CONCERNING THE CURRENT DOG FLU OUTBREAK IN THE UNITED STATES:

As we’ve had quite a few requests for information about this and what steps we’ve taken to mitigate any potential exposure, we’d like to address the potential impact and risk of self-washing or having your dog groomed at Scrubby Puppy.  While current CDC and veterinary press releases focus on the risk of exposure at places where dogs congregate and spend time with each other in close proximity (like dog parks, pet supply stores, boarding facilities, grooming shops …), with the way grooming and self-wash is handled at Scrubby Puppy, the risk of exposure to canine influenza (or any other contagious issue dogs can be affected by) is minimized to the greatest degree possible.  Here’s the relevant information from the CDC website:

What are signs of canine influenza in dogs?

The signs of this illness in dogs are cough, runny nose, fever, lethargy, eye discharge, and reduced appetite, but not all dogs will show signs of illness. The severity of illness associated with canine flu in dogs can range from no signs to severe illness resulting in pneumonia and sometimes death.

Most dogs recover within 2 to 3 weeks. However, some dogs may develop secondary bacterial infections which may lead to more severe illness and pneumonia. Anyone with concerns about their pet’s health, or whose pet is showing signs of canine influenza, should contact their veterinarian.

How serious is canine influenza in dogs?

The percentage of dogs infected with this disease that die is very small. Some dogs have asymptomatic infections (no signs of illness), while some have severe illness with infection. Severe illness is characterized by the onset of pneumonia.

How is canine influenza virus spread?

Almost all dogs are susceptible to canine flu infection, and virus infection tends to spread among dogs housed in kennels and shelters. Canine flu is thought to spread mainly among dogs through respiratory droplets produced during coughing and sneezing from infected dogs, or through contact with contaminated surfaces. Therefore, dog owners whose dogs are coughing or showing other signs of respiratory disease should not expose their dog to other dogs or to cats. Clothing, equipment, surfaces, and hands should be cleaned and disinfected after exposure to dogs showing signs of respiratory disease.

So fortunately, we don’t really have to do anything in addition to what we normally do, as we’ve always taken the risk of airborne contagion among the dogs that come to Scrubby Puppy extremely seriously. The greatest risks of being exposed to respiratory disease are longevity and proximity — we don’t utilize cages, kennels or play areas, keeping dogs only the length of time it takes us to complete all aspects of the grooming, so we minimize the amount of time that dogs are in our environment, and all of our workstations are spaced far enough apart that dogs don’t come in any kind of close contact (unlike traditional cage and kennel grooming shops, where dogs are kept warehoused in cages for anywhere from two to eight hours, all stacked on top of each other).

All our appointment times, whether it’s grooming, self-wash or service-only (nail trimming, ear cleaning, external gland expression) are staggered to minimize interaction between dogs arriving and departing. The gate between the front areas and tub areas is kept closed and motion through the area is controlled and restricted by staff, along with the entrance doors to Scrubby itself, again to allow us the ability to control and restrict any potential interaction. We also have over a dozen fans running at all times to help with turning over the air inside the facility — we get numerous compliments from vendors that visit as to how clean it smells inside Scrubby, and how little it smells like a dog washing facility. Finally, all tubs, tools and other work areas are cleaned with kennel disinfectant after every use, as are customer areas throughout the day, and we have no common water bowls that dogs can share (one of the highest risks for transmission is shared water bowls).

We’ve been doing much of the above since well before Covid, and the rest of the precautions that are in place have been so since 2020. To the best of our knowledge, we have never had a single customer dog report an issue that could be traced to exposure at Scrubby Puppy, and we, fingers crossed, and with a continuing dedication to always provide the best (and safest) possible environment for dogs that need to be bathed, groomed or clipped, will never have one. It would absolutely kill us if something were to happen to a doggie were they to come in here dirty or with long toenails, but to leave with something that could potentially be fatal, so we take this very seriously and do everything in our power to keep the doggies safe.

Please feel free to contact Tony at scrubbypuppy@gmail.com if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Thank you so very much, take care and stay safe!

The Staff at Scrubby Puppy