Dog Park Check - Solivita

Dog Park Check - Solivita

By Jim Young, Manager - Bellalago Veterinary Hospital

We have some results from our visit to Solivita's dog park today. We took some live video of our work and posted it to Facebook earlier. Please check out the video!

Solivita's Dog Park

Fecal Float - Hookworms were present
Direct - a lot of Coccidia

NOTES: While there was a nice doggie drinking fountain, the drain had been plugged so contaminated water was unable to drain. Using the doggie drinking fountain as a regular drinking fountain (with clean, flowing water) is the only safe way to use it. The drain plug should be removed and the fountain thoroughly cleaned. Additionally, a water bowl was next to the drinking fountain. Dogs drinking from the plugged fountain or the bowl are at risk for common water borne diseases like Leptospirosis and Coccidia. These diseases are spread by wildlife like birds and raccoons. As the samples tested positive for Coccidia, there is no doubt regarding the risk!

Hookworms can be prevented with products like HeartGard, Trifexis, Sentinel Spectrum, or ProHeart 6. Having your dog on a preventative is important! Hookworms can be spread to humans! For more information, give us a call.

Coccidia is a tough one to prevent as it is so easily spread by birds. As birds often use water bowls and puddles as bird baths, dogs should not be allowed to drink from unclean bowls or standing water. Will result in diarrhea. Medical treatment is required.

Leptospirosis is another disease that can be spread to humans but it can be easily prevented by making sure your dog is up to date on their vaccines. Also, providing clean drinking water and bowls to your dog will help reduce the risk.

Prevention is the best strategy to keep your pet happy and healthy! Give us a call so we can ensure your pet's well-being before they head to the park!

Methodology: We ran 4 samples randomly selected from the many we collected. With each of the randomly selected samples, we did a fecal float checking for parasites. We also randomly selected one sample for a direct screen for bacteria and other microscopic issues.