Covid-19 And Pets

Let’s talk about Covid-19 and our beloved pets.  

 

Our newest pandemic….Covid-19 struck most of the world and caused them to panic…. And our favorite item became…toilet papers? Never mind that horror struck and we ran for our lives (mentally) but what about our pets… (*awkward silence, us realizing how horrid we were being for not worrying about animals*) What is there to know about Covid-19 and Pets? Are masks really the best remedy for us… and our pets?

 

MASKS

 

First of all, answer to the easiest question, no masks. Yep! No masks. 

 

“Not only is evidence lacking to support the necessity of masking a dog, [but] masks pose as a choking hazard to many dogs apt to eating foreign things and could pose a danger to them,” says Alicen Tracey, DVM

 

Behind the mask not being used to this new condition they might have breathing issues and not be able to regulate their body temperature. Their way of cooling down is to pant, which is something that they can not do behind the mask. Even if masks are miracle workers towards us humans they are a terrible idea for our pets.

STUDIES SHOW THAT……

Dr. Dorothee Bienzle ran an experiment to see how many cats and dogs catch covid from their owners. For cats they watched for how many cats got covid from humans and how many stray cats got covid. The purpose of the stray cats was to see how many cats got covid without the contact of a contagious owner. The results say that 67% of cats got covid from their owners and only 3% of stray cats ended up getting covid. 

 

For the dogs she ran the same experiment it showed that 43% of dogs ended up getting infected by their owners. With the answers of her first experiment she ran a second one seeing how many pets show symptoms. In cats 27% of them ended up showing symptoms, mostly a runny nose or some difficulty breathing. And for dogs 20% of them showed symptoms that included mostly a lack of energy (lethargy) or a loss of appetite (anorexia).

 

BASIC FACTS THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Symptoms

• • Runny nose

• • Difficulty breathing

• • A lack of energy

• • A loss of appetite

• • Fever

• • Coughing

• • Sneezing

• • Eye discharge

• • Diarrhea

• • Vomiting

If your pet tests positive for covid-19 keep your dog isolated and take safety precautions when you’re around your pet. During the pandemic try to avoid letting your pet cat roam around outside, and if they catch covid definitely keep your pet inside. As I mention, most of the time owners are the ones giving covid to their pets, not the other way around. Sadly, most of the time many animals end up in animal shelters or dumped in the streets thinking that they will “just survive”. 

 

Even if covid is less “violent” that does not stop people from thinking that their pets are the ones who gave them covid. STOP dumping animals on the streets. STOP giving up your pet. STOP blaming your pet, most of the time it’s your fault. STOP putting masks on your pets. (But…. KEEP reading my blog !)

 

Check out this fun short video on How To Protect Your Pets From COVID-19

 

Please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions!