Since the epidemic began, more than 75 million Americans have tested positive for COVID. Humans can protect themselves against COVID with immunizations, masks, hand sanitizers, and social isolation, but what about your four-legged animal family members? Here’s all you need to know about COVID and pets.
According to Vanessa Hale, PhD, assistant professor at Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Can your pet get COVID-19?
“The only animal-to-human transfer we’ve found is in mink,” Hale stated.
There have been no reported incidences of animal to human transmission in dogs or cats. However, people have sometimes infected their pets with COVID. Cats were more likely than dogs to become sick.
“The Center for Disease Control now proposes that we treat our pets like other human family members. So, if we become ill, we should stay away from them,” Hale told Ivanhoe.
If you get COVID-19, avoid kissing, touching, cuddling, and sleeping with your pet. Limit your pet’s interaction with strangers. However, do not use chemical disinfectants, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, hand sanitizers, or other cleansers on your pet. Because the symptoms of COVID in pets are modest, such as coughing, sneezing, or diarrhoea, scientists suggest a vaccination for dogs and cats is improbable.
The ASPCA advises pet owners to store up on two weeks of food and a month’s worth of meds in case of covid-19 infection.
