Dog Lifestyle

What a time to be a dog… Pet parents are spending more time, money, and emotion on their dogs than ever before. The degree to which we are shaping our lives to give our canine companions the best life possible is impressive. Dogs are integrated into every part of our lives: walks, hikes, runs, vacations, going to the store, and eating out. The non dog lovers are observing our behaviors, silently judging, thinking isn’t this excessive? It’s not.

The intention of this blog is to highlight the local doggy daycares, dog parks, and hiking trails that are near Cascade Heights Veterinary Center. Most importantly I will call attention to medical risk, and precautions that should be taken when partaking in these dog centric activities.

Doggy Day Care Facilities

Each of these facilities have their own unique features and amenities, so it’s important to research and visit each one to determine which one will be the best fit for your dog.

• Dog City: West Seattle: (206) 402-6959
• Good Dog: White Center: (206) 932-7833
• Camp Crockett: White Center: (206) 327-9301
• Tails of a City Dog: Georgetown: (206) 763-8245
• Seattle Canine Club: Sodo: (206) 957-9097
• The Dog Resort: Sodo: (206) 362-3836
• Hillrose Pet Resort: Seatac: (206) 759-2476

Dog Parks

All of these parks are designated off-leash areas where dogs can run and play freely with other dogs. It’s important to note good training, and recall are key to a successful dog park visit.

• West Crest: 9000 8th Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98106
• Burien Off Leash Dog Park: 15810 5th Ave SW, Burien, WA 98166
• Magnuson Dog Park: 7400 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA, US, 98115
• Luther Burbank Park: 2040 84th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA, US, 98040
• Denny Park Off Leash: 100 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA, US, 98109
• Woodland Dog Park: 1000 N 50th St, Seattle, WA, US, 98103
• Dogwood Play Park: 12568 33rd Ave NE Seattle, WA 98125
• Medina Dog Park: 909 82nd Ave NE, Medina, WA, US, 98009
• Marymoor Park: 6046 W Lake Sammamish Parkway NE Redmond, WA 98052
• Grandview Dog Park: 3600 S 228th St, SeaTac, WA, US, 98032
• French Lake Dog Park: 31531 1st Ave S, Federal Way, WA, US, 98003
• Cedar River Dog Park: 600 Cedar River Trail, Renton, WA, US, 98057
• Point Defiance Park: 5400 N Pearl St, Tacoma, WA, US, 98407

Seattle Area Dog Hikes

Hiking with your canine companion is a great activity and for some is a year round activity. We are very fortunate in Seattle and have access to many many dog friendly hiking trails. REI has a great blog on tips for hiking with your dog.

• Washington Trail Association Hiking with your Dog
• Discovery Park Loop Trail: 2.8 miles
• Rattlesnake Ledge Trail: 4 miles
• Mount Si Trail: 8 miles
• Little Si: 3.7 miles
• Ebey’s Landing: 5.6 miles
• Poo Poo Point: 3.8 mile
• Lake Serene & Bridal Veil Falls: 7.2 miles
• Cougar Mountain Wildland Park: 35 miles
• Saint Edward State Park: 3 miles
• Tiger Mountain: 15 miles

The Dangers of Daycare, Dog Parks, and Hiking

Daycare, Dog Parks, and Hiking all carry a degree of inherent health risk including: physical trauma (playing or fighting), internal & external parasites, and other infectious diseases. While we encourage these healthy physical outlets for your dog it’s important to recognize the risk and think about prevention.

• Intestinal Parasites: Giardia, Roundworms, Hookworms, Coccidia
• External Parasites: Ticks, Fleas
• Infectious Diseases: Distemper & Parvovirus, Rabies, Leptospirosis, Canine Influenza, Bordetella

Recommended Prevention

If you and your canine companion frequent daycare, dog parks, and hikes then we recommend the following vaccinations, parasite prevention, fecal screening, and protective measures. Please contact the clinic to further discuss these preventative care measures if you have any questions.

1. Vaccinations: DA2PP, Rabies, Leptospirosis, Bordetella, +/- Canine Influenza
2. Parasite Prevention: Simparica Trio is a once monthly flavored chew that covers: fleas, ticks, heartworm, and intestinal worms. Revolution is also a topical prevention option.
3. Fecal Screens: There is no prevention for giardia, coccidia, and many other intestinal parasites. We recommend fecal screens every 3 – 6 months. A big reason for this is dogs can be asymptomatic for parasites, but still shed the active infectious form to others.
4. Heat & Physical Exhaustion: Avoid hot summer days as Heat Stroke is a real concern given dogs have no real self awareness of overheating/exhaustion. Breeds with increased risk (Brachiocephalicus): Pekingese, Brussels Griffon, King Cavalier, ShiTzu, Boxer, Pug, Lhasa Apso, Boston terrier, English & French BullDogs, Pug
5. Dog Fight Avoidance: while not all dog fights and scuffles are avoidable there are ways to reduce the incidence.

Post Dog Fight Action Plan:

• Restrain your Dog: prevent further injury and it allows assessment of the wound.
• Bleeding?: apply pressure with a clean cloth or towel. Most bleeding will stop with good pressure and a stationary dog.
• Clean the Wound: remove any larger debris and clean with antiseptic solution or ointment.
• Cover the Wound: apply a bandage or cloth to cover the wound and prevent further contamination.
• Initial Wound First Aid: First Aid Care
• Determine the True Severity of Injuries: The above steps above are in the moment action steps. Once everything has calmed down do the following:
  1. Mild – Moderate Injuries: call to set up an appointment
     ASAP: Cascade Heights Veterinary Center: (206) 403-1108. With puncture & dog fight wounds the faster the wounds are cleaned and antibiotics are started the better. In some cases pets will need sedation, wound debridement, drain placement, and sutures. Others may just need wound cleaning and antibiotics/pain medications.
  2. Severe Injuries: active bleeding that won’t stop, injuries to the chest or abdomen, severe pain, etc… For injuries this severe we recommend taking your dog directly to an emergency hospital.
• Animal Medical Center of Seattle: (206) 204-3366: 17518 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98155
• Blue Pearl Renton: (425) 496-1000: 4208 Lind Ave SW, Renton, WA 98057
• Blue Pearl Downtown: (206) 624-9111: 805 Madison St, Seattle, WA 98104
• Emerald City Emergency (Seattle): (206) 634-9000: 4102 Stone Way N, Seattle, WA 98103
• Veterinary Specialty Center: (425) 800-0930: 20115 44th Ave West, Lynnwood, WA 98036
• Animal Emergency (Kirkland): (425) 827-8727: 12305 120th Ave. NE, Suite K, Kirkland, WA 98034
• Blue Pearl Kirkland: (425) 823-9111: 11814 115th Ave NE Bldg. J, Kirkland, WA 98034
• Summit Veterinary Referral (Tacoma): (253) 983-1114: 2505 S 80th St, Tacoma, WA 98409
• Blue Pearl Tacoma: (253) 474-0791: 2510 84th St. South Suite 30D, Lakewood, WA 98499
• Sumner Veterinary Hospital: (253) 863-2258: 16024 60th St E, Sumner, WA 98390