Best Friends Fur EverSM has a passion for all dogs, but there is a special place in our hearts for our geriatric, post-surgical, and special needs dogs. We offer an Assisted Canine CareSM ward at both of our locations to care for these dogs for daycare and overnight accommodations.
As owners of Best Friends Fur Ever, Pat and I have always adopted geriatric dogs into our home for the past 30 years. When we opened our first location in 2004, two of our very first guests were our then 10- and 11-year-old dogs, Rudy and Howard. We wanted to offer a separate ward for these older and special needs dogs because this was a need that we had for many years.
The dogs (guests) that stay in our Assisted Canine Care ward are specially attended to for their entire 24-hour period overnight stay as well as their 12-hour daycare stay. Our Canine Caretakers are trained in canine CPR, diabetic insulin injections, all oral medications, subcutaneous fluid administration, basic exercise and physical therapy exercises (given by the owner’s veterinarian to the owner). We are also trained and able to care for paralyzed (quadriplegic and paraplegic) dogs. For these dogs, we help them with bathroom needs such as bladder expression and defecation assistance. We move these dogs in and out of their wheelchairs or wagons to assist them with a comfy day complete with maximum attention and tender loving care.
Guests in our Assisted Canine Care ward don’t stay in crates or runs. They’re provided with comfy quilts and beds and are free to lounge wherever they’re comfortable in the ward, which is in a large area behind the front desks at our Joppa and Cockeysville locations. These guests interact with all our staff working in our reception area and have many customers admiring them when they are checking in.
Dogs that benefit from staying with Best Friends Fur Ever in our Assisted Canine Care ward include:
- Geriatric Dogs – We consider dogs nine years old and above to be in this category. We can accommodate the active seniors in our daycare setting but recommend that they play half days only and rest/sleep up front in our Assisted Canine Care ward.
- Post-Surgical Dogs – Many dogs (of all ages) have mobility-related surgeries such as ACL repairs, luxating patella repair and hip surgeries. We also have our favorite “conehead” pups that need special supervision after spays or neuters.
- Limited Mobility Dogs – These include our dogs in wheel chairs, hip dysplasia, arthritic, and blind dogs.
- Chronic Disease Dogs – Chemotherapy/cancer patients, Lyme disease or other disease states that would limit exercise.
We’re here for the Moms and Dads that have a special needs dog that requires extra daily attention or when they need a tender loving place for their special four-legged family member while they head out of town. LEARN MORE
Kelly Cullum
Owner, Best Friends Fur Ever