Dakota Guard Antimicrobial Technology for Kennels and Crates

Now you can provide an extra measure of safety for your dog. Learn more about how Dakota Guard™ antimicrobial technology can save your dog's life. 

FDA safe antimicrobial protection in kennels is the next step in unparalleled pet protection.

My four-month-old puppy had just proven herself potty-trained enough to be granted access the entirety of the downstairs, which was covered in hardwood floors and tile.  Any accidents would be easily cleaned for the majority of the floor with the exception of the very en vogue —and very large— Persian rug that covered a substantial chunk of the living room. You are probably imagining that the next thing I’m going to tell you is that she peed on the rug. Well…I wish it was that harmless of a story…

A mere two days into her newfound freedom, she proceeded to run up to me and promptly vomit the entirely of her breakfast at my feet, which were firmly planted on the center of the rug.  And, over the next 24 hours, everything she attempted to eat or drink, whether kibble, rice, or pureed pumpkin, ended up regurgitated on the rug. As we finished off a bottle of Nature’s Miracle, we decided it was time for a vet visit.

A couple of thousand dollars later, I was the proud owner of a Nerf ball that had managed to lodge itself in her small intestine, requiring surgical removal, 26 staples, and a cone of shame. And if the story ended there, it’d merely be a cautionary tale to my seven-year-old son about leaving Nerf balls around the house where the dogs could find them. But, alas, there’s more….

That night in her kennel, she managed to wrangle the cone off of her head and chew the perimeter, producing an abundance of razor-sharp edges.  Once the cone was reinstalled, she shook her head, which caused one of her ears to hit one of the razor-sharp edges, barely nicking it.  There was a little bit of blood, but the cut was maybe 3 mm across.  I cleaned the wound and decided to ditch the cone to prevent further issues.  She ended up leaving the staples alone, making the cone unnecessary in the first place. But this is not a story about the danger of cones…

A few days post-surgery, she was feeling pretty good and wanting to roughhouse. As I was giving her a good rubbing on her head, she yelped in pain.  I checked her over and as I touched her ear, she yelped again. When I flipped her ear over, I was shocked to find that a full third of the edge of it was completely black and necrotic. I checked the rest of her body and found another spot on her shoulder (that she’d somehow scraped) that was very tender and beginning to blacken as well. Back to the vet, we went.

It turned out to be a MRSA (staph) infection that was slowly killing the tissues of her ear and shoulder.  Back to surgery, she went to remove a silver dollar-sized chunk of skin on her shoulder and about a third of her ear.  Another thousand dollars worth of surgical bills and antibiotic prescriptions and she was finally on the mend. When I asked the vet where she may have picked up the bacteria, he shrugged and said, “Coulda been the cone, coulda been her kennel…who knows?  It can live on plastic for a long time. I know you ditched the cone, but you should probably bleach out her kennel to be safe.” And therein lies the point of my story.

I must admit that it never really occurred to me that I’d need to sanitize my dog kennel. Sure, I’d hose it out from time to time, but I would have never anticipated that it could breed bacteria that could literally eat away at my dog’s skin.  Needless to say, I’ve adopted a regular deep cleaning program to save me on future vet bills. And, thanks to Dakota 283, I have a little more help on the front end of my fight against another bout with MRSA. Allow me to explain.

With the events of the last year, the idea of sanitization and germ-awareness have been on the forefront of everyone’s minds.  While the focus has, rightly, been on human hygiene, the team at Dakota 283 was simultaneously developing an innovative antimicrobial technology that would make an already world class product that much safer.  And with this new technology, perhaps future pet owners could avoid the hard lesson I personally learned with my four month old puppy. 

Enter Dakota Guard – Antimicrobial Protection

I’d like to introduce you to DAKOTA GUARD.

Dakota Guard is an FDA and EPA-approved antimicrobial additive that is included in small quantities during a product’s production.  This results in Dakota 283 products that protect your pet’s health and safety from the invisible world. 

• Proven highly effective against MRSA, Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, staphylococcus, many ‘gram-positive’ and ‘gram-negative’ organisms, and dozens of common, dangerous organisms 

• Long-lasting 

• Provides up to 98% antimicrobial protection 

Just another way Dakota 283 is committed to keeping your pets safe and fulfil the mission of unparalleled pet protection and our dogs health! 

My pup is coming up on her second birthday now and, thankfully, is fully recovered. Her 2/3-sized ear isn’t really noticeable unless you know to look for it and her shoulder scar healed nicely enough to blend in beneath her short coat.  I still have pictures on my phone and the Nerf ball in a jar somewhere as mementos.  And I get a lot of mileage at dinner parties from the whole saga, but I’d prefer to not live this one again so I still keep to my cleaning routine with her kennel, but I’m certainly grateful that her crate has Dakota Guard™ to give me a head start.