FAQ – COVID-19 and Your Pets

Info posted on 06/04/2020

Here are some answers to the questions I’m sure you are having. As we learn more about the virus, this information may change.

From Dr Carrie Jurney:
-Only four pets from COVID positive homes have had positive tests (compared to 1.26 million people). Two cats, Two dogs.

-In high dose experimental infections, dogs, cat and ferrets were positive on respiratory PCR for the virus, and some of all three species would seroconvert. That means they found the virus in their respiratory tract (which can be an infection or a contaminant) AND their bodies made antibodies which it really only does after an infection- so, they can be infected in experimental settings at least. Only ferrets, and to a lesser extent cats were able to transmit the virus to other ferrets/cats.

-There is NO evidence that a person has ever gotten this from a pet. ZERO. NONE. 1.26 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the world and only 2 dogs, 2 cats and 1 tiger.

-Wide scale testing (thousands) at IDEXX has shown no positives from pet samples in the US. Trupanion pet insurance reports no increase in claims or any respiratory or GI claims across their very large network (500,000 pet owners). That means very plainly this is not a huge problem in our pets. People are the primary problem here.

-The lions and tigers do however help confirm we can give it to some animals. Still, there is *NO* evidence they can spread it to us.

-The advice is still: If you are sick, isolate from your pet as much as you can. The animal should as much as possible be quarantined in the household.

-If you are a vet team member, and need to see a pet from a COVID positive home in your practice, that is when you should be using PPE. It is a very low chance that they will spread it as a fomite or directly, but that is a good time to be cautious.

How to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 in Equestrian Facilities:
lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/COVID-19%20Prevention%20in%20Equestrian%20Facilities%20AAEP.pdf?token=AWxB0D3S_jhYOw1lNO0ctS0_0A-KLo64s4ZfN2imnupKBtwO_2TOrwNz_BVTQmEOlRgTjdBSOD6FD-OX6AXWU3JRFdnYU1ycuaLqK47TvykL3j_Rt9S70uvNewTouv4Wm9ZpcRjg8SghpIlW-4ZCTfR4zz83fmq57a7Ps2vWuQj-Aw (this is found in the files under COVID-19 if sorted alphabetically).

Info on the study in cats:
https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2020/04/articles/animals/cats/sars-cov-2-in-cats-wuhan-china/?fbclid=IwAR1x7kdd42jBWkfiw2o1fq1mTSAsU3sOwwSr409aODVGNUugsvsowJxn8KA