Paws for Thought – Submitted for the May 2020 Issue

Hopefully, by the time this article is printed, the COVID-19 pandemic is in its waning moments.  Also, by the time this article is read, most of us will probably be a little tired about reading about it.  It is likely that some of the information and what we know abut the virus will change, so some of the following information may be outdated or just plain wrong.  With that I mind, I still think it prudent to write about COVID-19 because it is likely the most important global event in the last decade and the information can provide insight into future pandemics.

As of writing this (April 7, 2020), there have been reports of 2 dogs and 2 domestic cats that have been verified to have been infected with COVID-19.  The dogs were from Hong Kong and neither of them showed clinical signs of illness.  One cat was from Belgium and had clinical signs of vomiting, diarrhea, and respiratory illness.  The second cat was from Hong Kong and showed no clinical signs.  All the animals lived with people who tested positive for COVID-19.  Ferrets have also been experimentally shown to be infected and can show clinical signs.  There have been no known naturally-occurring infections in ferrets (and I am guessing few have been tested).

Also, a tiger at the Bronx Zoo was shown to be infected and she had clinical signs.  6 other big cats at the zoo may also have been infected and showed clinical signs, but they were not tested.  Now, of course, a tiger is not a pet, nor should it be as the other pandemic phenomenon, The Tiger King, has shown us.  However, the fact that a tiger was infected, does show the ability of this virus to infect other species.

Even though these other species were infected, it has not been shown that they can directly transmit the virus to us, or even to other members of their own or other species.  In all known cases, the animals contracted the virus from people.  This is important as there is absolutely no reason to relinquish a pet due to fear of the coronavirus.  If anything, we could learn from cats as they are the poster species for social isolation.  Most cats, even outdoor cats, only come into contact with the people and animals in their homes.  So, if they have COVID-19, they almost invariably got it from someone in their house.  (Again, if you have a tiger and it has COVID-19, you have bigger problems than the virus.)

With that being said, it is possible for pets to act as a “fomite.”  This means the virus can be on their fur, and someone who pets the dog can then, in theory, become infected with COVID-19.  As of this writing, this has not been known to happen, but is theoretically possible.  However, porous objects (such as pet fur) are not as effective of a fomite as smooth surfaces (such as door knobs), so this decreases the likelihood of pets being a vehicle of COVID-19 transmission.  Yet, if someone is known to be infected with COVID-19, they should place their pet in quarantine along with themselves.  If the pet absolutely needs veterinary care, let the veterinary office know so they can take proper precautions (which most of us are doing anyway).  If someone is known to be infected with COVID-19, it is best to minimize contact with pets in the house and have someone else care for the pet while the person is contagious.

If someone is concerned their pet has COVID-19, it probably doesn’t.  If someone just wants to know, there is no readily available test to check (if the tests are hard to come by for people, it is not likely we can easily test animals).  However, if someone with known COVID-19 has a pet that is showing signs, it may be possible to get their pet tested.  This would be done in conjunction with the CDC and is not something a veterinarian would likely be able to do with a simple office visit.  Also, as pets are not likely to transmit the disease to others, should be quarantined anyway along with infected owners, there is not a lot of rationale to test pets.  So, unless something changes, do not worry about having your pet tested.

Although it has been shown that dogs, cats, and ferrets can be infected with COVID-19, the likelihood that they will be sick is low, and the likelihood they can directly transmit the virus to others is even lower.  The fact that they can act as fomites (again, even this is a very low likelihood) means we should follow the same lessons that we have been taught over and over in this pandemic – wash your hands, don’t touch your face, maintain social distance, and don’t have tigers as pets.