Quarantine life amidst the COVID-19 outbreak has changed the way we all go about securing our personal day to day needs. This includes that of our fur babies. Providing them ample food and healthcare is paramount, so here are some tips and reminders on how you can look after your pets during the time of COVID-19.
With outdoor exercises and activities currently restricted, it’s still important to keep our pets in tip-top shape! This is still possible to do even within the space of your home. Playing fetch or even simply going up and down the stairs can get those muscles working.
Similar to indoor exercise, make sure that your fur baby has some toys for them to play around with any time to keep them stimulated. In addition, human interaction is surely enough to keep them entertained. This means showering them with cuddles and petting them!
Pets on a canned or raw food diet should have their food cooked thoroughly instead. This is to ensure that bacteria and viruses are killed. After feeding time, it’s best to clean their bowls with water detergent right away. Full bowls of water should always be at the ready as well.
This applies to both humans and fur babies! Avoid allowing your pets to lick your face and hands to avoid contracting a zoonotic disease (this is a disease that can be transmitted between animals and humans). Washing our hands after handling our pets is a good practice as well. It’s also advisable to keep pets away from the kitchen, food preparation areas, and bathrooms to help maintain cleanliness.
In uncertain times like these, being prepared is a big must. Apart from having a grab bag for us humans in case of any emergency, our pets should have one as well. This consists of a leash and collar with ID, a copy of a health certificate, canned or packed food, bottled water, food and water bowls, and an emergency kit. This consists of a thermometer, cotton balls, scissors, clean towels, gauze, bandages, adhesive tape, medicine dropper or 3ml syringe (no needle, for giving oral medications), and a saline solution for cleaning wounds.
We also rounded up a list of veterinary clinics and online pet stores that are still open during the quarantine.
We hope this helps! Let us know down below if we missed anything!
Sources:
Adan, Maggie, How to care for your pets during the coronavirus lockdown, March 2020
Cerezo, Anne Gabrielle, How to take care of your pets while on lockdown, March 2020
Ewe, Koh, We Asked A Vet How to Take Care of Dogs During the Pandemic, March 2020