{"id":194,"date":"2020-03-13T03:09:49","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T03:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aussieuniversity.com\/?p=194"},"modified":"2023-01-13T20:17:04","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T20:17:04","slug":"can-dogs-get-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aussieuniversity.com\/can-dogs-get-covid\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Dogs Get Coronavirus (COVID-19)? What You Need to Know About Keeping Your Pet Safe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Covid-19 has just become a global pandemic. As more and more people are infected and events and travels around the world are cancelled we cannot help but wonder \u00a0– can my dog be infected with coronavirus? <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Well, short answer would be \u2013 nobody really knows for sure yet.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Known Facts<\/strong><\/h2>\n

So let\u2019s talk more about known facts<\/strong><\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span>about that dog in Hong Kong that tested positive for the disease.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is caused by a virus<\/span><\/span>named SARS-Co<\/span><\/span>V-2<\/span><\/span> which stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2. <\/span><\/span>The disease <\/span><\/span>causes flu-like symptoms in people, including mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What Does This Mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A 17-year-old Pomeranian in China tested positive for SARS-Cov-2. But what does it mean? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The dog belongs to someone that was sick with COVID-19. There was also another dog from the same family, which has been tested multiple times and tested negative in all of them. The Pomeranian has also been tested multiple times and has always showed a weak positive result. None of the dogs have ever shown any symptoms of illness related to COVID-19 and are still in quarantine and being researched. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At this point it is not possible to say for sure if the tested detected the active virus or simply a part of it\u2019s RNA (genetic material) that could have triggered the weak positive results. There is NO evidence so far that cats and dogs can become sick or can become a source of infection to people or other species.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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How To Limit Transmission of the Disease<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With that being said, the American Veterinary Medical Association has some advices to limit transmission of the disease:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If you are sick with COVID-19 you need to be careful to avoid transmitting it to other people. Applying some common<\/span><\/span>–<\/span><\/span>sense measures can help prevent that from happening. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n