It is known that the origin of this global pandemic that we are experiencing has a certain link with animals, but at the same time there is no type of record that pets can infect us with Covid 19, nor is it known to affect them.
That is why health experts send reassurance to the community, since pets are not known to be carriers or spread this virus. In this article we will tell you what are the precautions you should take if you have pets in the home.
Precautions to take into account
Both in Spain and in great almost everyone is in an intense state of alarm that has to do with the expansion of the Covid 19 pandemic around the planet.
Although measures had already been taken in this regard, in recent days the confinement of all the inhabitants in their homes has been decreed, to go out as little as possible and stop the wave of positive coronavirus cases that are being registered in the country.
The community of doctors and health specialists is taking charge of making known all the necessary aspects so that the quarantine has the highest degree of effectiveness possible, and one of the thousands of questions that arise in the face of this occasion of uncertainty that is being living is how we people who have pets, more specifically dogs, which we regularly take for walks.
If we have to stay in our homes due to the advance of Covid-19, can we not take our dogs for a walk either? To solve this dilemma, the Royal Canine Society of Spain has decided to go out and report, so that there are no doubts about it and commented that, as is public knowledge, walking our dogs to relieve themselves would be one of the few exceptions by which we can stay in public space during these quarantine days .
But something very important must be taken into account in this regard and that is that going out to the street to walk our dog it doesn't have to become some kind of excuse so that we too are doing outdoor activities.
This outing has the sole objective of our dog getting a little exercise and its needs. The fact that anyone does not take quarantine quite well, it does not necessarily mean that you can use your dog as a means of not being indoors.
Precautions when walking the dog
The first thing we must take into account when walking our dog is that this does not mean anything more than that. The walk should be only so that your pet can relieve himself and walk a little and then you must go home.
This has to do with the fact that no matter how much we are in outdoor spaces, other people may also do it and the possibilities of contracting or catching coronavirus are always latent these days.
That is why the first precaution to be taken and echoed by the RSCE is the fact that shorten the walks we take with our dogs. Possibly, in normal instances, going out for a walk with your dog means a respite for you too and a little fresh air.
In this case of world alarm, the walk with the dog should be shorter than usual. As a kind of procedure for your pet to feel good and return home together.
Another important consideration is that, although most people will be at home, it may be that at certain times other people will circulate, either for work or possibly because like you they have taken their dogs for a walk.
You should try to ensure that the areas you walk through have as little traffic as possible and do it at times when there is little movement, in order to avoid human contact as much as possible.
Can dogs catch and transmit the coronavirus?
Both World Health Organization (WHO) Like different Spanish health professionals, they have clearly expressed that there is no scientific evidence of any kind that dogs or cats can suffer from and spread the coronavirus to other beings.
One thing that is true is that the canine coronavirus exists, but this is one of the many types of coronavirus that exist, with different characteristics and not necessarily Covid-19.
That is why according to the data available so far there is no risk that our dogs can get sick or make us sick, but what is we must take into account is some kind of precaution for when we return from our walk with the dog and enter our homes.
When we get home after a walk, we must take an important precaution, which will be to clean our dog's paw pads intensively with soap and water. This is one of the places where, having been in contact with an infectious focus, Covid-19 may have been lodged, therefore its disinfection is necessary.
Although dogs are not a source of contagion of the coronavirus per se, these can unintentionally leave scattered virus remnants through the home through their legs and that is why it is so important to take care to sanitize their legs.
What to do with dogs if they test positive for coronavirus?
If it has happened to you that you have tested positive for the coronavirus and you need to quarantine effectively, the correct thing would be to move the dog to another home where no one is with this disease. In this particular case and when your pet moves to another placeBoth you and the healthy person to whom you are going to leave it must take important precautions:
- Do not take either the feeder or the drinker of the dog from the home where you live to the one you are going to stay. It is convenient to use new objects and this has to do with the fact that there may be some infectious trace in these elements.
- Any type of object that the dog carries with him, such as a collar, leash or any other material, must be properly washed and disinfected, That is if you cannot completely discard them and buy new ones, to completely remove your doubts.
- It may be that you have no alternative but to quarantine with your dog and in this way and without being alarmed, You must take certain important precautions that are the following:
- Use the mask when you meet your pet.
- Avoid contact or being very close to him. It better always keep a distance of 1 meter and a half.
- You should constantly wash your hands (this with or without your dog, constant hand washing is very important)
En this link You can download an infographic with what we have told you made by the Official College of Veterinarians of Madrid.
Taking these cares into account you will not have any problem with your pet and the coronavirus. Raising awareness and taking the necessary hygiene measures will not make your best friend have any problems.