Anxiety in their dogs is a common problem many dog owners face. This time of year is particularly bad for dogs who have noise phobias. We also deal with it regularly, especially in a boarding situation. In fact, we just had an older dog stay with us who was so anxious during her entire stay that we basically held her for a week.

In case you haven’t heard, canine flu has reared its ugly head in Central Florida. According to the Orlando Sentinel, health officials confirmed cases of the H3N2 virus that originated at 2 dog shows, one in Deland and one in Perry, Ga. Both shows were held in mid-May. All of the dogs that tested positive were either at the show or were exposed to dogs who had been at one of those shows.

We have a number of young dogs who routinely either board with us or come to daycare. These people have been told by their vet that they should spay or neuter their puppy by 6 months of age. Several of these dogs are purebred, and their owners have agreements with the dog’s breeder that doesn’t allow them to spay/neuter until the dog is at least 18 months old.

Recently on 2 separate occasions I was talking with clients about recommendations they received to switch to breed specific food for their dog. One dog was a lab and the other was French bulldog puppy. For the French bulldog pup, the vet recommended they switch to a food specifically made for English bulldogs.

It happened again a little over a week ago. For the 2nd time in about a year, a Merritt Island dog boarding facility was cited, this time for leaving a dog out in the hot sun in August, resulting in the dog suffering heat stroke.

In mid-November, Bella, a 10 year old poodle, collapsed after her evening walk. Her owner took her to the emergency vet and they scheduled her for an appointment the following day at the specialty vet’s office in town.

How is your dog’s health? Is there room for improvement?

If so, why not make it a priority in 2017 to get your dog into better shape? With 54% of all dogs either overweight or obese, many people can benefit from helping their dogs lose weight and improve their fitness levels.

We all get the card or the email, yearly. It’s the reminder from our vet that our dog needs to get his annual vaccine boosters. We are instructed to book our appointment with the vet because of the importance of yearly vaccines to protect against dangerous diseases. But is that really true? Is there another way to verify that…

Have you looked at your dog’s food label and wondered what it all meant? If you’re concerned about feeding the best possible diet to your dog, how do you determine that by comparing labels, if at all?

Reading and becoming familiar with the common terminology on dog food labels is one of the best ways to determine the quality of food you are feeding.

Recently a new client came to us for hydrotherapy because her dog was turning 9 years old and she was beginning to notice he was slowing down a bit. He is a larger pit bull, and definitely heavier in the front end. She was having trouble walking and otherwise exercising him enough to keep his…

We are the only Orlando dog boarding and Orlando doggie day care center that has an indoor heated pool for dogs. See it for yourself by scheduling a tour!

Rocky's Retreat | 2826 Shader Rd. Orlando FL 32808 | info@rockysretreat.com | (407) 295-3888