10/5/20: Please note that we are back to normal drop-off & pick-up policies. We do ask that you wear a mask when you enter the building, practice social distancing, and follow the directions located inside the door.

For the past month, we have been practicing social distancing at Play All Day, to the best of our abilities. After review and discussion of our current policies, we will be implementing a few minor changes. Some of these changes are based on our experiences and some are based on new guidelines from the state of Illinois.

Drop-Off

You will have two options at drop-off.
1. You can stay in your car and we will come to your car, open the door and take your dog out. If this is your choice, we ask that your dog have both collar and leash on.
2. You can get your dog out of the car and hand the leash over to us. In this case, we ask that you wear a face-covering to protect both you and our team members. Our team will be wearing face coverings at all times during drop-off and pick-up.

Pick-Up

We ask that you remain in your car and we will deliver your dog to the inside of your car. If you have a preference as to which door we put them in, please roll your window down and let us know. Our default will be to put your dog in the back seat. If you wish to secure your dog, you may do so after our team member walks away from the car.

Potty Time

If, at drop-off or pick-up, you need to potty your dog, feel free to do so. Please keep 6 feet of distance between you and other clients and/or employees.

Payment

We are asking that all payment is done prior to 3:30 pm by phone. We can keep your credit card on file (securely) and charge each week, or as package payments become due. This is the simplest solution, but do know that you are welcome to call in prior to 3:30 pm if you are not comfortable leaving your card information with us to keep on file. We are still taking phone/email orders for retail items. These will be delivered to your car when you arrive.

Thank you all so much for your continued support of Play All Day and for your patience at both drop-off and pick-up. It has been a learning experience for us all and we hope that you feel confident that we are doing everything in our power to protect you, your dog, and our team.

This is a link to the current guidelines regarding the use of face coverings in Illinois. http://dph.illinois.gov/sites/default/files/SIREN%20Memo%20-%20IDPH%20Guidance%20for%20the%20Use%20of%20Masks%20by%20the%20General%20Public%2004.06.2020.pdf#overlay-context=covid19/community-guidance/mask-use

Not long before COVID 19 hit the United States and changed our world so dramatically, one of our Play All Day families had a scary experience with their dog. Shortly after getting home from daycare, this dog began acting very strange. She was wobbly, her eyes looked strange, and she was making funny patterns with her neck and head. And in between these strange behaviors, she was passed out. Her family was obviously worried and took her to the Emergency Vet Clinic. They diagnosed her with THC toxicity. Yes, I said THC, as in marijuana…as in Pot. After a long and stressful night, they visited their family Veterinarian the next morning and the diagnosis was confirmed. It is a very classic presentation and there was very little doubt that this dog had been exposed to marijuana. It took 48 hours for this girl to start feeling better and back to her normal self.

But how did this happen? Her parents don’t use marijuana. And it happened shortly after she left daycare. When I asked my Veterinarian about the onset of symptoms (how long would it take after ingestion for a dog to show symptoms), she said it varies quite a bit, depending on the size of the dog, the amount ingested, strength of product ingested, etc. But it seems that it would have had to happen at some point during her daycare day. So we scoured the video footage of her playgroup, her transport to and from playgroup and her time in the lobby at checkout. We were looking for her with her head down and eating something off the ground. We did see her pull towards something on the floor in the lobby during checkout and appears to be very interested. Unfortunately, the camera view was partially blocked. But our best guess is that she might have picked up some THC product off of the floor of the lobby.

Regardless of where she ate it, she ate it. And she had a very bad experience for 48 hours and her parents suffered as well. The lesson to learn from this is that THC products are much more available now and the risk of them being available to our dogs is much higher. Dog parks, dog walks, Petsmart, PAD lobby, PAD parking lot, Vet parking lot or lobby….this could happen anywhere that someone drops a THC product. Think about it….all takes is someone pulling their hand out of their pocket and the THC product accidentally comes out along with their hand and falls on the ground. There it is, just waiting for your dog to come along and eat it up.

Now, the world is scary enough with COVID 19 lurking out there. But I know you want to remain informed on issues regarding your dog’s health. Until this incident happened, I was clueless that dogs were so sensitive to THC and I was clueless that the incident rate of THC toxicity in dogs has risen dramatically in the last few years. The good news is that it is not fatal toxicity. But it sure is scary and dogs suffer until it wears off. So now you know this can happen. Knowledge is power.

Here are a few links to more information. One is a Veterinary Clinic’s blog. The other is by Whole Dog Journal and just provides a little more information.
VCA Marijuana Toxicity
Whole Dog Journal Marijuana Toxicity