CDC Guidelines Updated For Pets & Pet Owners

DISCLAIMER: What you’re about to read is based off of various reports found online from government and non-government sources. Joyride Harness is not a professional source but is reporting to give insight for your interpretation and discretion of activities as we navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Back in April, we provided updates regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the concerns surrounding the health of dogs because of this virus in our post Should I Be Worried About My Dog Getting Coronavirus? In that, we shared the following information:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) didn’t really have much for all of us to go off of at the start of the virus pandemic, and in that blog post we referred to, it was concluded that COVID-19 was unlikely to affect your dog’s health but to keep an eye on your dog’s health.

Now, things have changed up a bit. The verdict? 

The CDC encourages all families and dog parents practice social distancing with pets. That doesn’t mean you are expected to be 6 feet apart from your fur babies at all times, but when it comes to your dog interacting with other humans or animals that are not a part of your household? Social distance. 

You can go for walks outdoors with your fur babies and live life at home normally for the most part, but keep these updated tips in mind:

• Don’t let your dogs get too close to other dogs that are not a part of the household even if it is natural for them to smell each other. 
• Do not let your dogs interact with persons that do not live with you.
• Maintain at least 6 feet of distance from the aforementioned people and animals.
• Avoid dog parks and public spaces where it’s encouraged to gather.
• If you get sick, it’s recommended that someone else takes care of your dog in case you’ve contracted COVID-19.
• If you’re confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, do not go to your veterinarian out of concern for your dog. Instead, call them and let them know. They can assist you over the phone to figure out the next steps to keep your dog protected.

As a company dedicated to the well-being of our fur babies, we’ll do our best to continue with reports on the virus as new information is released. 

If you’d like more information on caring for your dogs during the coronavirus pandemic, you can take a look at this blog post. Please note it was written at the start of the pandemic so the information you find here regarding the dog reported to have the disease has since been updated in the Should I Be Worried About My Dog Getting Coronavirus? blog post. 

Take care and hug your dog!