holiday season upon us, he wants to make sure his dogs are happy and healthy when they go home.
“It’s still a very serious virus and very contagious, but we think with our preparedness and the fact that we’re being so proactive, we’ll be able to handle it,” Servantes said.
Veterinarians recommend that pet owners vaccinate their dogs, especially against kennel cough. While it may not specifically target the unknown disease, it will help with your dog’s overall health.
