Ask the RV Vet
With Dr. Deanna Tolliver, M.S., DVM
YourRVvet@gmail.com
Have you taken your dog(s) to a dog park? Please answer in the poll below.
Before I hit the road with my dogs, I rarely took them to dog parks. They had a large fenced yard to play in. After I started full-timing in my RV, I purposely looked for campgrounds that had dog parks. But I’ve changed the way I look at them now. Here are a couple of reasons:
“Teen and dog attacked at County dog park.”
“Small dog attacked and killed by two large dogs at Lodi dog park.”
Yes, the stories behind those headlines are worth thinking about, but there are other considerations, as well.
The Good
Maybe you’ve seen those wonderful owners with their Labs at the dog park, throwing a Frisbee or a ball over and over again for their dogs, who are loving it. There’s no doubt that the exercise is great for them. If the dogs, like their owners, have been cooped up in an RV or truck for several hours while traveling, a walk around the campground may not be enough to get all those kinks out.
Pets in the news. Cat impaled on wrought iron fence! How many nine lives is that? Not for the squeamish, but a happy ending. Click here.
Or maybe you have a small dog and she likes to be off-leash sometimes. My dogs don’t really run around in a dog park. They just want to sniff to see what other dogs have been there. I think they like to be off-leash sometimes for a change. Dogs who don’t chase after balls sometimes just want to run up and down the park a few times.
Another plus is that doggy parents often end up talking with each other, and this can lead to all kinds of positive interactions (especially with locals), such as good places to eat, interesting places to visit in the area, and the best campgrounds down the road, as well as new friends.
The Bad
There are no reliable statistics as to how many dog injuries occur every year in dog parks. But I believe it’s safe to say that the number is in the thousands.
As if that prospect isn’t bad enough, dogs can also pick up infectious diseases at dog parks such as kennel cough, parvovirus, canine distemper or canine influenza. These are all preventable diseases. Your dog may be vaccinated but his new best friend in the dog park may not be.
Sharing a water bowl at a dog park is a very, very bad idea for all the same reasons.
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Picking up parasites is another concern. We may find it disgusting when our dogs sniff at each other’s rear ends … hey, it’s a dog thing. Apparently, they learn a lot about each other that way. But a dog with fleas may share them with your dog. Besides causing skin issues, fleas are the intermediary host for tapeworms. Yuk!
There may also be forgotten dog treats lying on the ground. You don’t want your furry friend to eat these. They may have previously been in another dog’s mouth, or they might be moldy.
LATEST PET RECALLS: Another raw pet food added to the recall list this week. Is your pet food on the list?
The Very Ugly
Taking your dog to a dog park could end up being one of the worst days of both your lives. Dogs have died at dog parks from injuries sustained in either dog fights or from being shaken to death. In the vet world, we call that the LDBD: little dog, big dog syndrome. A dog can die within seconds if it is picked up by the neck and shaken. The “big dog” doesn’t have to be a Pit Bull; it only has to be bigger than the little dog.
What To Do?
Most of the time though, DOGS are not the problem at dog parks – it’s PEOPLE! People who take dogs to the park that aren’t entirely socialized, people who don’t watch their dogs (they’re busy catching up on Facebook), people who don’t understand dog body language (and that is a topic for another column).
If everyone played by the same rules, problems at dog parks would be significantly diminished. But they don’t. So to keep your dog happy AND safe, here are some suggestions:
• Ask yourself: Does your dog really need to go to the dog park? Does he/she get plenty of exercise walking? Then don’t go. Or go when there aren’t other dogs there. See if your campground will allow you to put up a small enclosure for your dog at your campsite.
• If you think your dog doesn’t care for other dogs or is fearful or timid, don’t go. Not all dogs enjoy dog-to-dog interaction.
• Walk through the dog park WITHOUT your dog the first time you visit and make a note of these things:
- Look for holes in the fence and pieces of fence wire sticking out that could poke an eye.
- Is the area clean or are there lots of feces?
- Are there receptacles for poop bags?
- Look for old dog treats left to rot on the ground.
• Take your own water bowl. Leave it outside of the fence and don’t allow other dogs to use it.
• Take your dog only to parks where dogs are separated by size: an area for small dogs and an area for larger dogs.
• If there are other dogs inside the fence, don’t take your dog in immediately. Take a few moments to watch the other dogs to get an idea if they may be suitable playmates for yours.
I don’t necessarily think you should avoid dog parks. They can be a wonderful outlet for RVing dogs. Just be careful!
Dr. Deanna welcomes your questions. Email her at YourRVvet@gmail.com
Dr. Deanna Tolliver has been a full-time RVer for over 3 years, although she has been an RVer for several more. She travels with a fifth wheel and a 1-ton dually truck. Her travel companions include 4 small dogs (Tootie, Chiquita, BooBoo, and Janie), and a 36-year-old Yellow-Naped Amazon Parrot named Toby. She has a BS and MS in biology and zoology, respectively, and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Missouri, Columbia. She owned a veterinary hospital for many years and recently handed over the reins to a new owner.
I don’t go to dog parks with my dogs. My poor guys – a Rottweiler and a Scottish Terrier – have been attacked NINE times in RV parks by off leash dogs!
I am considering hitting the road in our RV for an extended period and wondering what exercise tactics I would use for our very active Border Collie and our Standard Poodle…I am fit and walk about 5 miles a day but this is a drop in the bucket if the BC is not off leash and chasing sticks….
Hi Nancy,
You should still consider taking your guys to a dog park…just be very very picky. If no other dogs are there, great. And then keep an eye out for any that arrive. At a park I stay at in WI, there are large grassy fields where people often take their dogs for some ball activity. You would still need to keep an eye out for other dogs, as well as make sure your dog didn’t run onto a busy street. I think if you do a little research on the areas where you travel, you will come up with some options for that busy dog!
I have never taken my huskies to a dog park but have observed many dog owners who shouldn’t be. They remind me of the absent parent who takes their children to the playground and drops them off…. then sits in their car on the phone. My dogs (like many of you) are my children and need my full attention… so we take walks!
I have taken both of my Weimaraners to the dog parks since they were three months old. I am a pet owner that pays attention to what their dog is doing and not just letting them run wild. They have never been involved in an altercation because if I see it starting I will intervene before it gets bad. Too many times, owners bring their dogs to the park and never pay any attention to them. They don’t pick up after them, they don’t know if their dog is aggressive or not. These people should not have dogs. My vet has vaccinated my dogs and they do not eat anything there. But they have been in dog parks from one end of the country to the other with no problems.
I enjoy taking my dog to the dog parks at the campgrounds I stay in but I am always very careful to follow my dog around and I’m ready to ‘block’ any aggressive behavior that may begin. I never have my phone out except to take pictures of Mr. Frankie romping around but it always bothers me when an owner is totally zoned out on a device. A dog park is a nice treat for my pooch but not an excuse to allow US as owners to become complacent. I have been in dog parks where very Alpha dogs come in and that is my que to leash up my pup and head out. Responsibility for ones dog doesn’t end once your inside the gate!!
Are you aware of the canine disease, pneumocystis pneumonia?In 2013, It literally killed our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel twice due to fluid in his lungs. Zorro initially presented with very rapid breathing (140+bpm) and fatigue. No fever. After months of diagnosis, including the initial bronchial lavage attempt which resulted in his heart stopping and fluid filling his lungs, a speculative diagnosis of pneumocystis was made and treatment with oral Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) began, Within 3 days, he was recovering. . Zorro suffered a mild relapse in 2017 but has now recovered and is as strong as ever. We are just trying to raise awareness of this disease and are trying to get the word out. Its a rare disease but easily missed in diagnosis
THank you
Bill, Kathi and Zorro
Great info. Thanks
We are owners of a very smart, small Jack Russel terrier. If and when we visit dog parks we make sure there are no other dogs in the park. We do not want to experience any of the woes mentioned in your article. Not all dog owners are responsible owners. Most I have seen are lacking in proper dog care.. What a shame to treat a member of the family so awful as most do.
I couldn’t agree more. That’s a great idea btw to wait until the park has cleared out, especially the more aggressive, larger dogs.