Maintaining high standards of patient care and welfare for isolated animals is essential, even when infection control measures limit staff interactions and animal movement.
Animals in isolation often experience
- Reduced human contact, from staff and owners/caregivers
- Contact which may feel unnatural or even uncomfortable due to the need to wear PPE such as gloves and aprons
- Restricted access to enrichment or exercise
- Longer periods confined to kennels or enclosures
These factors can significantly impact an animal’s emotional wellbeing, stress levels, and overall recovery. By balancing infection control with proactive patient care and welfare measures, we can ensure that isolated animals receive the dignity, comfort, and treatment they deserve throughout their stay. Therefore, it is crucial to make intentional efforts to support both physical and psychological health, including:
- Providing enrichment (toys, sensory stimulation, safe handling when appropriate)
- Monitoring behaviour
- Ensuring handling is gentle, even within PPE and infection control protocols
Important considerations when using toys for enrichment:
- Choose toys which are made from hard, non-porous materials such as rubber or plastic, which can be easily cleaned and disinfected.
- Avoid soft, fabric, or porous toys, as these are more difficult to disinfect effectively and may harbour pathogens.
- Clean and disinfect toys between patients or when dirty.
- Inspect toys regularly and replace any that are damaged or cannot be properly cleaned.
Keeping animals clean, and ensuring access to food and water is essential for good patient welfare. Cleaning and hygiene standards must not be reduced, despite isolation limitations. For patient comfort it is important to ensure:
- Strict cleaning protocols are maintained to reduce pathogen load and patient’s comfort
- Spot cleaning occurs throughout the day
- Bedding, toys and food bowls are checked, cleaned and replaced when necessary