Pets and COVID-19 | Pet Peeves
There appears to be an uptick in the number of COVID cases lately. When this virus first came on the scene, we were unsure if it affected animals, too. Now we know that animals can get COVID-19. While it has been downplayed in the media, family pets are susceptible to COVID-19 if their humans come down with the virus.
Just the other day, I, as a veterinarian, was seeing a family’s dog for a possible upper respiratory condition. The symptoms involved snorting and hacking. The pet had productive sneezing and discharge from the nose. While trying to diagnose this pet, questions about exposure to other dogs came up as well as vaccine status. But the owners did not mention that they had both had COVID three weeks prior to their dog getting ill until well into the visit.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if you are sick with COVID-19, you should avoid contact with your pets if possible. This would include petting, snuggling, kissing or sleeping in the same bed. Don’t panic; you can only do so much in this arena. Sometimes contact is required because of your home set up. But do your best.
The CDC also stresses that one should not go overboard cleaning one’s pets. They emphasize not wiping or bathing your pet with chemical disinfectants, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or hand sanitizers. There is no evidence that the virus can spread to people from the skin, fur or hair of the pet. I’m sure this is stressed because one worries that one might injure the pet in an effort to “clean” away the virus.
Pets that do contract the virus may or may not get sick. Most of the time they only have mild symptoms and recover completely if they do catch COVID-19. Symptoms include fever, coughing, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, acting tired, sneezing or runny nose. Basically, the same things we see in people.
If you have the virus and your pet starts to show these symptoms, it is usually a good idea for your pet to see the veterinarian, but warn your veterinarian when you make the appointment so that he can prepare and protect his staff. This would include the staff wearing a mask and possibly gloves when they go in to see your pet.
While there is a test for the COVID-19 virus for dogs, it runs around $200. We swab the pharynx and the conjunctival sac, and send it to the lab. We generally treat the pet symptomatically, so the test is not going to change the treatment except to confirm that the pet has it and owners should isolate the dog from other dogs and people. The history of recent exposure to COVID should be sufficient in most cases unless the pet is extremely ill and further testing is necessary to advance the treatment.
Treatment when pets have the virus is generally tailored to the symptoms and would include an antibiotic to prevent or treat secondary bacterial infection and something for congestion or cough. These pets usually do very well with treatment. Every day we are learning more and more about the virus. It looks like it is here to stay and it needs to be taken seriously.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Pets and COVID-19 | Pet Peeves
