​Guide to Maintaining Your Dog's Hygiene & Health During the Coronavirus Pandemic Part 3

While it’s true that wild canids take care of their hygiene needs without human assistance, they don’t live in our homes. Sure, a wolf can swim in a stream and roll in the dirt to care for his coat. But that won’t control doggy odors. When your floor is the ground, muddy paws don’t need to be clean. However, carpeting or tile is a different story.

The fact is that pet owners have different expectations for cleanliness than their four-footed friends. So, it falls to us to brush teeth, give baths, and take care of other details to ensure our dogs meet our hygiene requirements for the home. And in this pandemic, it’s even more important.

We hear constant reminders to wash or sanitize our hands, wear clean facemasks, and sanitize various surfaces. What about our canine family members? Although there’s currently no evidence that dogs pass COVID-19 to people, some pups have become infected from their masters. That’s why during the coronavirus pandemic, proper pooch hygiene is even more important.

How to Practice Proper Pet Hygiene?

Proper hygiene for your pooch goes beyond controlling dirt and odors. It can also protect both your and Fido’s health. Let’s look at some things you can do to properly care for your special pal.

Clean Your Dog’s Paws After Each Walk

For humans, one of the key interventions for contracting coronavirus is hand washing. Whenever we go out, we’re told to use soap and warm water for 20 seconds to remove environmental contaminants from our skin. The same thing applies to our furry friends. When you take your pooch for a walk, his paws can pick up dirt, bacteria, molds, and coronavirus. If you leave Fido’s feet untended, he may develop yeast infections, cysts, or other skin diseases. That’s why you want to diligently wipe those paws when you get back from your outings.

Depending on your dog’s breed and how dirty he gets, there are different cleaning options available. You can use paw wipes, soapy water, or a paw washer to remove dirt and debris. When washing Fido’s feet, remember to clean for 20 seconds before rinsing just like you do with your hands.

Wash Your Dog’s Bed Every Week

Part of the recommendations for staying healthy during the pandemic includes regular cleaning of surfaces and bedding in the home. This should naturally extend to your dog’s bed. When we forget to launder our pup’s sleeping mattress, it can accumulate dirt, microbes, and other harmful particles. This increases the risk of allergies or diseases for both you and your pooch.

There are a variety of quality products on the market that are machine washable. When you invest in a comfortable berth for your pooch, look for one that either has a removable cover or that is fully-washable. Regular laundering of Fido’s bedding using pet strength detergents will help prevent the risk of the fabric harboring allergens, dust, mold, bacteria, or viruses.

Clean Your Pup’s Toys Regularly

Cleaning your dog’s toys may not sound that fun, but it’s an important part of good hygiene. Remember, your pooch constantly mouths his playthings, and that can make them moist. Then his chew bones, fetching balls, and plushies lay on the floor where there are dirt, bacteria, and other stuff. A 2011 NSF swab study of 22 homes found that pet toys were in the top 10 list for germiest surfaces. Their surfaces can harbor coliform bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, molds, and other germs.

Because our pups use their mouths to play with their things, that means they’re likely to ingest the bacteria that their toy harbors. What’s more, if your pooch drops his plaything and comes over to give you a big kiss, he’s sharing the organisms with you.

If someone positive for coronavirus is in the same room as your pup’s toys, the plaything’s surfaces could be a contact point for picking up the virus. To help prevent transmission of infectious diseases from bacteria and other microbes, wash your hands after touching Fido’s toys. You can wash plushies with your other laundry at least once a month. Cleanse hard toys using soap and hot water or a disinfectant like Best Shot 256. Remember to dilute cleaners and rinse thoroughly to remove soapy residue.

The Best Offense is a Good Defense

In the battle to keep you and your household safe from coronavirus infection, good hygiene should an important part of your preventative measures. Remember that this applies equally to your pooch. You can help keep all of your family members healthy with some common-sense defensive health practices.

What about you? How are you protecting your pooch from COVID-19? Let us know in the comments below.

Scarlett Gold is the head of content at FluentWoof. She is a Yorkie-Mixed mom and a true animal lover. Her primary focus is bringing readers the very best dog care resources and info to help owners better care for their canine companions.