Is it okay to let your dog sleep in your bed?
A lot depends on your dog. If you have a dog that tends to be aggressive, or gives you even the slightest hint of aggression, he’s not your best candidate for co-snuggling. That being said, my 95-pound German Shepherd Bueller sleeps in bed with me and my husband and he is a total love bug. In fact if he jumps off because he’s too hot we bum out!
Medically, the pet insurance company Trupanion says:
- The health risk of allowing dogs to sleep in the bed is dependent on the individual’s health, and would be greater in those individuals with compromised or weaker immune systems.
- There is always a risk of disease transmission from animals to people (“zoonotic diseases”), such as ringworm or parasites.
- These risks can be minimized (but never eliminated) by wiping your dog’s paws after it has been outside, washing your hands, checking the skin regularly for any lesions, regular grooming, regular fecal exams and deworming, and changing the sheets regularly.
- It’s important to note that COVID-19 is widely recognized as primarily a person-to-person disease and there is currently no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus. Trupanion has not seen significant illnesses in pets due to COVID-19
If your dog is like mine your biggest problem is going to be your four-legged friend hogging the covers and leaving his toys on your pillow! What’s the rule in your house? Does your dog sleep in your bed??