Essential Pet Care During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Everybody needs to practice CDC, WHO and NHI mandated Social Distancing. This is the most important thing that we as responsible citizens can do to help flatten the curve so that we can put this virus behind us. Within these necessary practices, we also need to take steps to protect and care for our vulnerable pets. Aussie Pet Mobile, with our NO CONTACT grooming service, carefully adheres to Social Distancing guidelines while continuing to provide essential and critical care for pets that protects our vulnerable pets and maintains safety for humans as well.
Let’s look briefly at why pet grooming is all about providing an essential service.
- Both the CDC and WHO have stated that there is no evidence that companion animals (dogs and cats) can transmit COVID-19. However, there are several diseases than can be life threatening to humans which can be transmitted by pets. Regular Grooming can either prevent these diseases, eliminate the root causes, or in some cases may reveal a disease that would otherwise stay hidden until pets or their owners are endangered. When we are all confined to our homes, we are constantly around our pets and this increases the potential for exposure. Our citizens need an option for their pet care that will allow them to safely practice Social Distancing.
- Ringworm is highly contagious to humans and nearly impossible for a pet owner to see or diagnose. Grooming can reveal this dangerous parasite so that a pet owner can get the treatment needed for their pet and also for every member of their family exposed to the pet.
- This is the kickoff of Flea season nationwide. Pets can easily pick up fleas when they go outside or on a walk (actions that cannot be stopped). Fleas are extremely prolific and in no time at all, fleas can infest a home. Fleas can transmit several diseases that are very dangerous to humans. Grooming can eliminate fleas on pets and help pet owners with this problem.
- This is also the kickoff of Tick season. Ticks can spread several life-threatening diseases to humans most notably Lyme disease which poses a major health implication. Grooming can eliminate these ticks safely.
- Matted Cats with feces and or urine in or on their coats can expose children and especially pregnant women to potentially life-threatening conditions like Toxic-Plasmodia.
- If pets are not regularly groomed to prevent the passing of very real and dangerous diseases that can impact human pet owners, those owners could be forced to leave the shelter of their homes and seek medical attention which could expose them and their families to COVID-19. Pet Grooming can help prevent that. Being proactive now can help prevent dangerous situations down the road. Pet grooming is essential.
- This is the beginning of coat-blowing and major pet shedding season. Grooming can provide immediate relief and eliminate shedding and matted coats.
- Shedding can adversely affect anybody with allergies or sensitivity to pet hair and dander. Millions of pet owners nationwide are impacted by this. If a human is badly impacted by shedding hair and dander, it could bring on respiratory issues that could force that pet owner to seek medical attention and expose them and their families to COVID-19. Grooming can prevent that.
- Severely matted pets are in a significant amount of pain. Home washing of a pet will only make this matting (which is extremely common in cats and dogs) worse and more severe. Additionally, there is a real chance for hotspots to form if a matted pet is bathed at home by a pet owner and not professionally and completely dried by a high-powered pet dryer. Hot spots can lead to staff-infections in pets and make a pet extremely uncomfortable. Grooming can immediately and safely eliminate this condition.
- Pets with severely matted coats (dogs and cats) can hide sores or infections that if left untreated could prove very dangerous to these pets and in some cases to the families that own them. Grooming will quickly and safely reveal these conditions so they can be dealt with.
- Mobile Grooming is essential because we can stop people from having to leave their homes to seek grooming for their pets. We can safely groom their pets without having any contact with another human. Mobile Grooming is the epitome of Social Distancing.
- Groomers are often the first line of defense for spotting significant and life-threatening healthy issues in pets such as tumors that owners are never aware of.
- Mobile Groomers provide a safe and essential service to our first responders to care for their pets and help prevent issues that could keep a first responder from being able to work.
- Mobile Groomers can safely care for service pets, emotional support pets, guide dogs, therapy dogs, seizure alert service pets and, of course, K-9 specialty pets.
- These are just a few of the reasons that grooming in general and Mobile Grooming specifically provide an essential service to pets and their owners that should be allowed and encouraged.
From the very start of the COVID-19 pandemic Aussie Pet Mobile professional groomers immediately put our NO CONTACT grooming protocols into practice. These actions allow our groomers to provide essential service to pets and their owners while maintaining every aspect of Social Distancing and all steps necessary to maintain safety.
- We contact our clients prior to each appointment to review our NO CONTACT service rules and to ensure that nobody in the household is symptomatic of COVID-19. If a pet owner is symptomatic then we will postpone and reschedule the appointment until after any quarantine is over.
- When the groomer arrives at the home, they will wash their hands with soap and water and prepare the tub and our proprietary HydrobathTM system with soap and water to be ready for the pet.
- The groomer calls the client, gets any necessary instructions and asks them to either tether the pet on the porch and go back inside, or to put a leash/lead onto the pet and put the pet on the porch while holding the leash/lead at a distance of 6 feet or more. The groomer will either retrieve the pet from where they are tethered or will use their own lead to gather up the pet while maintaining at least 6 feet of separation from the pet owner. If an owner cannot or will not follow these directions the groomer will not violate Social Distancing protocols and the appointment will be canceled. No exceptions.
- The groomer puts the pet directly into the tub and washes them with soap and water to immediately eliminate the virus. Even though the WHO and CDC have stated there is no evidence that pets can transmit COVID-19, this is an added precaution to ensure everybody remains safe.
- After the groom is completed, the groomer reverses the process and returns the pet to the porch and immediately alerts the pet owner so they can retrieve their pet.
- Groomers will call the pet owner to collect payment by phone or via our gift certificate or other methods that eliminate the need for any direct contact.
- The groomer then returns to the mobile salon and immediately washes their hands. Then, using our veterinary hospital rated disinfectant they will treat every part of the mobile salon that the pet touched.
Pets are 100% dependent on their families for everything they need. They need food and water. They need affection and human contact and attention. They do not understand the impact of a global pandemic. They depend on their owners for their healthcare needs. They can’t tell us when something is not right. Aussie Pet Mobile can safely provide grooming services for pets that will help keep them clean, healthy and safe. This is essential for our pets and for all the humans that live together with them.
Aussie Pet Mobile will continue to provide this essential service to pets and their owners all across the USA. Please call 1-800-PET-MOBILE today. Ask all about our NO CONTACT grooming or visit our website at www.AussiePetMobile.Com and get the facts.
Most sincerely,
Aussie Pet Mobile, Inc.
Leon Feuerberg
President