COVID-19 in a dog’s traveling life

Sabrina A.

COVID-19 in a dog's travelling life

Yes! Traveling with dogs! VII

Welcome to our 7th post of Yes! Traveling with dogs! from Sun with Style. Today we are going to talk about the repercussion from COVID-19 in a dog’s traveling life. It is hard to tell how much our dogs grasp of the situation… if they could talk, they wouldn’t know exactly why their lives changed, but I imagine they could tell us that their routine is different and maybe, for this reason, something isn’t so right after all… Don’t get me wrong, I think our four dogs are enjoying the part of having us 24/7, but other things like power walks, dog beaches and even the occasional visit of the neighbor dog, are somehow rare, when not completely over.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we are on a horizontal lockdown and at first, we didn’t know how it would affect dogs, so after considering all the possibilities we conclude that they would be treated as humans as well. No, we didn’t put masks on their noses, but the social distancing was applied. Not only because of the lack of information about the interspecies transmission but also because they could become vectors of the disease.

After a while, it has been stated that they couldn’t contract the disease but like any other surface, they could have the virus. So, the social distancing was a good choice, unless you have the habit of bathing your furry friend every day. You can check here some of the findings and here some advice of the Global Veterinary Comunity (WSAVA).

Now, if our dogs find it uncool to be “trapped” at home with us, they don’t have a clue how other pets around the world have it worse. There are some people around the globe that instead of trying to reason in the situation, abandoned their pets on the street. Yes! They did. Lack of information, reason, and fear makes people go to extremes.

So, thinking about that, we decided to write, to give a beacon of light to all our pet friend readers who want to acknowledge sickness in our nontalking four-legged friends, besides the disease that is killing a bunch of people today.

How to acknowledge sickness before traveling

Behavior change while sick

One of the most difficult things to do when you have a pet, is to read the signs of sickness. Some dogs don’t show the slightest change in their behavior when they are sick. This lack of change is sometimes related to the disease and sometimes because the dog has a different pain sensitivity than other dogs.

People that are in contact with their pets in different situations during the day, know how they react. No, these people don’t become superhumans, they can’t read their minds. When you get to know your dog habits, more obvious changes in his actions will be. So it is easier to know for sure that something is wrong, little things like not wanting to eat, or to move, or lack of enthusiasm for their favorite toy are clear signs. And we are going to list some of them right now, for later discussion.

Lembre-se de que, antes de viajar, recomenda-se um exame veterinário, conforme mencionado nas postagens anteriores.

Most common signs of sickness

  • Changes in Appetite
  • Excessive Thirst and Urination
  • Lethargy
  • Digestive Problems
  • Poor Skin and Coat Conditions
  • Behavioral Changes
  • Pain
  • Respiratory Problems
  • Whining or Attention-Seeking
  • Shaking
  • Anxiety
  • Bad breath and other odors
  • weight loss or gain
Commons signs of sickness

Traveling with a sick animal isn’t fun, and having them sick during the trip due to lack of care is also a problem. All of the signs above can be caused by serious or less serious issues, that is why the post will continue next week. But if your curious and want to have a pick on the subject click here.

For the time being, stay home! Protect the ones you love and help others by doing so. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and see you next week.