Beginning with the current human COVID-19 pandemic, and the past canine parvovirus outbreak, lessons as to susceptibility and spread of the illnesses have been learned, that although not exact, will give us a reasonable course of action with the current threat of CIRDC in canines. We know that the following steps and precautions should be considered important enough in order to minimize the risks to our canine companions.

1. If you have reliable knowledge or reason to believe CIRDC is in your area, you should minimize, as much as our lifestyles allow, exposure to animals that frequent those areas where transmittal could be expected, especially in indoor settings. This will not only protect your canine, but reduce the spread and numbers infected.
2. When visits are necessary, favor sites that use the most up-to-date procedures and equipment to reduce indoor surface and air transmittal threats.
3. Always reduce exposure to the younger and older canine and those animals that may have compromised immune systems due to the existing ailments, especially in higher-traffic locales, including outdoor as well as indoor venues.
4. Overprotecting a healthy, active, and robust canine from exposure also may have a downside as well. As they seem to be currently experiencing in China a high spike in children of respiratory infection after a long population lockdown during COVID, which may have contributed to lessening natural immunity development. A lack of medical data from this country clouds this theory’s accuracy. However, the information we do have leads in that direction.
5. Do not let rumor and hysteria place even more stress on a healthy family life based on unreliable information. Stay current, and put your trust on what we know and use your own good judgment in protecting all of your family members. Trust the canine autoimmune system and competent researchers’ ability to find the solutions and persevere.

The good news is that we have solutions to maximize indoor protection from infectious disaster and that should be considered by animal care facilities in bolstering public confidence in the safe haven protections your services offer. These solutions are in current use and have proven their effectiveness, especially in locations with higher danger of cross-contamination where high-risk patients and animals may be found, such as veterinary facilities, hospitals, and nursing homes. Most of these solutions have proven records of effectiveness in the water damage restoration industry.

The steps to take in achieving immediate results include:

1. A highly-effective sanitizing agent should be used that’s fast-acting, leaves zero harmful residue, and is safe to use around people and pets. A good candidate would be what your hospital and county health department recommends, and perhaps as simple a product as H₂O₂, also known as hydrogen peroxide, would be a good choice. Check the percentage solution they recommend. H₂O₂ is a fast kill agent that disseminates rapidly and is safe to use. Whatever the sanitizing agent chosen for surface application, its use must be increased in frequency in higher-traffic indoor settings.
2. Today’s application methods for disinfecting have changed to accomplish more even surface coverage, greatly reducing liquid residue buildup and ensuring quicker, wider coverage application that will encourage more frequent, effective use of disinfectants not only on surfaces, but also being highly adept at sanitizing caging, dog runs, and animal enclosures since ultra-low volume (ULV) foggers with mist droplets at 50 µm (microns) or smaller, which will more effectively suspend in the air to sanitize the adjacent airspace as well.
3. The big elephant in the room, as concerns the spread of airborne disease and pollutants, is particulate matter (PM), which except for nasal/cough discharge (which has limited range, allowing the old, reliable facemask to protect from some transmittal), is defined as 10 microns or smaller in diameter size and remains suspended/floating unseen in air, not just hours, but days and weeks, especially in higher-traffic, indoor venues. Add to that extra moisture created drying dogs that dramatically increases relative humidity (RH), moisture in the air, which in itself creates even more PM, and you have a major problem, especially with 2.5 micron diameter sizes and smaller, which experts consider the most invasive sizes that can penetrate to the throat, lungs, heart, and even the brain, and which is capable of carrying large numbers of virus and bacteria with it.
4. The use of a commercial-grade air purifier, when equipped with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filter (HEPA), in a multi-filter unit that has high unit efficiency processing at least 700+ cubic feet per minute (CFM) of filtered air. The CFM of the selected unit should be capable of a complete air turnover rate of 4-10 times per hour within the closed indoor area. Turnover rates are determined by overall facility traffic, infectious animal loading, and air purifier unit efficiency at filtering air without leakage. One should select a HEPA filter of not less than one-inch thickness, and can select, for larger venues, up to one-foot-thick HEPAS to meet optimum room turnover rates. Some units are equipped with 2.5-micron warning indicators, as well as ultraviolet (UV) technology. The very best air purifiers are found in the commercial regulated water damage restoration industry, and have a strong record of durability and reliability.

CIRDC is not unconquerable, and it will not be the last challenge in the long struggle against transmittable disease. It will take all levels of our animal care industry working together to slow CIRDC down and control the effects. We all must cooperate and stop pointing fingers, and concern ourselves with the greater goal. Bringing forward and reinforcing the trust and professional respect from the pet-owning public has to be our common cause.

This article interrupted our planned flow on equipment blog posts and injected subject matter we have not previously covered in depth. The decision was made because of timeliness issues and serious concerns shown on this issue within our animal care community being too great to delay a response.

A detailed series on air purifiers is next follow in our series of articles, and particulate matter will follow that.

I hope my followers will find this article helpful and will reduce some of the anxiety CIRDC has caused. But it will not be the last time issues like this will occur. Our real hope is we must learn to better prepare for the next time and not repeat our errors. Disunity, lack of leadership, and partisanship concern must be avoided if we are to find solutions and make the world a little better environment for our beloved pets and those who care for them.

Have a wonderful holiday and great New Year.

Best Wishes,

-The Professor