Pets Can Also Get COVID-19

Cough, runny nose, drowsiness and shortness of breath can be symptoms of coronavirus in domestic cats and dogs, but this should not worry their owners, explained a veterinarian from Russia, quoted by BGNES:

"Infection of pets with coronavirus is rare and can occur with close and prolonged contact with a sick person. If you have a coronavirus yourself and notice symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, discharge from the eyes or nose, drowsiness, or shortness of breath in a dog or cat, they may be infected.

The infection can be confirmed or ruled out at a veterinary clinic, where doctors will take a swab from the pet's nose. However, the symptoms described may be signs of other respiratory infections, such as mycoplasmosis.

In most cases, pets tolerate coronavirus infection easily, sometimes asymptomatically, and severe forms of the disease are extremely rare, the doctor said. "If the diagnosis is confirmed, but the pet feels well, there is no need to treat it: just watch how it feels. If he develops new symptoms or gets worse, you should take him to a doctor," advises the veterinarian.

In addition to the well-known human-infected virus, there is another, completely different, virus in cats that has nothing to do with Covid. It occurs in almost all cats, is not dangerous, but in rare cases can cause the development of infectious peritonitis and enteritis. For humans and dogs, this virus is not dangerous - it can only infect members of the feline family, the veterinarian added.

/BNR