Animals-Covid19 Misc FAQ's

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   By Scott Weese on March 14, 2020

It’s pretty much full time COVID-19 around here and I’ve gotten behind in posting. I figured it might be useful to recap some of the more common questions.
Does the SARS-CoV-2 virus (virus that causes COVID-19) infect animals?
 It started in animals and has been found in a dog, but we don’t know much more. From a transmission standpoint, this is a human disease. Whether it’s purely human or predominantly human is a lingering question. If it’s purely a human disease, we can ignore the animal side (except as fomites (contaminated surface)…more on that below). If it’s predominantly an animal disease, the focus still needs to be on people, but there are some animal aspects worth considering.
What about that dog in Hong Kong?
The dog was owned by an infected person and had a series of positive tests. That’s pretty convincing evidence that it was infected. However, the tests were weak positives and no detectable antibody response was present (at least yet), supporting a pretty low grade infection.
Infected vs infectious is the big question. An individual can be infected but not infectious, if they’re not producing much virus. The hope is that dogs are not a great host for the virus and if infected, maybe they’re not infected enough to pose a risk.
What about cats?
They’re still a bigger concern because they are more likely to be infectious and limited (or no?) testing has been done. They were able to be infected by the SARS virus and could infect other cats, and this virus is similar enough that it’s reasonable to be concerned about them. Time will tell based on field study (hopefully) and probably experimental work.
Should I be worried about catching this disease from my dog/cat?
No. As a disease that is predominantly or purely transmitted by people, pets are going to get it from people. If your dog/cat is infected, it probably got it from you or one of your close contacts (who pose more of a risk to you than the dog/cat.)
So, what should we think about with pets?
Common sense. If you’re infected, stay away from people and pets. If you’re infected and you’ve been with your pet, keep it away from others. If we keep pets from getting exposed and keep exposed pets away from people,  then the risks will be limited, if there are any.
What about livestock?
This is another ‘we don’t know’ topic. Pigs are the main concern. This is being investigated experimentally so more information will presumably be available in the future. For now, the messaging is the same as for pets….if you’re infected, stay away from your livestock. That means staying out of the barn, if possible. If not, it means avoiding close contact and good hygiene practices (covering coughs, hand hygiene…)
To finish off…..here’s one I get a dozen times a day…
Can pets transmit the virus via their haircoats?
Maybe. Haircoats are probably similar to other hand contact sites (but more mobile). If someone is infected and touches or coughs on their pet, it’s reasonable to assume the virus could be deposited on the coat. How long it survives on that type of environment isn’t known, but it’s presumably going to be able to persist for hours, if not more.  That’s why we want infected people to limit contact with pets and use good hygiene.

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Tabitha111 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Adviser Group Joined: January 11 2020 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 11640	Post Options Post Reply Quote Tabitha111 Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Topic: Animals-Covid19 Misc FAQ's Posted: March 14 2020 at 9:35am
	By Scott Weese on March 14, 2020 It’s pretty much full time COVID-19 around here and I’ve gotten behind in posting. I figured it might be useful to recap some of the more common questions. Does the SARS-CoV-2 virus (virus that causes COVID-19) infect animals? It started in animals and has been found in a dog, but we don’t know much more. From a transmission standpoint, this is a human disease. Whether it’s purely human or predominantly human is a lingering question. If it’s purely a human disease, we can ignore the animal side (except as fomites (contaminated surface)…more on that below). If it’s predominantly an animal disease, the focus still needs to be on people, but there are some animal aspects worth considering. What about that dog in Hong Kong? The dog was owned by an infected person and had a series of positive tests. That’s pretty convincing evidence that it was infected. However, the tests were weak positives and no detectable antibody response was present (at least yet), supporting a pretty low grade infection. Infected vs infectious is the big question. An individual can be infected but not infectious, if they’re not producing much virus. The hope is that dogs are not a great host for the virus and if infected, maybe they’re not infected enough to pose a risk. What about cats? They’re still a bigger concern because they are more likely to be infectious and limited (or no?) testing has been done. They were able to be infected by the SARS virus and could infect other cats, and this virus is similar enough that it’s reasonable to be concerned about them. Time will tell based on field study (hopefully) and probably experimental work. Should I be worried about catching this disease from my dog/cat? No. As a disease that is predominantly or purely transmitted by people, pets are going to get it from people. If your dog/cat is infected, it probably got it from you or one of your close contacts (who pose more of a risk to you than the dog/cat.) So, what should we think about with pets? Common sense. If you’re infected, stay away from people and pets. If you’re infected and you’ve been with your pet, keep it away from others. If we keep pets from getting exposed and keep exposed pets away from people, then the risks will be limited, if there are any. What about livestock? This is another ‘we don’t know’ topic. Pigs are the main concern. This is being investigated experimentally so more information will presumably be available in the future. For now, the messaging is the same as for pets….if you’re infected, stay away from your livestock. That means staying out of the barn, if possible. If not, it means avoiding close contact and good hygiene practices (covering coughs, hand hygiene…) To finish off…..here’s one I get a dozen times a day… Can pets transmit the virus via their haircoats? Maybe. Haircoats are probably similar to other hand contact sites (but more mobile). If someone is infected and touches or coughs on their pet, it’s reasonable to assume the virus could be deposited on the coat. How long it survives on that type of environment isn’t known, but it’s presumably going to be able to persist for hours, if not more. That’s why we want infected people to limit contact with pets and use good hygiene. Print: Email Tweet Like LinkedIn
	'A man who does not think and plan long ahead will find trouble right at his door.' --Confucius