The news is scary and there have been some headlines about the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) being found in a pet dog.

Here are the facts regarding Coronavirus and pets:

-Viral particles were found in a pet dog, but he was in close contact with a human patient.The dog has not gotten sick. He is quarantined. but is not suspected of being able to infect others at this time.

-There are viruses in the Coronavirus family that do infect pets, but these do NOT infect humans.

-We have vaccines for some of the animal Coronaviruses, but these are not for use in humans and there is no need to rush your pet in for these vaccines.

Because all the facts have not been uncovered, if you are sick, avoid close contact with pets, in order to keep them safer.

For more information (directly from an infectious disease veterinarian), please listen to Dr. Primm’s podcast, Nine Lives with Dr. Kat. Click here to listen for free online.

Even if you have a dog and not a cat, the information still applies.

You can subscribe and get all the episodes by clicking here, http://feeds.feedburner.com/NineLivesWithDrKatOnPetLifeRadio
It is also available on most podcast feeds, including Spotify and iheartradio.

As we are sure you know, the CDC recommends washing your hands often for at least 20 seconds. They suggest mindful social distancing and coughing or sneezing into your elbow and not your hands. Avoid touching your face.

If you are an individual at high risk, like an older person with diabetes, lung or heart disease, limit travel and large crowds.  The World Health Organization has a helpful website that you can access by clicking here. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus.

Thank you for trusting us to be a source of good information to help with your pets’ health.

Kathryn Primm, DVM, CVPM