Can Dogs Get COVID? October 2020 Update

Can Dogs Get Covid? October 2020 Update

One of the things that have been on everyone’s mind this year is the COVID pandemic. Many people have been worried about catching it or preventing their loved ones from catching it, but what about our dogs?

Can dogs get COVID-19? For October, we’re taking a look at what the medical experts are saying about the risk of COVID for our pets.

Can Dogs Get COVID From Humans?

Before getting to the answer of if our pets can catch COVID-19, we need to understand how the disease spreads. Coronavirus is a large family of viruses that cause cold-like symptoms in people. The good news is that coronaviruses usually only infect one kind of animal. For instance, cattle or bats can only catch a coronavirus from their own species.

Once in a while, a virus mutates and jumps to another species. This is very rare but is what’s suspected to have happened with COVID-19. It is thought that the disease originally came from bats but somehow mutated to infect humans.

Because it is very rare for a coronavirus to mutate in this way, it’s unlikely that a human will be able to infect one of their pets. The USDA does keep a tally of animals that are confirmed to have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

As of this writing, there are less than 50 confirmed animal cases in all of the United States. The animals who have been infected are limited to dogs, large and domestic cats, and minks. In all confirmed animal cases, the animal was in close contact with a human who was confirmed to have had COVID-19.

So, the likelihood of your dog catching COVID-19 from a human is incredibly small.

Can Humans Get COVID from Dogs?

We know the likelihood of giving COVID to one of our pets is extremely low, but can we catch COVID from our dogs? Again, your dog is not likely to catch COVID from anyone. So that means it’s not going to enter their system and be passed on to you through their kisses or sneezes.

A dog is not going to catch the disease and pass it to you or your family. But there is still a way that a dog can pass the disease to a human. COVID-19 is mostly passed through respiratory droplets. This means you can catch it if an infected person is talking, coughing, or sneezing near you. Current data suggests that as long as you wash your hand thoroughly after touching surfaces or wear gloves, you’re not likely to catch it even if you touch surfaces that infected people have touched. Washing your hands is one of your best defenses.

But what about if an infected person touches your dog? If you touch your dog afterward, you may pick up the disease. If you touch your eyes, mouth or nose, there is a chance that you can catch the disease. Again, if you are washing your hands regularly, your chance of contracting the virus this way is minimal. You should also restrict strangers from petting your dog when you go out on walks.

What Do COVID Symptoms Look Like in Dogs?

COVID-19 in pets looks about the same as it does in people. Some people can be asymptomatic, meaning they show no symptoms at all. If an animal or person does show symptoms, here is what they might have:

• Fever
• Coughing
• Difficulty breathing
• Lethargy
• Sneezing
• Runny nose
• Eye discharge
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

If your pet shows these symptoms, the first thing you should do is isolate them from other pets or animals. If your pet seems to have difficulty breathing, call your vet immediately.

Most pets only show mild symptoms, if any at all. If your pet has any symptoms that last longer than two days or seem to be getting worse, call your vet immediately. Along with isolating your pet, you should not take them out for walks or to other public facilities. Your dog can be out in your yard and you can clean up after them. Just make sure to wash your hands immediately after.

Protecting Your Loved Ones

Again, the easiest way for COVID to spread is through respiratory droplets. This means that staying at least six feet away from others is a good line of defense. Wearing a mask in public places or around others can also stop your respiratory particles from becoming airborne. Even if you do not feel any symptoms of COVID-19, you can be asymptomatic and spreading the disease if you don’t wear a mask.

Anytime you are in public places, be sure to wash your hands often. Once you come home from a public place, you should wash your hands. Actually, washing your hands or using hand sanitizer when you can’t wash is the best way to protect yourself from getting sick or bringing the disease to those you love.

We know that our pets are not likely to catch COVID-19, but we should all do our part to help stop the spread of the disease.