A Mink in Utah is the First Known Case of the Coronavirus in a wild Animal

 

There is no evidence of widespread transmission among wild animals

A wild American mink in Utah has tested positive for the coronavirus — the first wild animal found to be infected with the virus, researchers say.  

The wild mink was infected with a variant of the coronavirus that was “indistinguishable” from viruses taken from nearby farmed minks, researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture wrote in a Dec. 13 report. That suggests that the wild mink acquired the infection from farmed animals. It’s not clear if the animal was alive or dead at the time of testing.

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Pandemic Puppies: Tackling A Growing Problem

In March 2020, as the reality of lockdown began to bite and millions of people began to adapt to their new circumstances, the UK saw a huge increase in demand for pets. Dogs in particular were seen as a way to gain companionship and give purpose to daily exercise regimes.

According to Pets4Homes, by May 2020 there were more than 400 buyers for every pet advertised in the UK. Pet insurance policies increased by 59%, according to data from LV= General Insurance, and Google searches for “buy a puppy” increased by 115%, with prices for some of the most sought-after breeds reaching record levels.

Fast forward just over a year, and animal shelters are bracing for an incoming wave of animals, and pet sales websites are filling up with listings for puppies being resold.

To read more on this story, click here: Pandemic Puppies: Tackling A Growing Problem

Two Cats Are First U.S. Pets to Test Positive for Coronavirus

The animals appear to have mild symptoms and likely caught the virus from their owners. And there’s no evidence pets can pass it to humans.

The first pets in the United States, two cats from New York State, have tested positive for the virus that is causing the worldwide pandemic, the Agriculture Department and the Centers for Disease Control announced Wednesday.

The cats, from different parts of the state, are showing only mild symptoms and are expected to be fine.

Testing positive does not mean the cats have the same illness that people have. Nor does it mean that the cats can pass on the illness to people. And tests for pets are not the same as those for people, so no humans missed out on testing because the cats were tested.

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Cats Can Infect Each Other With Coronavirus, Chinese Study Finds

Feline transmission to humans not shown but infected pet owners warned to be careful

Cat owners may wish to be more cautious about contact with their pets, as a study from China has revealed Covid-19 can be transmitted between cats.

The team, at Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in China, found that cats are highly susceptible to Covid-19 and appear to be able to transmit the virus through respiratory droplets to other cats. Dogs, chickens, pigs and ducks were found to be unlikely to catch the infection, however.

To read more on this story, click here: Cats Can Infect Each Other With Coronavirus, Chinese Study Finds

CDC Warns Against Using Masks On Pet Animals, Says It 'Could Harm' Them

KEY POINTS

• According to CDC, there's no evidence that animals can spread COVID-19 to human being
• CDC's recent tweet urged people not to put masks on their pet animals
• The federal health agency recommends limiting contact with sick people to protect pets from COVID-19

People have been following various preventive measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 from individuals to their pets. These measures include buying face masks for their pet dogs to wear while on walks during the pandemic. But the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) warns against it and says it could harm the animals.

"DYK it’s not safe to put a mask on your pet? While pets can get #COVID19 from people, the risk of pets spreading COVID-19 is low. Instead, protect your pet by limiting their contact with sick people and people outside the household," read CDC’s recent tweet.

To read more on this story, click here: CDC Warns Against Using Masks On Pet Animals, Says It 'Could Harm' Them

Researchers Trained Dogs To Sniff out COVID-19 Infections In Just A Few Days

After just a few days of training, dogs in Germany proved capable of identifying people infected with COVID-19, according to researchers. The dogs, part of a study by a veterinary university in Germany, were able to sniff out the coronavirus with stunning accuracy.

To read more on this story, click here: Researchers Trained Dogs To Sniff out COVID-19 Infections In Just A Few Days

First COVID-19, Now Mosquitoes: Bracing for Bug-Borne Ills

The CDC has offered states additional help with mosquito testing this season as the coronavirus pandemic has overwhelmed state public health offices

Sophia Garabedian had been dealing with a persistent fever and painful headache when her parents found her unresponsive in her bed one morning last fall.

Doctors ultimately diagnosed the then-5-year-old Sudbury, Massachusetts, resident with eastern equine encephalitis, a rare but severe mosquito-borne virus that causes brain swelling.

Garabedian survived the potentially fatal virus after about a month in Boston hospitals, but her parents say her ordeal and ongoing recovery should be a warning as people take advantage of the outdoors this summer.

To read more on this story, click here: First COVID-19, Now Mosquitoes: Bracing for Bug-Borne Ills

Can Pets Get The Coronavirus, And Can We Catch It From Them? Here's The Science

Humans and animals share many diseases. And as dramatically shown by the tigers that tested positive in the Bronx Zoo, the coronavirus is one of them.

As three veterinary epidemiologists who study infectious disease, we have been asked a lot of questions about if and how the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 affects pets.

Can my pet get the coronavirus?

When talking about a virus, the words "get" or "catch" are vague. A more precise question is: Can my cat or dog become infected with SARS-CoV-2?

The answer is yes. There is evidence from real-world cases as well as laboratory experiments that both cats and dogs can become infected with coronavirus.

In Hong Kong, health officials have tested 17 dogs and eight cats living with COVID-19 patients for the coronavirus. They found evidence of the virus in two dogs: a Pomeranian and a German shepherd, though neither became sick.

None of the eight cats were infected or had been sick. However, there is a separate report of an infected cat from Hong Kong.

To read more on this story, click here: Can Pets Get The Coronavirus, And Can We Catch It From Them? Here's The Science

When Pet Owners Fall Ill With Coronavirus, What Happens Next?

Spain, which is enduring one of the world’s biggest and deadliest outbreaks, grapples with moral and practical questions on caring for animals when their owners are suddenly sick.

MADRID — The coronavirus strikes. The patient — at home, sometimes alone — becomes desperately ill. The ambulance finally arrives to take the person away.

Then, a second team, clad in hazmat gear, follows to rescue a household member abandoned in the chaos and suddenly in need of a new caregiver: the patient’s pet.

The teams, from the Madrid animal shelter El Refugio, end up placing the pets in foster homes with people who will care for them temporarily while Spain’s strict lockdown is in place and so much is in flux.

To read more on this story, click here: When Pet Owners Fall Ill With Coronavirus, What Happens Next?

Pet Owners Note Behavioral changes in Their Cats and Dogs During the Coronavirus Pandemic

While the impact of this pandemic has ranged from absolute boredom to more serious things like job losses and health issues, some of our pets are coping in their own ways.

A local veterinarian who focuses on animal behavior and stress is not surprised to hear our pets are stressed, too.

Matt O'Donnell spoke with Dr. Carlo Siracusa of Penn's Ryan Veterinary Hospital about Bailey, his generally happy and spoiled 8-year-old Shichon.

To read more on this story, click here: Pet Owners Note Behavioral changes in Their Cats and Dogs During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Ventilators Shipped from Veterinarians to Hospitals to Combat COVID-19 Shortage

The nation's hospitals, facing dire shortages of lifesaving ventilators as the coronavirus outbreak continues, are finding help from an unlikely source: animal doctors.

The country's largest veterinary schools, animal hospitals and even zoos are offering up ventilators to hospitals that are scrambling to care for a growing number of critically ill coronavirus patients. Similar efforts elsewhere could produce hundreds of machines and save countless lives.

"Every single one of these ventilators makes a difference," Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe, chief executive officer of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, told ABC News.

To read on this story, click here: Ventilators shipped from veterinarians to hospitals to combat COVID-19 shortage

How To Prevent Your Pets From Spreading Coronavirus

While there's no evidence that pets can catch coronavirus, some vets believe there's a way they can spread the virus through touching pet hair.


POTOMAC, Md. — Veterinarians are taking unprecedented precautions in the age of coronavirus, such as not allowing walk-in appointments and meeting pet owners outside. It's all in an effort to protect people from fomites. 

The Centers for Disease Control says there is no evidence that pets can catch coronavirus. But some veterinarians believe that pets can pass it on. If a person doesn't know they have coronavirus, but has a virus droplet on their hands and then pets a dog in someone’s backyard, the virus could end up on the pet’s hair.

To read more on this story, click here: How To Prevent Your Pets From Spreading Coronavirus

Cats Are Wearing Coronavirus Masks In China

As the deadly coronavirus outbreak continues to ravage the country, pet owners in China are putting on makeshift masks on their furry friends.

Photos on the Chinese social media app Weibo show pets – namely cats – wearing the makeshift masks, many of them made from traditional surgical masks. Owners are cutting holes in the material to accommodate the animal’s eyes while the rest of their face remains covered.

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Virus Renews Safety Concerns About Slaughtering Wild Animals

BEIJING (AP) — China cracked down on the sale of exotic species after an outbreak of a new virus in 2002 was linked to markets selling live animals. The germ turned out to be a coronavirus that caused SARS.

The ban was later lifted, and the animals reappeared. Now another coronavirus is spreading through China, so far killing 1,380 people and sickening more than 64,000 — eight times the number sickened by SARS.

The suspected origin? The same type of market.

With more than 60 million people under lockdown in more than a dozen Chinese cities, the new outbreak is prompting calls to permanently ban the sale of wildlife, which many say is being fueled by a limited group of wealthy people who consider the animals delicacies. The spreading illness also serves as a grim reminder that how animals are handled anywhere can endanger people everywhere.

To read more on this story, click here: Virus Renews Safety Concerns About Slaughtering Wild Animals