In all this Covid-19 craziness, people have been panicking about many things – including how coronavirus will affect their dogs. Tragically, in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus first broke out, officials condemned pets to death if someone in that household tested positively for Covid-19. Many pet owners dumped their dogs in the street and in rescue centres out of fear.
Can Dogs Get Coronovirus?
Now we know that that was absolutely unnecessary – a dreadful consequence of jumping to conclusions, without the necessary facts to back it up.
As time goes on, thankfully more information is emerging about Covid-19 and dogs.
Confirmed Cases Of Coronavirus And Dogs
Up til now, two dogs in Hong Kong have been confirmed as having been infected with Covid-19. However this does not mean that dogs get ill from Covid-19, nor do they have the Covid-19 disease. Professor Malik Peiris, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, is careful to explain that being infected is NOT THE SAME as having the disease (ref).
Since the 2 dogs that were confirmed as infected came from households with confirmed Covid-19 patients, it is likely that there is human-to-dog transmission of the virus.
Dogs might only get infected if they were closely associated with their infected owners.
The dogs cannot get infected by walking on the streets.
However, there is no evidence as of now that pets can be a source of Covid-19 for other animals or humans
Professor Malik Peiris
Just the same as with people, after some time, the dog will no longer be infected.
Our Dogs Help Us Through This Stressful Time
Having a dog has been shown to have important health benefits for us – even more so now when we are all on lockdown with no possibility of social contact with others. Both you and your dog will be more stressed if you are separated.
Dr Sarah Caddy at the Infectious Diseases Research Centre at the University of Cambridge reinforces this view: having a dog has significant mental health benefits – the physical contact and the pleasure and relaxation that causes us are super important in this terribly stressful time.
Since your dog cannot suffer from the disease, there is no need to remove her from your presence if you are sick. Having your loving pet with you will most likely be a source of great comfort to you at this time, so unless you are incapable of looking after her, keep your dog with you.
If You Are Sick With Suspected Or Confirmed Coronavirus
However, if you are so sick that you are physically incapable of looking after her, ask someone who you trust – friends or family – to temporarily take care of her until you recover.
Even if you are not sick, and have no symptoms, why not make plans for a worst-case scenario anyway? I have done just that, as a consequence of researching and writing this article.
Make Plans For Your Dog In Case You Fall Ill
If you fall ill, who will care for your dog? Make plans in case it happens – if you are hospitalised, who will come and get your pet and look after her? If your friends and family live far away, or they are unable to care for your dog, is there a local pet forum on facebook that you could reach out to? Or perhaps a local rescue centre?
I am single, and if I become so sick that I can’t look after my fur babies, I need to know that they will be looked after by someone. That knowledge will reduce my stress levels in the event of illness.
I’ve prepared a checklist to record all the necessary information about your fur-baby. Feel free to print it out and complete it. Make sure that, should it be necessary for someone else to help you out, they know exactly what to do for your 4-legged loved one.
Temporary Care Instructions For My Dog – Form
Download the form here – no need to subscribe.
Can Covid-19 Be Transmitted On Dog Fur?
Although Prof. Peiris says that as yet there is no evidence that dogs are infectious, we should still be aware that tiny Covid-19 particles can continue to live for some time on the surface of things. One study showed that Covid-19 was still detectable for up to 24 hours on a cardboard surface, but no tests were done on pet fur.
If an infected human coughs or sneezes over your dog, theoretically the virus particles may be transmitted on to your pet’s fur. In order to be super careful, you should treat your fur-baby like every other member of your family and avoid all other social contact.
When you are out on your daily walk, keep your dog close. Just as you respect the 2m distance, make sure she does too. Don’t let her run off to greet the neighbour or other dog walkers. Prevent her from playing with other dogs if they do not live in the same household.
If someone else’s dog comes up to you and you touch it, wash your hands straight afterwards. Clearly, you’re unlikely to have a bowl of soap and water on a walk with you so if you are out, sanitiser is a great alternative. If like me, you haven’t found any sanitiser on sale for weeks, try using anti-bacterial wet-wipes.
If, on your walk, you come across other dog walkers and they refuse to respect the 2m distance, wear a mask. I speak from experience – a neighbour of mine does not seem to be taking the social distancing very seriously. He and his dog come bounding over to greet us as if everything was perfectly normal.
If your dog has come into contact with other people or dogs, use pet-wipes to wipe your dog down when you get home. You can buy these, but hopefully you’re avoiding going to a shop unless you absolutely have to. If that’s the case, make up a simple DIY pet wipe at home.
DIY Pet Wipe
I use old, cut up towels made into flannel mitts. They can be dipped into a 50:50 solution of apple cider vinegar and water. To make the solution slightly anti-bacterial, make up 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup water and 2 drops of tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is usually safe for dogs, but very few dogs are sensitive to it – leave it out if this is the case with your dog.
Throw the towel into the wash after use so you can reuse it.
In cold weather it’s nicer to make up the solution when you need it, rather then use it ready prepared. That way you can add warm water. In the summer it won’t matter that it’s a cold solution.
It does smell a little initially, but the smell dissipates quickly. Not only is it a non-chemical, pet-friendly wipe, it will have the added benefit of making your dog less appealing to fleas.
Increase Your Cleaning Schedule
With so many uncertainties, it is wise to err on the side of caution: make sure that you are more focussed on cleanliness at this time. Wash your dog’s bedding more often. Clean her food and water bowl regularly.
If your dog comes into contact with someone who is suspected to have the virus, you can bath her to be completely safe. Dr Sarah Caddy confirmed that
bathing the dog will do the same job as you washing your hands – the virus will be destroyed.
Conclusion
There is no need to panic!
There is absolutely no evidence that dogs can make us ill from Covid-19. Likewise, there’s no evidence that you can make your dog ill from Covid-19. Continue petting and hugging your lovely pooch as you always have before. Increase your cleaning routine, especially if you think you are infected. Unless you are gravely ill and are unable to look after your dog, keep her with you and help each other through this crisis. Be safe xx
Watch this video interview with Dr Caddy and Rodney Habib of Planet Paws