Beware of Petsmart

[princebronco]

I have taken my bully to Petsmart quite often for doggy day care and a few overnight stays. They do not do a great job of screening dogs and Bronco has picked up kennel cough about 8 months ago and most recently coccidia from Petsmart. He is 18 months old and has coccidia now. Is anyone familiar with this parasite? He is currently on medication and hope the results are good in a few weeks. He seems to be back to his normal self now but I am a little worried b/c when I read up on coccidia it hints at death. This mainly pertains to really young bullies but you dont want to hear that. Just warning you all that Petsmart is convenient but not the safest place. We will probably stay clear from now on...

 

[Mia Amor]

So sorry to hear about this. Do you think it's just from walking him in or from day care?

Sent from S4 (Mia & Chubbs)

 

[2BullyMama]

So sorry your boy is not well.... Not only are they not properly screening they are not properly cleaning either .

hope you boy gets well real soon

 

[bullmama]

The only thing I know about coccidia is it's very contagious, you must clean and clean and clean some more! It doesn't surprise me that any place that has that many dogs can get it and pass it on, and for screening I don't think any place requires a fecal exam. It could very well be that they are not keeping their facility clean enough, but it could be just an unfortunate incident.

As much as I would love to take my bullies to dog parks or day cares I just don't because of this. Giardia is another bad one that's very contagious.

Sure hope your baby gets better soon!


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[cali baker]

Oh no, that's really bad, Nate I'm sorry Bronco contracted coccidia. I never even thought of my boys catching that while they're at day camp so that's something we all should be aware of. Like Lisa said, fecal tests are not required at the Pet Smart's but I have seen this as a requirement at other day care's/boarding facilities. Now I can see why.

 

[princebronco]

thanks all...yea I know they dont test for that but its just a dirty place I am finding out. He got a bath and all his toys and pillows are clean for now...see how he does

 

[Bulldozersma]

Poor Bronco, I hope he bounces back quickly. I am soooooo worried about having others take care of my boy, I'm getting ready to move and will have to start up all over again with the trust.

 

[bullmama]

thanks all...yea I know they dont test for that but its just a dirty place I am finding out. He got a bath and all his toys and pillows are clean for now...see how he does

Hope he gets well soon!!! Keep us posted


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[Vikinggirl]

Hi Nate. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this with Bronco. I hope the medication works and he feels better soon. It could be that it's just that particular location of Petsmart, as they are all Franchised, and each location has its own staff and owners. It's like any other place, whether it be a pet store, daycare, boarder, breeders, groomers, vets, and even restaurants. The care, upkeep, cleanliness, and how it's run is dependant on the staff. You can go to one facility and have the experience you did, and it can be dirty, and you can go to another location and it can be totally the opposite. I boarded my guys at the Petsmart by my house when I went to Jamaica last year, and I had a great experience, and would use it again and recommend it to others. I had researched other places before choosing Petsmart, and one of the places was a Breeder of Bulldogs, who also did training and boarding, when I went to look at the facilities, it was smelly, filthy, they advertised that the dogs were allowed free access on the property, but when they showed me the back where they boarded the dogs, they were all in cages stacked on top of each other, in a dark metal building, and the place smelled bad. When I asked why they weren't outside, they said it was their rest period, and I couldn't even hear myself in there, the dogs were barking so loud, there must have been at least 50 dogs. I left there and when I went to Petsmart, they answered all my questions, showed me the rooms, which were like individual hotel rooms, each dog had their own individual room, with a Cooleroo Bed, we brought their own bowls, the rooms all have windows so you can see Inside, during the day they are in the playroom, and when I told them they couldn't play hard all day, they made sure they only had 2 twenty minute play breaks a day. They went on 3 walks a day, they were fed their own food that we brought, and as we instructed, and we brought their own toy, since they had their own rooms, they stayed with their own things. We had to fill out lots of papers, listing their likes and dislikes, their habits, food, medications, and we had to prove that they were up to date on vaccines, and we had to get the Kennel cough vaccine. We had to show their vet papers for their vaccines. They cleaned and disinfected the daycare and the rooms floors everyday. My guys were so spoiled, they have staff that stays there overnight and the girls kept them with them at the desk, because they fell in love with them, and when I came home, and picked them up, I noticed that someone had done some training with them.

I think when it comes to using boarders or daycares, you just have to do your homework and research the facilities, ask lots of questions, ask for a tour of the areas where the dogs are going to be housed and sleep, make sure your dogs are protected with the extra vaccines needed for these places, observe the other dogs in the facility, see how they are taken care of, and even ask questions of customers. I watched when someone picked up their dog and when they left, I followed them outside, and then asked them how they liked the place, if they had used it before, and if they recommended it.

It's because of this reason, we don't use leash free dog parks, because you don't know which dogs are up to date on vaccines, or deworming, many people don't pick up after their dogs business, and they can pick up.parasites, worms, etc, and then you also have the aggressive dogs, and people don't control their dogs.

 

[My Otis]

I never take Elmo or my other 4 legged babies to parks or day camps, I do not trust Petsmart.

 

[princebronco]

Thanks Monica but I know all this and do plenty of research. I been going to Petsmart since Bronco was born and got all his shots. Every one of them from here to Orange County. I bring his bowls, toys, pillows, you name it. Kennel cough and coccidia could happen anywhere b/c there are so many dogs and some people are disrespectful. If your dog is sick, you should know and not take them in public around other dogs. From my experience, English bulldogs get sick fairly easy and have to be on a very strict diet or it will backfire. So after kennel cough and coccidia Im pretty much done with doggy hotels

 

[Christie H]

Coccidia to my knowledge is worms..a lot of them.Our boy had this when we got him from his mom and the breeder didn't treat him properly. You must get vet meds for this.He ended up with a prolapsed anus from strain..Hope all gets better soon

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