PETS AND COVID 19 – All pet owners have justifiably begun to worry about whether and in what way the Covid 19 can affect their pets as well. There are numerous opinions and numerous researches being done, and apparently our pets are not safe from the corona virus.
British veterinarians have recently warned public of a possible link between the new British strain of Covid 19 and heart problems in dogs and cats. The warning was issued after an increased number of pets with myocarditis arrived at a veterinary hospital in Buckinghamshire during the second wave of the pandemic.
As Luca Ferasin, a cardiologist at the Ralph Veterinary Center in Marlow, stated after his research, his intention is not to spread panic unnecessarily, but now there is a strong suspicion that the virus can be transmitted from a human to a pet. On the other hand, according to him and the research he conducted, it is quite certain that animals cannot transmit the virus to humans. He also appealed to veterinarians to test pets if there is a suspicion of infection.
According to the Guardian, the British strain of the corona virus was first discovered in Kent in December 2020 and became the dominant mutation, making up about 95% of infections in Great Britain. There have been some reports of cats and dogs becoming infected with earlier corona varieties, but the symptoms are mostly respiratory in nature, such as runny nose, sneezing, coughing or conjunctivitis. The cases in Buckinghamshire are among the first recorded infections of the British corona strain with possible symptoms of myocarditis (heart muscle disease). The animals had symptoms such as lethargy, increased appetite,rapidness or shortness of breath, but also arrhythmia and fainting. Their owners were found to be positive or had symptoms three to six weeks before their pets became ill. After the discovery of the British strain in the hospital in Buckinghamshire, one cat was unfortunately put to sleep, and the other animals are successfully recovering.
Margaret Hozi, a professor of comparative virology at the University of Glasgow, claims that at this stage it is impossible to say with certainty that the virus caused heart problems in animals, but she also advised owners that if they suspect something is wrong with their pets contact a veterinarian immediately.
When it comes to other countries, in March, Dailymail announced that the British strain of coronavirus was also found in a cat from Italy. The case was registered in the north of the country in the town of Novara.
According to the doctors from Italy, the above mentioned cat got sick 10 days after its owners were diagnosed with the corona virus. She had trouble breathing, but both the cat and its owners successfully recovered. Scientists from the Institute for Animal Health Research in Piedmont discovered the virus in a cat after the owners brought it to them for testing, and Bartolomeo Griglio, head of prevention in this region, told the Ansa news agency that the fact that the cat is positive should not be an alarm. and that at this time there is no scientific evidence to suggest that cats have the potential to infect humans. Researchers at the institute have warned that people with confirmed infections should avoid contact with their pets to avoid transmitting the infection.
Also, in 2020, some tests were performed on cats in China, where it was discovered that 15% of the tested animals had antibodies, which indicates that they were infected at some point. Tests performed in South Korea, Japan, the United States and Europe have also confirmed Covid infections in domestic cats. Cats are thought to have picked up the virus because of their close proximity to their owners.
South Korea has introduced tests on Covid 19 for cats and dogs
Cats and dogs in the South Korean capital Seoul will be tested for Covid 19 if they have symptoms of the disease. According to a statement issued by the authorities, only pets that have symptoms such as difficulty breathing or fever after contact with infected people will be tested.
If the pet is positive on the test, it will have to be placed in house quarantine. Local health official Parko Yo Mi also stated that it is not necessary for a pet to be placed in a special isolation facility, unless its owner is hospitalized due to Covid or is too ill or too old to take care of the pet. In that case, the pet will be taken to quarantine, which is under the jurisdiction of the city authorities. An infected kitten was found in the city of Jinju in southern South Korea, which is presumed to have been infected by its mother and daughter who were staying in the same facility, as reported by the local website Yonhap. Both daughter and mother were Covid positive.
Experts have previously said that animals are unlikely to infect humans, although research has shown that cats can be carriers of Covid. Research has also shown that a cat can infect other cats, but that these cases are extremely rare.
Also, cases of infection have been found in other animal species in Zoos in monkeys (2 gorillas in the San Diego Zoo) and in tigers and lions (New York Zoo).
The first registered animal corona vaccine
The first vaccine intended for animals has been registered in Russia, according to a statement issued by the Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision of Russia, Konstantin Sevenkov. The vaccine in question is Karnivak-Kov, which was developed by the Federal Center for Animal Health, it is the first and at the moment the only product of this kind for animals, as Sevenkov stated.
According to him, clinical trials for this vaccine began in October 2020 and were performed on cats, dogs, foxes and other animals. As Savenkov further stated, 100% of vaccinated animals developed antibodies to the coronavirus after receiving dose of the vaccine during testing.
As Sevenkov stated, other countries, such as Greece, Poland, the USA, Canada, Greece and Singapore, are also interested in this vaccine.
According to Russian scientists, the use of this vaccine could prevent further mutation of the virus, and two cases of cat infection in Moscow and Tyumen have been officially determined in Russia so far.
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