Apr 07, 2020 at 08:17 PM
Tiger tests positive at the Bronx Zoo
Coronavirus: Tiger at Bronx Zoo tests positive for Covid-19
To summarize the thoughts of Dr. Lappin of the WSAVA One Health Committee:
- Only four pets from COVID positive homes have had positive tests (compared to 1.26 million people). Two cats, Two dogs. Positive PCR tests are not absolute confirmation of infection.
- In high dose experimental infections, dogs, cats and ferrets were positive on respiratory PCR for the virus, and some would seroconvert. Only ferrets, and to a lesser extent cats were able to transmit the virus to other ferrets/cats.
- There is NO evidence that a person has ever gotten this from a pet.
- Wide scale testing (thousands) at IDEXX reference laboratories has shown no positives from pet samples in the US. And these are sick animals.
- Trupanion pet insurance reports no increase in claims or any respiratory or GI claims across their very large network (500,000 pet owners).
- The tigers do to my eyes help confirm we can give it to some animals. Still there is no evidence they can spread it to us.
- The advice is still: If you are sick, isolate from your pet as much as you can. The animal should be quarantined in the household as much as possible.
- If you need to see a pet from a COVID positive home in your practice, that is when you should be using PPE. It is a very low chance that they will spread it as a fomite or directly, but that is a good time to be cautious.
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