Update: COVID-19 and Our Pets
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
By Dr. Amanda Zetwo, DVM, Medical Director of Clinic & Community Services
With the recent report of the dog in North Carolina who tested positive for COVID-19, I wanted to check in and highlight some key points from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
This is a rapidly evolving situation and new information is gathered on a regular basis, but so far we have seen some consistent behavior from the virus regarding people and pets. Right now, there is no evidence that animals play a primary role in spreading the virus. While it likely did start in an animal, the virus mutated so that now COVID-19 is mainly spread from person to person or on recently contaminated objects. The risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is considered low according to the CDC at this time.
But what about the tiger and two housecats in New York, the dog in North Carolina and your own pets? What we know as of today – May 6, 2020 – to put things in very general laymen’s terms, people can give it to them, but they can’t give it to us. However, it’s a constantly changing situation, so we need to be careful and smart in our interactions with people and pets right now.
An excellent quote from the amazing Dr. Tracey McNamara, a boarded veterinary pathologist, is “absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence.” If we aren’t looking, we can’t definitively say how the virus does and does not behave without more testing and information with peer-reviewed studies. It wouldn’t be surprising for us to test a variety of animals and to find more positive cases like those mentioned above.
When Dr. McNamara, head pathologist at the Bronx Zoo, discovered West Nile in the US in 1999, it started in birds and received little attention until people started to die. At that time, it was presumed to be St. Louis Encephalitis that people were dying from. But she had found it in other birds in their zoo population, including flamingos and a bald eagle, and noticed the similarities between people and animals. People assumed that it was just birds and humans, but West Nile was even found in alligators and a snow leopard. Seek and you shall find.
At this time, we have yet to see where a pet or animal has transmitted COVID-19 to a person. The animals that have been diagnosed with COVID-19 so far likely got it from a person in their daily life that was infected first. I can’t say that for certain, but that seems to be the thought at this time. From what we know, animals appear to harbor it but not spread it. Some have mild upper respiratory signs but most are able to self-resolve.
Cats especially are prone to viral upper respiratory infections, and stress will exasperate this. If your pet is sneezing or coughing, it’s unlikely to be COVID-19 at this time from what we know. Your local veterinarian can only test your pet under certain criteria mandated in accordance with the state veterinarian and public health officials.
For now, treat pets as you would other human family members. If a person inside the household becomes sick, isolate that person from everyone else, including pets if you are able. If you are sick with COVID-19 and have a service animal, or you must care for your pet, it is recommended that you wear a cloth face mask, don’t share food, kiss, or hug them and wash your hands before and after any contact with your pet or service animal.
I know this is an uncertain time and it would be great to have a definitive answer but we just don’t have one yet. The CDC and AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) will continue to update information as it becomes available. Hang in there and stay safe!