A couple of people have expressed a different sort of coronavirus concern to me – can dogs get the disease?
The answer is no, dogs aren’t susceptible to this human coronavirus.
There is a strain of canine coronavirus which was discovered in 1971. It produces gastrointestinal symptoms (though a mutation can produce respiratory symptoms) – but humans don’t catch this strain.
Dogs can’t catch human colds or ‘flu, though they do have their own varieties of doggy colds and doggy ‘flu which can cause sneezing and congestion, but they are different bugs to the ones we get.
So if you’re suffering with a cold, ‘flu or even coronavirus, don’t worry – you can’t pass it on to your pet.
Just like us, dogs who catch a cold or flu generally get better on their own with some tender loving care from us in a few days. If your dog has doggy flu, your vet may suggest antibiotics or cough suppressants. Your dog may need extra fluids, too.
Snuffles, sneezing and watery eyes and nose are doggy cold symptoms, but if accompanied by a honking cough this might signal kennel cough. In most cases dogs recover without any treatment within 3 weeks, but it is very infectious so keep your dog away from others while they have symptoms. If your dog has difficulty breathing or is not eating or drinking, you should contact your vet as soon as possible as they may need vet treatment.
It can be difficult to prevent your dog from getting doggy colds, but basic hygiene measures work as well for dogs as they do for us.
We can’t ask our dogs to wash their paws with soap and hot water for 20 seconds of course, but we can wash them down after a muddy walk and clean their water bowls and toys regularly.
Keeping their vaccinations up to date is also important.
Feeding a good quality diet and making sure there’s the opportunity to get enough rest is important for us and for our dogs to keep us all healthy.
Social media is quite a good vehicle for spreading information about potential local health problems or outbreaks of disease so keep your eye open for these and avoid any areas where there’s problems. (For example, there have been reports recently of poison parsnips at Groomsport.)
Keep training,
Carol