Tips for caring for your pet during isolation, quarantine or lockdown
This article is written by Pet Circle veterinarian,
For info about whether cats and dogs can transmit COVID-19, see our article Can Dogs Or Cats Get Coronavirus?.
Isolating with your fur-child is a great opportunity to spend some quality time together and strengthen that special bond. No doubt, dogs rejoice when their owners are suddenly inexplicably home all day long. (We're not quite sure if the same can be said for cats - but that depends on the kitty!)
FACT At times like these when anxiety, loneliness and boredom are more prevalent, the proven positive effect pet ownership can have on our mental health is more important than ever.
But as much fun as this extra time together may be, your pet's unwavering love may prove a little distracting if you're currently working from home.
Fortunately, there are plenty of easy and fun ways to keep your pet occupied, happy, healthy, and stress-free while you're in isolation or lockdown.
Contents:
1) Hacks for Keeping Them Occupied
1. Hacks for Keeping Them Occupied
If you're not usually home all day long, chances are your pet will be excited to have you around all the time. While of course this is lovely, copious amounts of attention can become an unwelcome distraction if you need to get your work done. To keep your home office as productive as possible, try your dog with an occupying treat or toy.
1. Occupying Toys
Interactive toys are a great way to keep your pet busy and occupied - and are perfect for keeping them out of your way if you're working from home! There are plenty of interactive toys which dispense treats or encourage your pet to work for their food. You can even make your own treat-dispensing toy by cutting small holes into an empty drink bottle and filling with kibble.
Top Occupying Cat Toys
Top Occupying Dog Toys
This foam cube can be filled with tasty treats or kibble to keep your pooch occupied and out of trouble.
This flexible mat allows food to be spread on the surface to encourage licking. The LickiMat Buddy has a cross maze design and is perfect for use with sticky treats like wet food, doggy peanut butter or soggy kibble.
Got a serious chewer on your hands? The KONG Extreme dog toy represents the most durable KONG available. Designed for tough chewers, this KONG offers enrichment and helps to satisfy your dog's instinctual need to chew.
Designed with a soft and chewy textured outside and embedded with natural Beef scent particles, the Playology Dual Layer Ring will keep your doggo occupied for hours!
Durable rubber chew toys are a great way to satisfy your dog's natural chewing urges and keep them occupied. Just add KONG Easy Treat Paste or even just some natural peanut butter and dogs can spend hours trying to clean up the last morsel.
Shop All Durable Rubber Toys for Dogs
2. Long Lasting Treats
Long lasting treats are great to keep your pet occupied when they're alone. Fresh raw bones can be a good option (but be aware of the risks of feeding raw bones) as are treats such as Goat Horn, Bully Sticks, and Ear Chews.
These durable nylon bones are designed to keep even the most persistent and powerful of chewers satisfied. They may be washed in soap and water if needed and the delicious range of flavours are designed to last for the lifetime of the bone.
With a firm outer surface and a soft marrow inside, dogs love goat horn. Nature's Cuts Goat Horn are extremely tasty, firm but not brittle, and are great for cleaning the teeth. And best of all, these treats are completely natural.
These bully sticks are made 100% Beef for a tasty treat, ideal for use as a training reward. Sometimes called bull's pizzles, these are 15-20cm in length and are one of the longest lasting chews in the Wag range.
Veggie Ears are a long lasting treat and vegetarian option treat that will keep your dog occupied for a long period of time. Blackdog treats are high quality and produced using minimal processing and additives.
3. Create a Treasure Hunt
Explorative feeding is a fantastic way to excite and mentally stimulate your pet. Try hiding some of your pet's food or some treats in different places around the house or backyard. Remember to use different levels for cats! Sniffing out their next meal will keep them busy and occupied while you are busy.
Want to know more? Read Boredom busters for dogs and Games you can play with your cat.
2. Tips for Exercise
For dogs, it can be a little difficult to maintain adequate exercise if you aren't able to leave the house. If you cannot walk your dog beyond the garden fence, it's important to substitute with a different form of 'huffy puffy'...
1. Playtime
Playing is an essential form of exercise for cats, and it can be a great way to get your dog to burn off that pent-up energy. An indoor game of fetch or tug-of-war is a great way to keep your dog active. Try to dedicate a good 15-30 minutes of playtime once or twice per day, and keep it at a regular time slot each day to solidify a daily routine.
2. Swimming
Image: @aquadoghydrotherapy
Did you know that one minute of swimming burns the same amount of energy as 3 minutes of running?
Obviously swimming is only possible if you have a pool at home, and only in water-happy dogs.
Tips for swimming your dog:
- Get them a doggy life jacket to help keep them safely buoyant in the water. This can really help decrease stress for them.
- Hold them in place while they paddle with their legs. This is only really possible if you're happy to be in the water with them, and if your dog is small enough to hold without getting yourself scratched! Be sure to only hold them for short periods of time so that they don't exhaust themselves or suffer from a cramp.
- Ensure the experience is as stress-free as possible. Many dogs enjoy swimming - especially if it's with their master! - but some dogs may find the experience stressful. Don't let your dog feel that they are unable to get to the edge of the pool if they need to, and give them regular breaks.
- Dry and clean their ears afterwards, if they have at-risk ears. Many floppy-eared breeds such as Cocker Spaniels, or small-eared breeds such as Pugs, may suffer from ear infections if water enters their ears and isn't dried afterwards. We recommend cleaning with a good ear cleaner such as Epi Otic.
3. Maintain your routine as much as possible
Changes to your routine may be unavoidable if you are forced to work from home or forego a daily neighborhood walk. To keep things as normal as possible, try to minimise any changes to feeding times, and supplement a daily walk for a daily playtime session.
At this stage, cats who are normally allowed access outdoors can be let out as usual. Try as much as possible to stick to the usual feeding routine for your cat; avoid feeding them in excess as this could quickly result in obesity (even if they take the opportunity of having you at home to beg incessantly!)
Ensure you have enough of the essentials
Aim to have at least 2 weeks of food, cat litter and treats on hand as well as plenty of toys to stave off boredom. If your pet is on a special veterinary or prescription diet or is on regular medication make sure you have at least 2 week's supply on hand as there could be delays in supply.
If stocking up, remember that it can be much better value to purchase a bulk value bag of food instead of multiple small bags. Brands such as Advance and Meals for Mutts produce large bags of food up to 40kg. (Surely a bag that big will keep your pets fed for a while!)
As Australia's largest online only pet store, Pet Circle are experienced in providing safe, efficient and contactless delivery and are working hard during this disruptive period to ensure pet parents have access to all the pet food and supplies they need.
What If You're Unwell or in Quarantine?
If you are self isolating due to potential COVID-19 exposure or as part of Australia's self-quarantine laws, you may wish to ask another person to take your pet and care for them during the duration.
If your pet is stressed leaving you, try a pheromone product such as Adaptil for dogs or Feliway for cats. It can also help to transport your pet's bed or blankets to provide a familiar scent, and ensure your pet is fed the same diet and has a similar routine as usual.
Further reading and sources
RSPCA UK: How to care for your pets if you're ill or have to self isolate due to coronavirus
WHO Coronavirus disease (COVID 19) outbreak
Australian government: Novel corona virus 2019 health alert
American Veterinary Medical Association: COVID 19
Want to learn more about caring for your fur family? Check out our Discover Page for more tips on keeping your pets happy and healthy.