How to Deal with Coronavirus as Pet Owner

The close link between the new Coronavirus and wildlife has sparked global fears over whether pets can spread the disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in a public advise, that: "at present, there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus."

Jin Yipeng, deputy dean of College of Veterinary Medicine at China Agricultural University, explained that the current findings suggest that humans face no risk of catching coronaviruses in dogs and cats, and 2019-nCoV, in particular, cannot infect pets.

Jin continued: "Temporary isolation is needed because pets— like their food, clothes and other life necessities— may become 'movers' of the virus. But after thorough cleaning and disinfection, it is safe to continue raising the pets as normal,".

He warned pet owners not to discard their animals for fear of contracting the novel coronavirus, pointing that "Discarding pets will not help curb the spread of the new coronavirus, but rather invite other public health problems since abandoned animals could expose humans to other virus and bacteria," he added.

On the other hand, Gong Haohan, chief veterinarian of Loving Pet International Animal Medical Center expressed his deep distress over reading reports of people discarding their pets due to panic.

Gong— who has more than 10 years of experience in clinical veterinary medicine— pointed out to the best way to protect pets during the outbreak, which is thorough reducing their outdoor activities to the greatest extent possible and to clean them with disinfectants after returning from the outdoors.

He also advised that pet owners should also pay attention to the physical and mental conditions of their animals, and take them to veterinary institutions in a timely manner if they have symptoms such as depression, fever, cough, and dyspnea.

Chilling pictures of bloodied corpses of cats and dogs lying on the road have circulated early February the social media after claims cited that coronavirus can be transmitted by animals, which caused the panicked pet owners to push their pets from their apartments.

The China Global Television Network moved quickly to dispel the rumor by posting a quote from WHO, which read: “There is no evidence showing that pets such as cats and dogs can contract the novel coronavirus, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.”