Animals and COVID-19

What You Need to Know

•  The risk of animals spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to people is low.

•  The virus can spread from people to animals during close contact.

•  More studies are needed to understand if and how different animals could be affected by COVID-19.
• People with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should avoid contact with animals, including pets, livestock, and wildlife.

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Information about COVID-19, Pets, and Other Animals

A number of animals worldwide have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, including pets like cats and dogs, farmed mink, and large cats, gorillas, and otters in zoos, sanctuaries, and aquariums. Reptiles and birds have not been affected by this virus. The risk of animals spreading the virus to people is low, but people with COVID-19 can spread the virus to animals during close contact. The information linked to below provides guidance for pet owners, public health professionals, animal health and wildlife officials, veterinarians, and others on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 between people and animals.

To read more on this story, click here: Information about COVID-19, Pets, and Other Animals

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Hong Kong dog causes panic – but here’s why you needn’t worry about pets spreading COVID-19

A Pomeranian dog in Hong Kong grabbed the international media’s attention this week after scientists found traces of coronavirus in the canine. Following confirmation that the dog’s owner was positive for the virus causing COVID-19, the dog was taken from Hong Kong Island to a nearby animal quarantine facility. Subsequent tests performed on swabs collected from the dog’s nose and throat unexpectedly revealed coronavirus.

These results have raised many questions and concerns. Can our dogs really catch the virus? Should we be worried about our pets getting sick? Could dogs spread coronavirus between people?

To read more on this story, click here: Hong Kong dog causes panic – but here’s why you needn’t worry about pets spreading COVID-19

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'Very unsettling': Scientists see troubling signs in humans spreading Covid to deer

Humans have infected wild deer with Covid-19 in a handful of states, and there’s evidence that the coronavirus has been spreading among deer, according to recent studies, which outline findings that could complicate the path out of the pandemic.

Scientists swabbed the nostrils of white-tailed deer in Ohio and found evidence of at least six separate times that humans had spread the coronavirus to deer, according to a study published last month in Nature.

About one-third of the deer sampled had active or recent infections, the study says. Similar research in Iowa of tissue from roadkill and hunted deer found widespread evidence of the virus.

To read more on this story, click here: 'Very unsettling': Scientists see troubling signs in humans spreading Covid to deer

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A group of gorillas is being treated for covid. The great apes will soon get their shots, too, zoo says.

Gorillas at Zoo Atlanta are being treated after initial tests showed they were positive for the coronavirus — and the zoo plans to vaccinate them once they recover.

A care team recently noticed telltale signs: Several members of the zoo’s western lowland gorilla population were coughing, had runny noses and showed minor changes in their appetites.

After nasal, oral and fecal samples were sent for testing, the zoo received presumptive positive results indicating that several gorillas had been infected by the virus that causes covid-19, the zoo said in a statement Friday.

To read more on this story, click here: A group of gorillas is being treated for covid. The great apes will soon get their shots, too, zoo says.

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A Mink in Utah is the First Known Case of the Coronavirus in a wild Animal

 

There is no evidence of widespread transmission among wild animals

A wild American mink in Utah has tested positive for the coronavirus — the first wild animal found to be infected with the virus, researchers say.  

The wild mink was infected with a variant of the coronavirus that was “indistinguishable” from viruses taken from nearby farmed minks, researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture wrote in a Dec. 13 report. That suggests that the wild mink acquired the infection from farmed animals. It’s not clear if the animal was alive or dead at the time of testing.

To read more on this story, click here: A Mink in Utah is the First Known Case of the Coronavirus in a wild Animal

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Two Cats Are First U.S. Pets to Test Positive for Coronavirus

The animals appear to have mild symptoms and likely caught the virus from their owners. And there’s no evidence pets can pass it to humans.

The first pets in the United States, two cats from New York State, have tested positive for the virus that is causing the worldwide pandemic, the Agriculture Department and the Centers for Disease Control announced Wednesday.

The cats, from different parts of the state, are showing only mild symptoms and are expected to be fine.

Testing positive does not mean the cats have the same illness that people have. Nor does it mean that the cats can pass on the illness to people. And tests for pets are not the same as those for people, so no humans missed out on testing because the cats were tested.

To read more on this story, click here: Two Cats Are First U.S. Pets to Test Positive for Coronavirus

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Finland Deploys Coronavirus-Sniffing Dogs at Main Airport

While researchers in several countries, including Australia, France, Germany the United States, are also studying canines as coronavirus detectors, the Finnish trial is among the largest so far

Finland has deployed coronavirus-sniffing dogs at the Nordic country’s main international airport in a four-month trial of an alternative testing method that could become a cost-friendly and quick way to identify infected travelers.

Four dogs of different breeds trained by Finland’s Smell Detection Association started working Wednesday at the Helsinki Airport as part of the government-financed trial.

To read more on this story, click here: Finland Deploys Coronavirus-Sniffing Dogs at Main Airport

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No Evidence That Pets Can Get Covid-19, but Wash Your Hands Anyway

Unless you have the virus, or your pet is spending a lot of time with Covid-19 patients, no precautions are needed, or helpful.

Pet owners may be wondering whether Covid-19, the coronavirus that has infected thousands of people worldwide, is a threat to dogs or cats or can be carried by them. So far, the short answer is no.

Unless you are in an area where the disease is spreading rapidly, then there is no action or preparation necessary.

Even if you are in an area where many people have been infected with the coronavirus, there’s no evidence that companion animals can be infected with it. Of course, veterinarians can’t be absolutely sure about the infection because it is new, so if you have the virus, or are in an area with many human infections, some precautions might be useful.

To read more on this story, click here: No Evidence That Pets Can Get Covid-19, but Wash Your Hands Anyway

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Feline Panleukopenia Virus Outbreak Hits Indianapolis Animal Care and Control

An outbreak of feline panleukopenia virus has hit the Indianapolis Animal Care and Control shelter, according to WTHR-TV Channel 13, and numerous cats have been infected.

Panleukopenia is highly contagious and often fatal. It is A feline disease similar to parvovirus in dogs. There is no cure for the virus and cats receive supportive care if infected.

Most of the cats at the Indianapolis Animal Care and Control (IACC) have been placed in local rescues and shelters. Those infected will receive supportive care. The virus spread quickly amongst the shelter cats due to close quarters. Symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and abdominal pain, and is spread through direct contact. Some cats may exhibit no symptoms at all.

The IACC has closed its cat section so the staff can disinfect the area. The shelter will need anywhere from 72 hours to two weeks to decontaminate the cat housing area. The shelter will not be accepting owner-surrenders during this time. Any cat surrendered while the cat section is closed is at high risk for euthanasia. Stray cats will be brought to Indy Feral, A Ttrap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program for community cats. FOLLOW US!

Ebola Virus: Australian Researchers Use Ferrets to Develop Vaccine for Deadly Disease

Australian researchers infecting ferrets to understand the deadly Ebola VIRUS at the CSIRO in Geelong said a vaccine would not come fast enough to stop the current outbreak.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 650 people have been killed in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since an outbreak began in February.

The doctor leading Sierra Leone's fight against Ebola died on Tuesday afternoon (local time) from the virus.

There is no cure for the disease, which causes vomiting, diarrhea and internal and external bleeding.

To read more on this story, click here: Ebola Virus: Australian Researchers Use Ferrets to Develop Vaccine for Deadly Disease

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New York City's Rats Are Carrying Viruses No One's Seen Before

Everyone who's ever used a New York City subway knows that they're teeming with rats, and that said rats are, almost by definition, disgusting. But no one had quantified just how disgusting they are ... until now.

A team of scientists at Columbia University trapped 133 Norway rats — Rattus norvegicus — from five sites in midtown and lower Manhattan, and used DNA sequencing to catalogue the pathogens they carry.


To read more on this story, click here: New York City's Rats Are Carrying Viruses No One's Seen Before

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Ebola and Pets

A Spanish Ebola patient's dog was euthanized by the Spanish government due to fears that the dog could also be carrying the virus. Bentley, a dog owned by a Dallas, Texas nurse who contracted the virus, will not be euthanized, but kept in a safe location to await a reunion with its owner. The dog will be quarantined for 21 days, according to the Dallas Office of Emergency Management. A veterinarian will be checking Bentley daily.

With these cases in the news, pet owners may be wondering if there is a risk to their pets from the Ebola virus, or to themselves or the public from contact with their pets.

To read more on this story, click here: Ebola and Pets

(To subscribe to The Pet Tree House, click on this icon
in the black drop-down menu on your right. Thank you.)

on Twitter @thepettreehouse

Visit my blog! The News Whisperer, An informative blog of what's going on in your world today!
 at: www.whispersoftheworld.com

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The Ebola Virus and Pets

DogTime recently reported on officials in Spain euthanizing a dog for being exposed to Ebola. This week in the U.S., a dog living with a Texas nurse who became infected with Ebola was placed in quarantine.

The nurse, Nina Pham, 26, was identified as the first person to contract the Ebola virus in the U.S. Pham, who was caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian Ebola victim who died of the disease, got infected through what’s been called a breach in protocol at her hospital while she cared for Duncan.

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