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COVID-19: Can coronavirus infect our companion animals?

by Shivangi Agarwal
5 minutes read

Last week, a 4-year-old Malayan Tiger named Nadia at the Bronx Zoo, in New York City, started exhibiting one of the key symptoms of the novel coronavirus: dry cough.

The tiger tested positive for COVID-19 and became the first animal to get infected in the United States, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says. Not only Nadia but also her sister Azul, two Amur tigers and three African lions were showing the same symptoms as Nadia.

The tiger is believed to have contracted the virus from an asymptomatic zookeeper. “This is the first time that any of us know of anywhere in the world that a person infected the animal and the animal got sick,” told Paul Calle, the chief vet at the zoo, told Reuters.

This was the first of its kind case and hence raised a lot of questions such as how the virus could affect the animals we spend our time with? How can it be tested? What are the preventions? Need not to worry, we’ll tackle all the questions here.

Also Read COVID-19: Being well-informed can prevent you from getting infected

Coronavirus and Pets: Can the virus affect them?

Coronavirus has lived and developed in animals for more than hundreds of years but only some of them have been known to cause illness in human beings. The ongoing pandemic SARS-Cov-2 is unexpectedly successful at spreading from human to human. It has infected over 1.4 million people across the world and spread to over 200 countries and territories.

Some reports have shown that coronavirus can infect our pets and other exotic animals like tigers and lions. Actually the cases are rare because the transmission of the disease from humans to animals is low. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that there is no evidence that a cat, dog or any other pet animal can transmit COVID-19.

Also, there are several reports that give evidence of SARS-Cov-2 infection in pets- a cat in Belgium tested positive for the disease on March 24 and a 17-year-old dog in Hong Kong repeatedly tested ‘weakly positive’ and later died.

A Veterinary Scientist, Jacqui Norris at the University of Sydney in Australia stated that these pets were living with infected owners and the duration of positive results demonstrates humans to animal transmission. Also, an active virus was not present on these pets.

The Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in China conducted research to examine the susceptibility of a number of species to COVID-19. The test was done on a small number of animals including cats and dogs. The results of the test demonstrated that cats can be infected with the coronavirus and may be able to spread it to other cats via respiratory droplets. For further examination, researchers placed infected cats in cages next to three uninfected animals and found that in one case the virus had spread from cat to cat whereas dogs appeared to be more resistant.

How to stay healthy around pets?

People should limit their contact with their pets until more information is gathered regarding the virus. This will surely help in maintaining the health of your family and your pets.

If you are suspected with COVID-19, you should restrict your access to your pets or other animals just like you would do around other people.

As it is always a good idea to practice healthy habits around pets and other animals. Here are some points that can be considered while you come in contact with your furry loved ones:

  • Wash your hands carefully up to 20 seconds before and after handling animals, their food and waste.
  • While you are sick, have any other family member take care of your pet, if possible.
  • Avoid contact with your pet including, petting, being kissed or licked, sharing food, etc.
  • Practice clean up after your pets and proper pet hygiene.
  • If you have questions regarding your pet’s health talk to your veterinarian.

New studies are being conducted every day to explore the new COVID-19 coronavirus and we urge you to stay connected to various health establishments around the world including WHO, CDC, ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), and your government’s portal.

Stay indoors, avoid touching your face, keep washing your hands, practice proper hygiene, and follow government orders.

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