Update: COVID-19 and Pets

Laurie Anne Walden, DVM

Six months after my first blog post about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and pets, it’s time for another look at what we know about the disease. The information in this article is current on October 2, 2020. For updates and more information, please see these resources:

• World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE): https://www.oie.int/en/scientific-expertise/specific-information-and-recommendations/questions-and-answers-on-2019novel-coronavirus/
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/animals/pets-other-animals.html
• World Health Organization (WHO): https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
• American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA): https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/covid-19
  

Can pets get sick with COVID-19?
Infection is possible but rare in animals. Cats seem to be at higher risk than other companion animals.

Over the last several months, a few animals have had positive tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, after contact with people who were known or suspected to be carrying the virus. The virus has been identified in domestic cats, large cats, mink, and dogs. A positive virus test doesn’t necessarily mean that an animal will get sick or will be able to transmit the virus to other animals.

According to the OIE, cats and farmed mink have developed disease symptoms after being infected naturally (not in a laboratory). Cats have had respiratory and digestive tract symptoms, and mink have had respiratory disease and a higher death rate.

In laboratory studies, cats, ferrets, golden Syrian hamsters, some nonhuman primates, dogs, and fruit bats have been infected. In the laboratory, cats, ferrets, and fruit bats were able to transmit the infection to other animals of the same species. Whether animal-to-animal transmission happens in animals’ natural environments is not yet clear.

Can pets give COVID-19 to people?
There is still no evidence, after infections in millions of people, that companion animals spread the infection to humans. “The current pandemic is being sustained through human to human transmission of SARS-CoV-2,” writes the OIE. There have also been no reports of the virus being spread by contact with animal hair or accessories like leashes.

The virus probably arose from an animal species (possibly bats), but we don’t yet know the exact source, route of transmission to humans, or whether intermediate host species were involved.

How should I protect my pets during the pandemic?
The OIE, CDC, WHO, and AVMA all have similar recommendations for pet owners during the pandemic:

• Use hygiene measures like washing your hands before and after handling animals, animal food, and animal supplies.
• Don’t kiss animals, let them lick you, or share food with them.
• Keep cats indoors to minimize their exposure risk.
• Avoid large gatherings with your pets.
• When walking dogs, keep them on leash and stay at least 6 feet away from other people.
• For service animals that must go into public areas, clean and disinfect collars, vests, leashes, and other supplies regularly.
• Have backup caregivers lined up and an emergency kit ready in case you get sick. Here’s a printable COVID-19 pet preparedness checklist from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control and Humane Society of Charlotte: https://charlottenc.gov/AnimalsCMPD/PetSafety/Documents/covid%20preparedness.pdf  
• Do not use household disinfectants on animals.
• Don’t put a mask on an animal. Masks are a suffocation risk for animals.

The CDC guidance for handlers of service and therapy animals is available here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/animals/service-therapy-animals.html

If I have COVID-19, what should I do with my pets?
Recommendations for people with confirmed or suspected infection include the following:

• Minimize your contact with animals, especially species known to be susceptible to infection.
• Have someone else in your household care for your pets if possible.
• If you must care for your pets yourself, wear a mask and use good hygiene practices.
• Keep your pets away from people who are not in your household during your quarantine.
• If your pet is sick, call your veterinary clinic. Tell the clinic you have (or might have) COVID-19. If your pet needs to go the clinic, have someone else transport your pet; do not go yourself.
• It’s best to keep your pets in your own household or with your backup caregivers while you’re quarantining. There is no need to give up or abandon them because you have COVID-19. If you can’t care for them while you’re sick, contact local animal control services to see if temporary animal sheltering is available.

Should my pet be tested for the COVID-19 virus?
Current guidance from the CDC and the North Carolina Division of Public Health does not recommend routinely testing animals for SARS-CoV-2. Veterinarians are asked to rule out more common causes of the symptoms before considering COVID-19 testing. In North Carolina, the decision to approve testing in an animal is made in collaboration with state public health officials. Animals approved for testing must meet certain criteria, like having possible exposure to SARS-CoV-2, compatible clinical signs, and no evidence of another cause of the symptoms.

Image: Creative rendition of SARS-COV-2 virus particles (not to scale). Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health

---