Q. I have an Airbnb and allow dogs. I have folks that come from far away. What do I need to do so my dog stays healthy?
A. Renting to responsible guardians is key. When summer hits, the tourists arrive in droves. Most of the time families with pets are respectful and have well taken care of companions. Sometimes there are exceptions.
With the influx of southern rescues, some are not coming through proper organizations. These pups haven’t been vetted out and can bring in diseases that will spread to all dogs in the community. Most common is heart worm, which spreads by mosquito bites. The incidence of heart worm disease in this state has grown. First, it is much warmer, second infected dogs, known or unknown, are not diagnosed or treated before coming here.
Another silent disease is intestinal parasites. Many guardians don’t routinely check their best friend’s poop. Some are hard to detect and normally you don’t see them with the naked eye, unless it is a really bad infestation. The eggs are shed wherever dogs hang out, dog parks, boarding kennels, shelters, and anywhere else dogs can congregate and poop. Worms Fido can pick up from licking poop or infected ground are whipworms, hookworms, and roundworms. Remember to always pick up your dog’s feces. Not only does it keep all dogs safe from intestinal parasites, it will maintain the dog’s right to be in more places.
Parvo virus is also passed by exposure to infected stools. A dog can be asymptomatic (showing no symptoms) all the way to full blown bloody diarrhea and shed the virus. This is a strong virus that can last in the soil for years and is resistant to our cold winters. Last year we had an outbreak in Mid Maine. It affects any dog, but puppies, elderly, and immunocompromised dogs can become very sick.
Newer on the scene is the Canine Infectious Respiratory Complex Disease (CIRCD). We first saw this in New England during the later part of the pandemic. Dogs in New Hampshire were getting very sick with a severe and long-lasting upper respiratory infection. University of New Hampshire has been researching these cases to find the cause. No new villains have been found. A couple of years ago it was found in pockets all over the United States. It is a severe upper respiratory disease that has a lingering cough lasting for weeks. In some cases, especially young and old, this infection can move into pneumonia. Some of these infections can spread before the dog shows any symptoms.
The last concern is fleas and ticks. We have these ectoparasites here, but many traveling pets have missed their application for protection, or their guardians don’t even know they have fleas. Ticks can be picked up anywhere on their travels and carried forward on Fido.
With any exposure to new dogs, make sure your dog is protected. Appropriate prevention for fleas, ticks, and heart worm is now necessary in most if not all Maine. If renting out space to travelers with pets, you can require proof of a negative stool check, vaccines or titers, and proof of ectoparasite control. Have an easily accessible container for yard clean up.
When visiting the ocean, dog parks and trails, be aware of what your dog is getting into, pick up after him and carry it out. You too need to have your best friend protected from these common diseases.
Judith K. Herman, DVM, CVH
Animal Wellness Center
Augusta, Maine
www.mainehomeopahticvet.com