Corona Virus and Dogs: 6 Tips to keep your Shih Tzu Healthy

Corona Virus and Dogs -How can I keep my Shih Tzu healthy?

So, out of a bounty of caution, here are some tips from numerous officials, as well as our own advice to help stop the spread of germs in general and to facilitate good hygiene.

• Keep Your Shih Tzu Clean

We recommend that you give your Shih Tzu a bath during this period whenever you think it is appropriate and that you temporarily increase the frequency of daily baths to as often as once a week(as opposed to normal baths once every 3 weeks) if you take outdoor walks and feel better at doing so.

Also, make sure you are using a very good conditioner & shampoo for washing off, so your Shih Tzu skin doesn't itch.

• Always Wash Their Food and Water Bowls

Since germs can live on hard surfaces (such as bowls) for up to a couple of days, they are frequently washed with hot water and soap.

• Routinely Wash Dog Toys and Dog Bedding

We would add to this that we routinely wash dog toys, dog clothes, and bedding (dog bed cover, etc.) as well. Wipe down the leashes and harnesses, as needed.

• Keep Your Dog's Paws Clean

In general, this is excellent advice to help reduce the spread of germs. You can definitely use an outside hose (weather permitting) with your Tzu shampoo or an indoor sink or tub.

• Have Your Shih Tzu Follow Corona Virus Social Distance Rules as Well

Daily exercise is very important for both physical and emotional health, so we recommend that you continue walking your Shih Tzu or otherwise offer daily physical activity, but keep your Shih Tzu on the leash while outside and follow the general rule of keeping at least 6 feet away from others.

As of now, there are no suggestions from veterinary health experts for dogs (or other pets) to wear facial masks. And in the near future, this is unlikely to change.

• Is It Safe to Walk My Shih Tzu Outside?

For concise details on safety guidelines for Corona Virus and your dog in your particular city or town, check with your city and the official state list of guidelines that should be posted on their public websites.

As far as walking in the neighbourhood is concerned, in general, even with the 'stay at home' or 'shelter in place' instructions, it is considered safe to take dogs for their daily walks.

In fact, some cities encourage it, like exercise, fresh air and sunshine are so valuable to both physical and mental health. Of course, social distancing needs to be carried out, at least for now.

You may want to follow the previous steps to stay healthy, like wiping the coat and washing the paws outside.

As far as dog parks are concerned, in many areas with 'stay at home' or 'shelter in place' instructions, many dog parks are temporarily closed.

This makes sense, as it may be difficult to maintain social distances at these locations. Again, check with city officials; this information may be posted on their public websites.

The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) says that “while this virus seems to have emerged from an animal source, it is now spreading from person-to-person.”

The CDC recommends that people travelling to China avoid animals both alive and dead, “but there is no reason to think that any animals or pets in the United States might be a source of infection with this novel coronavirus.”

Corona Virus and Dogs - 6 Tips, we hope you found this helpful. shihtzubuzz.com