Big cat’s case no need to panic
Pet owners reassured after tiger gets virus
A tiger testing positive for COVID-19 at the Bronx Zoo does not mean pet owners need to rush out and test their cats and dogs, animal health experts say, but federal officials do want to learn more about transmission of the coronavirus between people and animals.
“People should not panic,” Dr. Jane Sykes, an administrator at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine said Monday. “Infections in dogs and cats are very rare.”
Nadia, a 4-year-old female Malayan Tiger at the Bronx Zoo, tested for the coronavirus after she and six other lions and tigers developed a dry cough, the Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement.
The zoo said the animals are doing well and were likely infected by an asymptomatic zoo employee.
The USDA said in a statement that testing of household pets is not recommended but added the situation is evolving.
“It is still recommended that people sick with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus,” the agency said in its statement.
While details on the tigers’ infections are unfolding, Sykes said pet owners shouldn’t think their pet has the coronavirus if they show any signs of illness.
“People need to understand there are lots of other causes of respiratory diseases in cats and dogs,” Sykes said, noting there is a respiratory coronavirus in dogs.
Dr. Sinnott-Stutman, chair of the Infection Control Committee at MSPCA Angell, said she doesn’t expect cats or dogs to get the coronavirus, although at least one early study has shown animals can contract the disease.
“If we see this disease in animals it will be the same as people,” Sinnott-Stutman said. “We know that animals, if they get this, seem to manifest it the same way as humans.”
A scientific test of young cats, dogs and ferrets showed some coronavirus symptoms in animals but Sykes said the small test was not peer-reviewed and it was too early to make any determinations.
Sinnott-Stutman said Angell is not recommending animal testing because the test needs to be validated further. The Bronx Zoo said it tested the tiger out of an abundance of caution.
Sykes said animal lovers don’t have to shy away from their pets and the human-animal bond is important amid these uncertain times.
“We have actually seen an uptick in the number of animals fostered,” Sykes said. “If I went and patted somebody’s dog on a walk, you’re much more likely to get infection from the person walking that dog than the dog being the source of the infection.”