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What do I do if a guest dog has ringworm?

Anthony Z.'s profile image

So we have a regular guest dog that was dropped off last night. While petting him, I noticed that he has a red sore on his paw that looks very much like ringworm. I have a few questions about how I should handle this.

  1. I've messaged the owner with a picture of the sore, and asked if he was aware of it. If he's not, should I insist on taking the dog to the vet?

  2. I know Rover's insurance doesn't cover the guest dog's pre-existing condition, but if my dogs contract ringworm as a result of this stay, does it cover their treatment?

  3. The dog will be picked up three days from now (Thursday, 9/24). However, he'll be back next Monday (9/28) for another three day stay. Would it be inappropriate to insist that the dog see a vet before he returns, assuming we don't take him ourselves? If the owner doesn't take him to a vet, can we turn him down? We're just worried that we'll find out day-of the next stay that the dog hasn't seen the vet at all.

  4. If we take the dog to our vet, how do we handle payment? I don't know if I trust the owner to reimburse us, and our vet requires payment at time of service.

Thanks for your help!

2 Answers

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Laura R.'s profile image

Hi Anthony,

If you believe the dog has an infectious disease, he should absolutely see a vet, both to start treatment and to get advice on how to ensure you're taking all precautions to protect your own dogs, yourself, and other current/future guests.

Rover's insurance should cover an infection from contact with a guest dog:

This coverage is valid for veterinary care for the sitter's resident pet(s) as a direct result of contact with the pet parent's pet.

Up to $5,000 for the sitter’s pet(s); $250 deductible per incident, covered by the sitter

It's in your best interest to notify Rover of the situation. Depending on the recommendations of the vet, your guest may not be considered safe to board by next week, and if so there shouldn't be a penalty to you for canceling the upcoming stay, and you and your client can decide how you want to handle the refund (your cancellation policy will dictate how Rover would normally handle the refund, but if you wish to refund more given the circumstances, Rover can do that for you).

If you end up taking the dog to the vet and you don't already have a vet waiver/payment agreement in place, have the owner call their vet ahead of time to let them know that you have their permission to bring the dog in and arrange payment. They can probably leave credit card info over the phone, or (depending on the vet--most require payment up front) arrange for payment to be made when they return. In the future, having clients sign a vet release may be in your best interest so you can avoid this step.

If you can't get the owner's permission to seek treatment, notify Rover and isolate the dog for rest of the stay or until other arrangements can be made. I'd also call your own vet for recommendations for preventing the spread to your dogs and yourself, and disinfecting the house.

Comments

Thank you for your help, Laura! I'll call Rover first thing in the morning and notify them. Hopefully I hear back from the owner soon and he gives me the go-ahead to take the dog to the vet.

Anthony Z.'s profile image Anthony Z.

In the meantime, separate everybody, and wash, wash, wash, wash, wash your hands in between touching the dog or anything that touched him.

Leighann H.'s profile image Leighann H.
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Jennifer J.'s profile image

I just want to add that working in Veterinary hospitals for over 10 years, Monistat 7 is the same as what vets prescribe for ringworm. That is all I have ever used on Ringworm and it works the same as the RX from the vet. As already stated above WASH EVERYTHING the dog had come in contact with and seperate from other pets. I personally would not accept the dog back until seen by a veterinarian.

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