THE QUESTION: I've been looking at the Waterways Dog Park (Aventura) and wondering if I should take my dog there. It seems a great idea but is this the pet version of letting a child go to daycare and getting exposed to every disease imaginable? Does the socialization benefit outweigh the health risk? If so, is there anything I can do to minimize the health risks?

Dr. Neil Tenzer

THE EXPERT: Dr. Neil Tenzer is the founder and director of Sky Lake Animal Hospital, 2645 NE 186th St., Miami. In March, he marked the 40th anniversary of the practice that works with the motto "The best of care with love." He has been a member of the Board of Governors of the Greater Miami Humane Society and has received the Gold Star from the Florida Veterinary Medical Association. He is one of the innovators of emergency care for animals and cares for Miami-Dade Metro Police dogs, Fire Rescue dogs and TSA's bomb-sniffing dogs at Miami International Airport.

THE ANSWER: As you point out there is a socialization benefit and there are some health concerns.

I've been to the Waterways Dog Park and found it to be a very well-planned pet friendly environment.

The positive aspect of taking your dog there is that you both have a chance to spend some special, playful fun filled time together. The exercise of throwing toys or balls for your pet to fetch or running along with your pet is an important health benefit for the both of you. A very large segment of our pet population is overweight to obese and exercise and calorie reduction is an important step in keeping them as healthy as possible and prolonging their life.

One caveat is that puppies should be fully vaccinated before going to a dog park. This occurs when the final vaccination in the distemper series is given at 16 weeks of age. The kennel cough (Bordetella) and rabies vaccine are also completed within this time frame. Taking puppies to a dog park environment prior to 4 months of age and completion of vaccines is just too risky.

All dogs should be on heartworm prevention, flea and tick preventative, and intestinal parasite prevention because of the very likely nature of them being exposed to these diseases. Your veterinarian should be advised that you are taking your pet to a park and confirm that all preventative measures that he or she recommends is being followed and all vaccines are current.

One additional concern I have relates to aggressive dogs that your pet may come in contact with at the park. I have not seen pets coming to my practice that have been injured in this manner at the dog park, but it behooves you to be ever vigilant especially in the face of big dog / little dog encounters.

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