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canine papilloma virus (warts)

Abby H.'s profile image

We have a puppy booked to stay with us for the next three weekends and her owner just informed us that she has developed a wart on her nose which may be transmittable to our 1 1/2 year old dog. We've sat for this puppy several times and like her and her owners very much but I'm not comfortable exposing my dog to the virus. I'm sad to say, but I feel that I must cancel the puppy's upcoming stays. I simply can't risk Bogie getting exposed and if he does, he could expose future Rover dogs we sit for, which would obviously be bad for business. I'm afraid in canceling the stay I'm going to end up losing a regular customer, but my dog's health comes first.

My question is, given that the stays are so soon is cancelling them going to negatively reflect on my rankings? I've never cancelled a stay before, so I'm a bit concerned. I feel like this is a perfectly justifiable reason to cancel and shouldn't reflect negatively on my business.

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Laura R.'s profile image

After doing a bit of research, it seems like you may not have to lose a customer forever. Canine papilloma virus usually only affects young dogs (under about 2 years of age) and individual cases can last from 1-5 months as the dog's immune system develops a response to the virus. A dog without any active papillomas is not contagious, and removal of the tumors is considered curative. A dog can develop incomplete immunity and have recurrences, but this is unlikely and they still are not able to transmit the virus while asymptomatic.

You might suggest a travel sitter until the puppy's vet has deemed her healthy, so as not to potentially infect other guests at another sitter's home--the virus is spread through direct contact or shared resources like food/water dishes or toys, so even if another sitter didn't have dogs of their own, not thoroughly cleaning everything the dog came in contact with could potentially expose another guest. Once her symptoms have resolved she will be safe to stay with you and your dog again. The growths often resolve on their own as the dog's immune system responds, though they will sometimes persist and require surgical removal.

As for cancelling the stay, you can discuss the situation with them (maybe refer them to this: http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-...) and ask that they request the cancellation. This won't affect your search ranking, and hopefully they will be understanding of your concerns and be willing to comply. If you need to cancel, call Rover support to explain the situation rather than using the built in cancellation option in your conversation with the client.

Comments

Thanks for your response. The puppy does have an active papilloma and as I noted, Bogie is under 2 years old. If he were to develop a wart we would either have to pay for him to have it removed, or turn customers away for the 1-5 months. We would love to have the puppy again once she heals.

Abby H.'s profile image Abby H.
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