As your Pet, Any Chances of Me Getting Infected With New COVID-19? Is it safe to Pet me or not?
As an important member of our family, we want to keep our pets healthy and safe. Given the unknowns about the disease, no one is able to pinpoint correctly about the actions of the New COVID-19 on our pets. So let’s see what some of the specialists say.
Experts have previously said that pets cannot contract coronavirus, but, as with humans, they could pick it up from surfaces just like we can.
Li Lanjuan, an epidemiologist and representative of China’s National Health Commission cautioned pet owners in China:
“If pets go out and have contact with an infected person, they have the chance to get infected. By then, pets need to be isolated. In addition to people, we should be careful with other mammals especially pets.”
But, The World Health Organization has stated:
“There is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit COVID-19.
COVID-19 is mainly spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks.
To protect yourself, clean your hands frequently and thoroughly.”
The CDC says that:
“While this virus seems to have emerged from an animal source, it is now spreading from person-to-person.”
The CDC recommends that people traveling to China avoid animals both alive and dead, “but there is no reason to think that any animals or pets in the United States might be a source of infection with this novel coronavirus.”
And there’s science behind that:
“The virus survives best on smooth surfaces, such as counter tops and doorknobs,” and “Porous materials, such as pet fur, tend to absorb and trap pathogens, making it harder to contact them through touch.”
The Chief Veterinary Officer for the AKC, says:
“The CDC has not reported any cases of pets or other animals becoming infected with COVID-19 in the United States or anywhere else in the world, including hotbeds like Italy.”
The American Veterinary Medical Association concurs:
“Infectious disease experts and multiple international and domestic human and animal health organizations agree there is no evidence at this point to indicate that pets become ill with COVID-19 or that they spread it to other animals, including people.”
Is it safe to pet my dog? Whether a dog’s fur or skin could be contaminated by the virus?
If its infected owner sneezed on it, it might reside happily on the lush coat of your dog, but like fabric, fur is a porous surface — so it isn’t easy for a person to pick up bits of the virus from it.
“The chances of you getting it from fur and hair is going to be less than getting it from a solid surface,” says Graham, the virologist.
Still, she said, she would err on the side of caution and ask people not to pet your dog right now.
She says one way to make sure your dog doesn’t get touched by overenthusiastic petters is to avoid letting your dog off-leash in a place where it may encounter other people.
Rather than going to a dog park, she says, “it might be a better idea to take your dog out in the yard or somewhere you know that there’s not going to be a lot of people.”
Confusing?
Then how can dog owners protect dogs from coronavirus?
For now,
Follow basic hygienic precautions such as washing their hands with soap and water before and after contact with any animal, including dogs and cats.
If you test positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, experts recommend that you should “restrict contact with [your] animals — both to avoid exposing the pets and to prevent getting the virus on their skin or fur, which might be passed on to another person who touches the animal.”
To reduce the spread of all germs, you may consider wiping your pet’s paws when they come in and out of the house with a paw cleaner and paw wipes.
Dogs do not need a face mask to protect themselves against the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
If you are still concerned or notice a change in your dog’s health, speak to a veterinarian.
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Take him for a walk- As long as the area where you reside remains safe enough to venture outside, dog owners feeling healthy and well should plan to continue walking their dogs daily, albeit with added safety measures.
Owners should wash their hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds before and after each walk.
Consider carrying around a pocket-sized bottle of hand sanitizer during your walks.
Practice social distancing measures by walking your dog in uncrowded areas when possible.
So try to keep you and your pets safe. Keep social distancing from others and follow any guidelines given by the RSPCA during coronavirus.
Scientists say the likelihood of the virus making yet another jump to another species like dogs in such a short space of time is very, very small. Widespread advice has been given globally reassuring pet owners not to worry about their pets during the pandemic.
Please do not abandon or stop giving your attention to your animals.
