BOSTON — COVID-19 is a new challenge facing researchers but coronavirus is something that has been around for decades, but it has only impacted animals. Researchers are still working to determine how COVID-19 impacts pets.
A few months ago, you may have never heard the word coronavirus but veterinarians have long been familiar with it.
“We have had coronavirus in cats and dogs for decades but these are diseases that they have dealt with for years and only the very unlucky and the sort of frail die from them,” said Dr. Virginia Sinnott-Stutzman, senior staff veterinarian, MSPCA Angell.
The Chairman of the Infection Control Committee at the MSPCA Angell Animal Medical Center says coronavirus is one of the viruses that can cause kennel cough, among other conditions in pets, but COVID-19 is very different.
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“What is going on with COVID-19 is we have a novel virus that hasn’t been seen by any human immune system or cat or dog immune system and so our immune systems are going to do with it as they do and we know in human immune systems it can cause a really serious respiratory illness – what we are learning in dogs and cats is that they don’t seem to get sick from it,” said Sinnott-Stutzman.
In Hong Kong, she says there have been three cases, two dogs and a cat, that have tested positive for COVID-19 but did not have symptoms.
Researchers do not believe right now that there is a great risk for humans to transfer the virus to dogs and vice versa, but there is some concern about cats and ferrets.
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"They actually infected quite a few cats in China and they didn't see any clinical symptoms, they ate their food, they didn't sniffle or cough, the biggest issue is, and this is a question we don't know the answer to is could – let's say you were hospitalized with COVID-19 and asked your neighbor to feed your cat, could that cat infect your neighbor? We don't know but it probably makes good sense if you do have to have someone care for your cat that's infected to have someone that is recovered for the virus or is quarantined with you, just to be safe," said Sinnott-Stutzman.
Research is evolving every day but most veterinarians right now feel confident this is a novel virus mostly affecting humans. We should all be practicing social distancing and that also means keeping our pets away from other people’s pets, too. If you’re concerned or if your pet is acting strange, you should reach out to your veterinarian.
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