Should Your Dog Wear Winter Boots?

We can all agree that a pup in winter booties is just too cute!  While they are an adorable fashion accessory, did you know they can also help keep your dog’s paws safe and healthy during the cold winter months? 

Just like our skin, the winter can also wreak havoc on your dog’s paws. Between the effects of cold, snow, ice and salt, there are many reasons that a fresh new pair of winter boots may not be a bad idea for your dog!

Cold. Dogs out in the cold for long periods of times could be at risk for frostbite on their paws and hypothermia. Be sure to monitor how long your dog spends outside during the day, especially when the temperatures drop below freezing!

Snow and Ice.  A common cause of sore and cracked paws during the cold winter months are the ice balls which form between the pads and toes of dogs with furry feet. To reduce the risk of ice balls, keep inter-pad hair trimmed neatly and short during the winter months. Not only can fur on the feet contribute to the development of ice balls, paw hair can retain a lot of those nasty deicing salts from the sidewalks and roads. If your dog's feet are on the furry side, consider getting them trimmed them throughout the winter months.

Salt. One of the biggest threats to healthy paw pads is the salt used to melt ice on driveways, roads and sidewalks. Prolonged contact can lead to chemical burns on your dog's paws! If your dog is limping by end of a walk, these salts may be hurting their feet. If you dog does not have boots, try to keep them off the salty sidewalk or road in the grass or snow whenever possible.

Another threat comes from de-icers if your dog licks their paws or your boots, and ingests them. These salts are toxic! To prevent this from happening, keep a shallow bowl of warm water and a cloth near the entryway to your home so that you can wipe your boots and your dog’s paws when coming back inside.

If boots just aren't for your dog, gently washing your dog's paws after each trip outside can help keep them healthy. You can also help prevent cracked and bleeding paw pads by applying petroleum jelly or paw wax before your dog goes outside.  

Paw wax is another great alternative and is applied to the pads of the feet before a walk, forming a protective barrier between the paw and the salty sidewalk or pavement.

Whether or not your dog should wear booties is all up to you!  Some dogs may not feel comfortable in them in the backyard, while others spend most of their time outside walking on pavement and may need a little extra protection. Either way, please be aware of potential risks when it comes to snow, ice, and salt, and contact your veterinarian if your dog is limping or seems to have hurt paws after being outside. We hope you have a great, warm, and safe winter!

Sources: PetFinder & Vetstreet

Should Dogs Play All Day in Daycare?

We’ve collected some information from the experts regarding choosing a daycare for your furry friend, and why we value our exceptional standards as a leading facility in the pet care industry.

There are many factors involved when considering doggy daycare, but we’ve boiled it down to three: Your dog, the facility and the staff.

Your dog.  Just like people, dogs have different personalities and have had different experiences while growing up. With a wide spectrum of who each dog might enjoy spending time with, it’s important to understand whether your dog would enjoy playing in a large group, or perhaps may enjoy some quiet alone time with a staff member.

Morris Animal Inn offers private daycare for dogs who prefer spending one-on-one time rather than being part of a group.

The Facility.  There are many amenities that go into providing a great and safe environment:

• A dog’s play area needs lots of room and places for dogs to opt out of interaction if they want to go off by themselves and rest.
• The facility must be clean, sanitary, and safe, outdoors and in. All daycares should have a plan to respond to a fire or other emergencies.
• A separate play are for smaller dogs and for young pups – Morris Animal Inn’s play groups are based on size and play style. We also offer a puppy daycare for pups 8 to 20 weeks old!
• There should be a place for the dogs to nap

It is important to understand that dogs need to sleep during the day. There must be a quiet secure place where the dogs rest for at least two hours each day.

According to trainer Kathy Sdao, businesses that brag that they never have the dogs off the play-floor misunderstand their responsibility to provide a balance of activities and rest.  It's unhealthy for dogs to play with each other, uninterrupted, for eight or more hours a day. It can create problems such as bullying, barking or impulsiveness. At Morris Animal Inn, each daycare guest has a luxury enclosure where they can rest comfortably during the day in between play times.

The Staff. A great daycare facility must have:

• A high staff:dog ratio (at least one person for every 10 or 15 dogs)
• Staff should be well-versed in reading dogs for signs of stress, discriminating between appropriate versus inappropriate play, and how to effectively but kindly manage the behavior of both individual dogs and a group of dogs
• The best dog daycares conduct a thorough behavioral assessment of all new dogs
• A policy should be in place if a dog bullies others, or initiates a fight 
• Staff should be conscious of size differences and separate the dogs into different play groups if necessary

At Morris Animal Inn we have an average 1:5 staff to dog ratio.  Each of our staff members are well-versed and trained in dog dynamics and body language. Each staff member is trained through a series of courses, including courses by The Dog Gurus. We assess all dogs, and group dogs into separate play groups based on size, temperament and play style. 

We are proud to offer an exceptional daycare facility for your pet. So...should dogs play all day in daycare?  We believe the rest is fundamental for a happy and healthy pet!

Source: Patricia McConnell & Kathy Sdao

Is Your Dog Vaccinated for Canine Influenza?

If you’ve ever called Morris Animal Inn, you’ve most likely heard, “your dog needs the Canine Influenza Vaccination!”  “Canine Influenza, what is that? My vet didn’t say my dog needed that vaccine!”

It’s true, most vets don’t require the vaccine among their patients, but here’s why we do. Your pet’s health and happiness is always our main concern.

The Canine Influenza is highly contagious and can be transmitted by infected dogs prior to their showing any symptoms. Typically, it is airborne, passed by dog to dog contact, or via people's hands or clothing. Signs closely resemble a common respiratory syndrome known as Canine Cough, and may include:

• Nasal discharge
•  High fever
•  A soft gagging cough of 10-14 days.

80 to 90 percent of those exposed will contract the virus, even if they don’t show symptoms. Approximately 20 percent of the dogs may exhibit additional symptoms such as:

•  Loss of appetite
•  Lethargy
•  And potentially Pneumonia

The dogs most at risk are dogs exposed to places where there are many animals like parks, dog parks, pet stores, dog shows, or kennels. The virus is similar to flu in people where it is the very young and the old that are most severely affected.

The biggest concern is that Canine Influenza is a new virus, and no dogs have immunities against it; the virus is only a decade old in dogs, and mothers don’t pass down antibodies to their pups.

The virus was first identified in racing greyhounds and appears to have been the cause of significant respiratory disease on canine tracks throughout the United States for the last several years. Scientists compared the virus’s DNA with other influenza viruses and the closest match was the H3N8 equine influenza virus, meaning the virus likely jumped from horses to canines at the racetracks.

In 2005, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified Canine Influenza as a “newly emerging pathogen in the dog population.”

The best way to treat the flu is to prevent severe symptoms with the specialized vaccination. We strive for nothing but the best for you and your pup; this is why we require the Canine Influenza vaccine. Your pet's health and happiness is our number one priority, and we will continue to be a leader in the pet care industry to give your pets the best possible care during their time at Morris Animal Inn. Your dog will thank you when he can continue to play while his friends in the neighborhood may be at home sick in bed!

Source: New Jersey Department of Health, The Times Tribune