Coronavirus and Your Pets: What You Need to Know
You can’t go anywhere without talking or hearing about Coronavirus. Just this morning I heard Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, have tested positive. All businesses from my local hospital to Starbucks to my hair salon have sent emails letting us know they are monitoring the spread of the virus and increasing their sanitation efforts. If it has been confirmed in your city or state, you may even be working from home. It is scary to hear about a new viral disease that is spreading quickly. And while our concern centers on family, friends, and colleagues, my clients have asked about the risk to their pets too. Therefore I have compiled research from several credible sources in order to provide you with the most accurate information regarding Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the associated disease COVID-19 and what risk, if any, this poses to your fur babies. It is important to note this is a novel coronavirus, meaning it is brand new and we are learning more every day.
Let me talk about viruses for just a moment. Humans and animals are exposed to hundreds of pathogens (viruses, bacteria) daily. Our immune systems can fight off the majority of these threats and we don’t even know it is happening! When you stop and think about it, our immune systems are amazing. However, if a human or animal has underlying disease (cancer, asthma, autoimmune disease, etc) or is immunocompromised due to age or other conditions, it makes contracting a virus like COVID-19 scary because the immune system can’t fight to its full potential. The virus, SARS-CoV-2, likely originated from bat caves located in southwest China. There are several coronaviruses in the animal population that have been around for thousands of years and are stable within the animal population meaning they do not cause disease. However, when SARS-CoV-2 was introduced into the human body it began to cause disease.
What does this mean for us and our pets?
SARS-CoV-2 is in the U.S. and rapidly spreading. It is now classified as a pandemic due to the presence of the virus in every continent except Antarctica. However, there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 in dogs or cats. In Hong Kong, after a person tested positive, their dog was quarantined and when tested with throat and nasal swabs, traces of SARS-CoV-2 were found. The dog was not experiencing any symptoms and still (to my knowledge) is not. We do not know how long the virus can survive in the environment, so theoretically it is possible a pet (like an inanimate object such as a door handle or suitcase) could act as a mode of transmission if adequate hygiene is not maintained. For example, if someone carrying the virus coughs into their hands, then pets a dog and you come along and pet the same dog and don’t wash your hands it is possible you could become infected.
Coronaviruses are not new in veterinary medicine. There is a canine coronavirus which causes intestinal disease and in the absence of any other infection causes mild diarrhea that resolves on its own. However, puppies that are infected with canine coronavirus and parvovirus can become very ill. Dogs and puppies appropriately vaccinated for parvovirus will have mild to no signs of disease. There is also a canine coronavirus that causes respiratory disease which is often part of the group of viruses and bacteria that cause Kennel Cough. Both of these canine coronaviruses cause mild to no disease for the majority of the canine population. There are coronaviruses that infect cats. Most cats will have no clinical signs of illness or it may cause mild diarrhea in kittens. Another form of feline coronavirus can lead to the disease Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). Most cats will suppress the virus with their healthy immune systems, but if the virus mutates it will cause FIP which has a relatively poor outcome.
What can we do to protect ourselves and our pets?
It is imperative to maintain proper hygiene. Wash your hands often including after you pet your dog or cat! Try not to touch your face. Wash your dog and cat’s food bowls daily, make sure you provide your pets with fresh water and fresh food. And while dogs and cats are not at risk for contracting COVID-19 like humans are, they are still at risk for many other pathogens, particularly as spring breaks across the country. We cannot forget to keep our pets protected against external parasites like fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes.
Ticks are especially concerning in the warmer weather and using a preventative that also contains a repellent ensures these pests do not transfer disease to our dogs. It is also important to make sure your dog and cat are up to date on their vaccinations, fecal evaluation, heartworm test and bloodwork.
Please contact your family veterinarian with any questions or concerns! There are measures being taken by government and healthcare officials to slow the spread of the virus, but we are learning more by the minute! Follow the Center for Disease Control (CDC.gov) for the latest updates.
– Leigh Hofmeister, DVM