Two press releases this week report pets testing positive for SARS-CoV2: a household cat in Minnesota who was clinical for disease shortly after her owner became ill; and a pet GSD dog in NYS in a household with owners with clinical signs, one whom tested positive for SARS-CoV2. In both cases, the sick pets have made full recovery. In the case of the dog, a housemate dog also tested positive for antibodies, but never displayed signs of illness while the rest of the household was ill. Direct links to the press releases are below:
Household cat confirmed with virus that causes COVID-19
COVID-19 in pet dog in New York
Neither of these cases change the core knowledge or messaging around SARS-CoV2 and pets:
- There is no evidence pets play any role in the transmission of SARS-CoV2 to people
- Humans remain by far the greatest risk for transmission of SARS-CoV2 between people
- Pets should be treated like other household family members in homes with people sick with COVID-19; contact should be limited
For more information about COVID-19 and animals and recommendations for pet owners, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/animals/pets-other-animals.html
For more information about testing in animals, see https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/one_health/downloads/faq-public-on-companion-animal-testing.pdf
