The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) renewed their calls for social distancing between pets and humans after a pug named Winston was the first dog in U.S. to test positive for the corona virus.
The McClean family, in North Carolina, was taking part in a study by Duke University when they were told that all human family members and one pug had the virus. Another family dog (a pug) and a cat didn’t test positive. The family’s lizard wasn’t tested.
Dr. Chris Woods, the lead investigator of the Molecular and Epidemiological Study of Suspected Infection (MESSI), confirmed that, “To our knowledge, this is the first instance in which the virus has been detected in a dog. Little additional information is known at this time as we work to learn more about the exposure.”
The mother, Heather McLean, said “Winston showed minor symptoms including a small cough and refusing to eat his breakfast, but now he’s doing well”. Son Ben was reported as saying, “There may be more animals that have the corona virus, there just isn’t any testing. Obviously those tests should be going to people rather than pets, but because we were part of a research study, we found out about Winston.”
The CDC also confirmed two cats in New York had contracted the virus last week. And the virus isn’t just impacting pets: Eight lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo have tested positive.
We all love our pets like family. Most of us express our affection through kisses and cuddles. Many veterinarians agree with the CDC recommendation of creating distance between pets and their sick owners. Though it’s unknown how the lions and tigers contracted the virus. Presumably NOT through through kisses and cuddles. The best guidance from the CDC is to have someone else in the house take care of your pet while you’re sick, he says. “If you are having respiratory signs, having a fever, tested positive for COVID-19, then you should try and distance yourself from your pets,” he says. “Wear a mask around them. Wash your hands before and after touching or handling them. Don’t kiss them while you’re sick.”
Researchers believe COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease (meaning it jumps from animals to people) which likely stemmed from bats. But it’s difficult for the virus to jump from one species to another. For a human to contract corona virus from a pet, the CDC says several jumps between species would need to happen, each one making it “progressively more difficult biologically” for the virus. While pets can contract the virus from humans, only a handful of pets across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19 compared to over 3 million humans. This means human to pet transmission isn’t a rampant problem, he says.
According to the CDC “The risk is very small for us to transmit it to them and non-existent for them to transmit it back to us”. “We should, more often than not, take comfort in our pets and not be afraid that we’re gonna either cause them harm or that they will spread something to us.”