The COVID-19 pandemic has reached across the world. Currently, Many of us are in various stages of social distancing, “shelter in place” orders, and quarantine. As a result, there have been significant changes to our daily routine. And there is a lot of uncertainty as the virus continues its spread.
With everything revolving around COVID-19 concerns these days, as a veterinarian and blogger, it only felt right to create a blog post that addresses all of the questions I have had about how this virus is going to affect our pets. So we will start with the scientific stuff first.
But even though health and safety comes first, mental health is also important. So the second half of this post is devoted to ways to keep your dog (and yourself) mentally engaged during a period of self-isolation or quarantine.
About COVID-19
COVID-19 is a betacoronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that is transmitted primarily via contact with an infected person’s bodily secretions. Think saliva or mucus droplets in a cough or sneeze.
Pet lovers should be aware that the virus can also be transmitted by touching a contaminated surface or object. The contaminated object is called a fomite. Smooth surfaces are better fomites, meaning that they can transmit the virus via touch better than porous materials.
Pet fur is considered a porous material. The fibrous fur tends to absorb and trap the virus making it harder for a person to contract the virus simply by touching an animal. But just because it is harder to contract the virus from a porous surface, doesn’t mean it is impossible. Pets can still act as fomites.
If you are not ill with COVID-19, experts state that you can interact as you normally would with your dog. But please continue to practice good hygiene before, during, and after these interactions. For example, wash your hands before and after petting your dog. And regularly clean your dog’s bowls, beds, and toys.
If you are diagnosed with (or suspect you have) COVID-19, the current recommendation is to limit contact with your pet. Have another family member take care of walking, feeding, and playing with your dog.
If you have to continue caring for your dog, don’t share food, kiss or hug them. And wash your hands before and after any contact with your dog. More information about caring for pets in households with COVID-19 can be found on the CDC’s website.
At this point, infectious disease experts and multiple international and domestic human and animal health organizations are in agreement that there is no evidence to believe that dogs can become ill with COVID-19. There is also no evidence that they can spread COVID-19 to other animals, including people, except as a fomite.
Find out more about COVID-19 and your dog at AVMA.org.
And also, please be aware that this mask was personally used previously for a veterinary procedure. I found it in the pocket of my scrubs before a laundry day and had not disposed of it yet. Please do not use new masks for dog photos right now. Human hospitals need masks. If you have extra un-used masks, please consider donating them. Dogs do not need masks.
The Dog in Hong Kong
Many dog caretakers have probably heard about the case of the dog in Hong Kong who tested positive for COVID-19. On Thursday, February 27th the Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation Department (AFCD) in Hong Kong reported that samples obtained from the nose and mouth of a quarantined 17-year-old Pomeranian had tested “weak-positive” for SARS-CoV-2. Rectal swab and fecal sample were negative for the virus. The test used (an RT PCR test) is sensitive and specific for SARS-CoV-2 and does not cross-react with other coronaviruses of dogs and cats. The dog’s owner had also been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The “weak-positive result” suggested a small quantity of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was present in the samples. However, this test does not distinguish intact virus from fragments of viral RNA.
The positive test results were repeatable on subsequent samples from the dog’s nose (collected on February 28th, March 2nd, 5th, and 9th). But all of these samples were also “weak positive.”
Gene sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 from the Pomeranian and its close human contacts were performed on March 12th, and indicated the viral sequences were very similar. The dog was released from quarantine on March 14th after nasal samples on March 12th and 13th were negative for the virus.
Experts in Hong Kong believe that the consistency and persistence of the RT PCR results suggest that the virus may have spread from the infected people to the Pomeranian. The other pet dog in the household had consistently negative results for the virus. Neither dog showed any signs of respiratory disease during quarantine.
The AFCD reported a second case, a 2 year old German Shephard Dog who also tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 using RT PCR on March 19th. This dog’s owner also tested positive for COVID-19. Like the Pomeranian, the other dog in the residence tested negative. Again, neither dog showed signs of respiratory disease. Both of these dogs are in quarantine and being monitored.
So while these dogs had positive test results for SARS-CoV-2, none of the dogs develop signs of illness from the virus.
Should Your Dog Be Tested?
In both of the cases above, the dogs did not develop any respiratory signs and there was no evidence that these dogs spread COVID-19. The Pomeranain did end up passing away, but it was a 17-year-old dog and SARS-CoV-2 is not believed to be the cause of death.
To date, there have not been any reports of pets or other animals becoming ill or spreading this virus. These findings are consistent with previous literature exploring evidence of infection of dogs and cats with human-associated coronavirus SARS and MERS.
*Update as of 3/30/2020: A cat tested positive in Belgium. The AVMA.org has updated their information page about the virus to state “Right now, we have limited information about SARS-CoV-2 and dogs and cats. …As of right now it appears that dogs and cats are not infected easily with SARS-CoV-2, we have little to no evidence that they become sick, and there is no evidence that pets can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to people or other pets.”
Additionally, Idexx (a leading veterinary diagnostic laboratory) tested thousands of dog and cat samples for the virus and have not found any positive results to date. Read more about the testing Idexx performed on their website.
So at this point, no, it is not recommended to test most dogs (and cats and other animals living in our houses). Of course, the situation is always changing and evolving. Public and animal health officials may decide at some point to test animals.
For more information on testing companion animals, check out the USDA’s fact sheet.
How to Prepare for COVID-19’s Impact on Your Dog
Most organizations recommend having a plan in advance to help you care for your pet if you are directly impacted by COVID-19. It is recommended to have an emergency kit prepared with at least 2 weeks of your pet’s food and any needed medications. That way, if you have to self-quarantine, you have everything your pet needs during the period when you cannot leave your home.
Reliable Sources for Information Regarding COVID-19 and Dogs
Sometimes it can be hard to determine which news sources are the most reliable in times of crisis. The following are all resources that I trust and have used to compile the information in this article.
- American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
- Center for Disease Control (CDC)
- MN Board of Animal Health (this is my state board, but every state should have an equivalent source of information)
- Veterinary Partner (handouts for pet owners written by veterinarians)
- DVM360 (veterinary news magazine/website)
Activities for You and Your Dog to Enjoy During a Time of Social Distancing and/or Self-Isolation (Quarantine)
Now that we have all the scientific virus stuff addressed, I thought everyone could use a fun list of activities to help you and your dog stay sane during this period of social distancing and shelter in place.
My personal coping strategies include the following:
Hiking:
Thankfully in Minnesota, outdoor activities, including hiking, are still acceptable during our shelter in place order. So Glia and I are still hiking on my days off. We are trying to stay local and hike where fewer people are. But getting out of the house and enjoying the woods is the best mental break either of us can get. Hiking keeps us sane.
If you live near us, check out our lists of local hiking trails in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota: “7 Dog-Friendly Trails in the East Metro” and “7 of the Best Dog-Friendly Trails throughout the Twin Cities Metro Area.”
And a weird plus right now is that Glia is dog-reactive. So we are already very skilled at avoiding encounters with other trail users. The only difference is now we have to give space to people hiking without dogs also.
Training Sessions:
With fewer social activities taking my time and attention these days, this is the perfect opportunity to work on some new skills with Glia. From party tricks like teaching Glia how to army crawl across the carpet to reinforcing foundational skills – such as a good “leave-it”, a long “sit-stay”, and a reliable “look at me,” there is plenty to work on inside the house. Or for a little added distraction, we can also train in the backyard with all the active spring squirrels.
Here are a few good dog-behavior/training blogs to read during your downtime. Hopefully, they will help inspire you and give you some training ideas to practice during your COVID-19 shelter in place.
- http://www.drjensdogblog.com/
- https://drsophiayin.com/
- https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/
Or consider purchasing a book from Amazon to give you inspiration for teaching your dog all kinds of new tricks.
(Please note that I am part of the Amazon Associate program and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
At Home Enrichment Activities:
The final way Glia and I are staying sane is by adding more enrichment opportunities to Glia’s life. If your dog is bored in between hiking and training, consider different ways to enrich their life with interactive toys and activities. We haven’t tried all of the ideas below, but think they would make great additions to many dog’s lives.
Now is the perfect time for DIY projects. Here’s a link to 33 DIY dog toys. Make sure these are going to be safe toys for your dog before making any of them.
Make a digging pit for your dog in the backyard. Here’s a fun article dedicated to teaching you how to create a digging pit for your pup.
Consider exercising your dog with a flirt pole:
Or work your way down Sidewalk Dog’s list of “20 Ideas for Indoor Dog-Friendly Fun“.
If your budget allows it, purchase some new interactive dog toys. In our household, we love treat-dispensing/puzzle toys. These toys allow the dogs to self-play while we sit on the couch and enjoy a TV show or a good book.
Glia’s current favorite treat-dispensing toys are her Omega Tricky Treat Ball and Hipat Treat Ball. (Links above are to Amazon, where I may earn from qualifying purchases.)
These two balls are essentially the same ball from different companies. Both are a hard rubber material that don’t leave any significant dents on my wall as Glia bats the balls around my house. Another plus to these treat balls is that I can fit a good portion of Glia’s dog kibble meal in either ball. This means that these bowls can be a great substitute to a dog bowl.
Although Glia does get plenty of meals in a bowl, why feed a bored dog in a bowl when you can dispense food through training sessions and interactive toys? Most dogs genuinely enjoy working for food.
Want some more ideas for treat/food dispensing toys? Check out this article by Dogviously.com. I can’t personally vouch for all of the dog toys on the list, but Glia has tried and would recommend the following:
We would recommend a little caution on these ones, at least for heavy chewers and intense players.
The toys listed above tend to work well for less intense chewers/players. As a puppy, Glia, who is 40-lbs, chewed a hole in the top of her Kong Wobbler. But this toy works great for my little 12-lb cavalier mix, Sasha, who is a much less aggressive chewer.
And the PetSafe Treat Holding Bouncy Bone is hard, like a hard Nylabone, so just be careful your dog doesn’t break a tooth chewing. And also make sure they can’t get chunks of to swallow if they are vigorous chewers.
The Pet IQ Treat Dispensing Toy is also a harder plastic and when Glia rolls it around energetically it is really loud and hard-sounding as it ricochets off my hardwood floors and wood trim. But if your dog is gentler on toys, like Sasha is, this is a great toy. We picked our version up at Menards, but it is essentially the same version as the one on Amazon.
Stay Safe and Sane Everyone
While you can’t interact with dogs who don’t live in your household right now, there are plenty of activities that you can share with your own dog.
At least here in Minnesota, you and your dog can still get outside for daily walks/hikes. And whether you are still working or not, there are plenty of boredom busters you can incorporate into your dog’s daily routine.
If you are one of the people who is currently spending more time at home, take advantage of the opportunity to spend more time training and working with your dog on positive behavior modification.
And remember, at this point, there is no evidence that your dog can become ill with or spread COVID-19, except as a fomite. So there is no need for your dog to wear a mask. Just avoid petting and interacting with other people’s dogs to help limit the spread of CoVID-19 by picking up the virus particles from a pet’s fur. And if you are sick and it is possible to have someone else care for your dog, limit your contact with your dog just in case.
And for those of us with reactive dogs, at least you are already an expert at creating social distance. Now the rest of the world is helping you out by maintaining distance when you are out on your daily walks.
Good luck everyone. I hope you and all your loved ones can stay safe and sane during this global pandemic. We would love to hear how you and your dog are doing. Comment below to let us know how you are surviving these changes and uncertainties.
