Rag-Dog

Healthy Dogs, Breeds & Training

Menu
  • Home
  • DOGS BREEDS
  • DOGS INSURANCE
  • DOGS HEALTH
  • DOGS TRAINING
  • DOGS NEWS
  • Cookie Policy
  • About Us
  • DCMA
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions 
  • Privacy Policy
Menu

Can pets catch Covid? Dogs, cats, hamsters and more

Posted on February 18, 2022 by admin

cat and dog

Are these furry friends at risk? (Picture: Getty)

The UK is a nation of animal lovers, and so it is only natural that many are concerned that our beloved pets could catch Covid-19.

Some experts have been calling for cats and dogs to receive the vaccine for over a year.

So can our furry friends contract the disease, and what are the symptoms to look out for?

Here is all you need to know.

Can pets catch Covid?

dogs

Research suggests that Covid-19 is possible in cats and dogs whose owners have the disease.

sick dog

Yes, dogs can get Covid-19 (Picture: Getty)

In June 2021 study, Utrecht University found that out of 310 swabs they took of pets from households with Covid-19, 4.2% tested positive for the virus.

However, the Dutch researchers assured that most pets are asymptomatic, or have very mild symptoms.

My Family Vets told Metro.co.uk that symptoms of Covid-19 in dogs can include:

  • coughing
  • sneezing
  • Nasal discharge

Symptoms usually persist for 1-2 weeks.

cats

Cat getting checked by a vet

Cats are susceptible to the disease (Picture: Getty)

As mentioned above, the Utrecht University found that cats can also get the virus – however, at a rate slightly lower than dogs.

TO study run by the University of Guelph in Canada found cats that slept on their owner’s bed seemed to be at particular risk of infection.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), potential signs of Covid-19 in cats include:

  • Coughing or sneezing
  • Trouble breathing
  • fever
  • lack of energy
  • runny nose
  • Discharge from the eyes
  • Diarrhea or vomiting

hamsters

hamster in his cage

Marshmallow the hamster plays in his cage one last time before officials take him away (Picture: BERTHA WANG/AFP via Getty Images)

It looks like these teeny tiny rodents can indeed contract the disease.

In January, Hong Kong ordered a mass cull of 2,000 hamsters that were exposed to the virus.

Hundreds of samples were collected from animals at a pet shop that had an outbreak, including rabbits and chinchillas, but interestingly only the hamsters had traces of Covid-19.

There has not been enough research into hamster coronavirus to find common symptoms, but likely you should look for a high temperature and lethargy.

A study found that Roborobski Dwarf hamsters can actually die from Covid-19, whereas Syrian hamsters were less vulnerable to developing severe cases.

Ferrets

sleepy ferret

Ferrets can catch Covid-19 (Picture: Getty)

It is very well documented that minks can catch coronavirus, with Denmark having to cull 17 million of them in 2020, but what about their domesticated counterparts?

It turns out that yes, ferrets can very well get Covid-19. In facts, all members of the mustelinae family are susceptible to the disease.

Vet Help Direct lists ferret Covid-19 symptoms as the following:

  • loss of appetite
  • Lethargy
  • Mild respiratory and digestive disease

The government website states that you should isolate your ferret for 21 days if you or your household are self-isolating, or if you’ve brought your ferret to England from outside the Common Travel Area (UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man).

Isolation means you should prevent contact between your ferret and ferrets or people from other households.

What other animals can get Covid?

According to the government website, there is evidence that the following species can catch Covid-19:

  • Big cats in captivity
  • Domestic cats
  • dogs
  • Ferrets
  • fruit bats
  • Mink
  • Non-human primates
  • pangolins
  • pigs
  • raccoon dogs
  • rodents
  • white-tailed deer

Can pets pass Covid on to humans?

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has assured that the risk of animals spreading Covid-19 to people is low.

The UK government’s advice for pet owners includes:

  • Washing your hands before and after any contact with your pet, its food or bedding – avoid hand sanitisers or wipes that may be harmful to animals
  • Do not share food, food bowls or utensils with your pet

My Family Vets confirmed to Metro.co.uk that there’s no evidence that pets can transmit the disease from one human to another.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

How to test a pet for Covid

There are different tests specific for animals available, including the FASTest Canine Coronavirus (CCoV) Strip, a rapid immunochromatographic test for the detection of Canine Coronavirus Antigen in dog faeces.

The government advises anyone concerned about a pet because of respiratory or digestive problems and a temperature to contact a vet who will decide if it needs to be tested.

MORE : Covid: How long do children need to self-isolate?

MORE : X-rays could replace PCR tests for Covid detection after scientific breakthrough

Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Share your views in the comments below

Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • How To Teach Your Dog Recall: 6 Do’s And Don’ts
  • Belgian Shepherd Socio joins Stephen Tindall to take on the world at the IGP FMBB World Championships
  • Pet Insurance Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report
  • Sophie Wessex melts hearts as she bonds with dogs during key engagement ‘True dog lover’ | Royal | News
  • Old English Sheepdogs: Facts, Personality, Temperament

Recent Comments

No comments to show.

Tag Cloud

animal animals Business condoms consumer news coronavirus covid-19 dailymail dcc dcclm dementia dog dogs Entertainment femail food insecurity genetics health Insurance local London medicine News New South Wales opioids owner Pet Pet Care and Services pet insurance pets pets & animals Pets Insurance politics poverty Research Research and Markets sexy Sport standard sydney training veterinarian Viagra wire zoology

Archives

  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022

Categories

  • DOGS BREEDS
  • DOGS HEALTH
  • DOGS INSURANCE
  • DOGS NEWS
  • DOGS TRAINING
©2022 Rag-Dog | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme
Manage Cookie Consent
we use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}