Pets can’t catch or transmit Covid-19

As the coronavirus crisis continues to escalate, Gayle Ritchie takes a look at the impact of the pandemic on animal welfare

Pet owners fearing their dogs and cats could give them Covid-19 – or that we could give it to them – can breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Vets say there is no evidence pets can catch or spread the virus.

Alan Hill, director of Dundee and Angus-based Parkside Vet Group Ltd, said: “There’s no evidence that cats and dogs are involved in the transmission of this disease.

“There’s nothing to suggest pets can catch the virus or spread it between themselves or to humans.”

However, Alan said it is important owners wash their hands after handling or feeding pets and maintain good hygiene.

The only risk might be if an infected person touches a pet’s fur, although Alan said spreading the virus in this way this would be “unlikely”.

While pet owners, like everyone, should stay at home as much as possible, essential daily walks are allowed.

Alan recommends keeping pets close and when outside, they avoid contact with other dogs and owners.

Emergency vet care will continue 24 hours a day, although appointments for routine boosters, vaccinations and health checks are being postponed by most practices.

Pets with ongoing illness will be treated, while those requiring special dietary foods and supplements will be accommodated via pet shops or vets.

To prevent owners bringing their pets in to the surgery, Parkside Vets is launching an online consultation facility.

“Video calls will allow clients to have face-to-face consultations where the vet can look at bumps and lesions and so on and allay any fears without people having to leave their homes,” said Alan.

Glasgow-based PDSA vet Olivia Anderson-nathan said it is important to maintain good hygiene around pets, but not to panic.

“There’s no evidence pets can catch or spread Covid-19 by coughing or sneezing on you, or vice versa,” she said.

“But to stay on the safe side, don’t let them lick your face. A risk might be an outdoor cat which has been petted by a stranger, particularly if the collar has been touched, so bear that in mind.”

Olivia said professional dog walkers needed to be careful about touching leads and should use their own ones.

Regarding the government’s advice about people enjoying one form of exercise a day, Olivia said it was about being “sensible”.

“It’s one form of exercise per person, so if there’s more than one adult in the household, the pet can have more than one walk, as long as they keep to the social distancing rules.

“In cities, where a dog needs to do its business, it might prove challenging to adhere to the advice of only taking it out once a day, but there’s no official guidance on that yet. Keep it on a lead and keep your distance and you should be OK.”

Panic spread last week when a 17-year-old Pomeranian in China tested “weakly” positive for the coronavirus during quarantine and died three days after returning home.

A second dog that lived in the same house consistently tested negative during quarantine. Overnight the internet exploded with concern from worried pet owners. However, vets said they did not know why the dog died because there was no autopsy and said it was extremely elderly and had multiple underlying health conditions.

Covid-19 is changing lives in ways that no one would ever have thought possible even a few short weeks ago. Before this crisis took hold, animal lovers thought nothing of petting their dogs and cats.

But even such a simple pleasure is now being viewed with suspicion. Happily, there is no evidence that pets can spread the infection, but owners are rightly being advised to observe hygiene rules.

As with everything else right now, better safe than sorry.