Can our pets become infected with SARS-CoV-2? Could they transmit the virus to other animals, or to their human companions? And can humans transmit it to animals? This Special Feature aims to answer these and more questions.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, much if not most of the research has focused on SARS-CoV-2’s impact on humans.
But what about our most trustworthy companions — the pets that share our homes and our lives?
According to some statistical reports, as many as 63.4 million households in the United States include a dog, and 42.7 million households include a cat, making these furry friends the two most popular nonhuman family members in the country.
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Past research has indicated that, indeed, for most pet owners, their animal companions truly do count as family members.
But the COVID-19 pandemic has been fuelling fears for the health of humans and animals alike since it is unclear how — and even if — the virus that causes it affects pets such as cats and dogs.
During the lockdown in Wuhan, China, many pet owners reportedly abandoned the animals that relied on them for care and safety. Recent developments suggest that pet homelessness may also be going up in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world — all due to fears that pets might spread the coronavirus.
Yet there are also suggestions that pet adoptions may be on the rise, as the pandemic has been motivating some people to finally commit to welcoming into their lives the animal companion they always wanted.
In short, the new coronavirus has been feeding intense emotions and responses of many kinds, upturning the lives of humans and animals alike.
So, this Special Feature will present what we know, so far, about the impact of the new coronavirus on animals, such as cats and dogs, and consider what humans can do to continue to keep these faithful friends healthy and happy.
There are currently very limited data about potential infections with SARS-CoV-2 in domestic animals, including cats and dogs.
Some reports — very few and far between — have suggested that these furry friends can indeed become infected with the new coronavirus.
So far, there have been only three officially confirmed cases of pets with SARS-CoV-2 infections worldwide.
Hong Kong authorities reported two of these, and they were both in dogs. The first official report of a pet affected by SARS-CoV-2 was that of a 17-year-old Pomeranian that tested “weak positive” for the infection.
According to the briefing from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) of Hong Kong, this case “indicates a low-level of infection with the virus.” The dog did not, in fact, present any symptoms of illness.
The authorities kept the dog in quarantine for a few days, after which they returned it to its owner. The dog has since died, but it is uncertain that its death had anything to do with the virus. The dog, in this case, was very advanced in age, and its owner did not allow a necropsy to establish the exact cause of death.
The second case reported in Hong Kong was that of a German Shepherd whose owner submitted it for testing alongside another dog from the same household.
While the German Shepherd tested positive for infection with SARS-CoV-2, the second dog did not, and neither canine exhibited any signs of being unwell.
According to Hong Kong officials, both the Pomeranian and the German Shepherd likely contracted the virus from their owners, who had tested positive for COVID-19.
In each case, the AFCD spokespeople emphasized that “there is currently