Coronavirus & Your Pets: An Update
There have been changes to our lifestyle and more has been learned about COVID-19 since my last blog post just 2 weeks ago. I have appeared on several radio & television shows to share how coronavirus is impacting our pets and their people and I wanted to provide an update on my blog so it would be easily accessible to all.
Facts:
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) do not believe that pets play a role in the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to humans or to other animals.
There have been no reports of infection or clinical disease in any pets in the United States to date.
A leading veterinary diagnostic laboratory, IDEXX, has developed a COVID-19 test for use in animals. They applied this test to samples sent in (from across the USA and South Korea) for their Respiratory PCR panels and all were negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
What You Can Do:
Make sure you have food for each of your pets for at least 2 weeks, preferably 1 month.
Check your supply of flea/tick prevention and heartworm prevention. Continue preventative care!
If your pet suffers from chronic disease and/or is in need of daily medication, make sure you have a sufficient supply of that as well.
Have instructions for care of each of your pets printed out in the event you become sick with ANY illness, you have a caretaker lined up and all instructions, food, and medication readily available.
During this time of social distancing and quarantine, many wonder what to do with their pets. What if they are sick and need veterinary care? Veterinary hospitals are essential businesses. We are open and continuing to see patients; however, many clinics are operating through curbside service only and implementing safety measures to protect staff members as well as clients. My practice is also offering telemedicine as a service to our clients. Thankfully, the FDA has relaxed the Veterinary Client Patient Relationship legalities enabling us to use telemedicine to help animals during this time when their owners feel uneasy about leaving their home.
I think as humans, we are all struggling a bit with the quarantine recommendation. We crave human connection and it is difficult to be forced to stay at your home. But I have seen so many of my neighbors out walking their dogs, going for bike rides with their dogs, and I even saw someone with their cat on a leash! I am thankful our pets seem to be benefitting from more time with their owners; however, when our pets are out and about: going for a hike, running on the beach, getting fresh air, they are at risk for external parasites like fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes. Overall, this has been a pretty mild winter and ticks are expected to be a real problem in 2020. During this lifestyle change of limited human contact, please do not forget about your pets. Preventative care is more important now than ever. I recommend using a product that not only kills, but repels fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes protecting your dog from the diseases these parasites transmit. In addition, do not forget about heartworm prevention! I am fearful that when the coronavirus pandemic eases, I will be seeing a lot of diseases like Lyme disease and heartworm disease which are preventable. Get outside with your husband, wife, kids, and pets! Fresh air and sunshine is helpful to all species. Stay safe & check back for updates!
– Leigh Hofmeister, DVM