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ARCHIVED - Concerns grow over possible coronavirus transmission by dogs and cats
Chinese studies suggest that Covid-19 may thrive in cats while faring less well in dogs
It goes without saying that in Spain, where the number of coronavirus testing kits available is only now beginning to match the demand for them, the amount of testing performed on animals has been very limited indeed, but with a few cases of animal infection having been reported in various parts of the world concern is growing over the possibility of humans passing Covid-19 on to other species which live around us and, in some cases, with us.
The most common household pets are dogs and cats, and recently there have been confirmed or suspected cases of the coronavirus in both animals, as well as the eye-catching report from New York that a tigress has caught Covid-19 from one of her keepers at the Bronx Zoo.
Social media was immediately flooded with accusations of this being "Fake News" but it's not, and other cases are beginning to emerge of animal infections.
The route by which Covid-19 reached the human race in China is thought to have begun in a bat and included a pangolin, and although the next jumps to other species have not yet been confirmed the hypothesis is growing in credibility with every possible case reported. Alongside the unconfirmed report of a pet cat in Belgium and the tigress in New York it is also worth mentioning a study in Hong Kong, where a positive test in a cat was reported on 31st March and two dogs – an Alsatian and a Pomeranian – have been found to be suffering from the virus.
These dogs were among 25 animals studied due to their belonging to people who had tested positive, and plenty of people are leaping to the obvious conclusion: that Covid-19 can be transmitted from humans to animals and, possibly, vice versa. There is no concrete evidence for this being the case, but in China preliminary studies into this possibility have already concluded that although the virus fares poorly in dogs, pigs, chickens and ducks it is capable of thriving in cats and ferrets.
It is important to remember that these are still only hypotheses at present, but they raise the possibility, for example, that a pet cat could pose a threat to its owner. If the cat is in the habit of spending time outside the home it could contract the virus from another human being and bring it into the house, making it advisable according to some vets for owners to keep a safe distance from cats or keep their cats inside on a "feline lockdown".
In this context, and given the known connection between Covid-19 and the animal world, some are surprised that there are no vets on the scientific committee set up by the Spanish government to monitor the coronavirus emergency. In Germany one of the leading figures on the equivalent committee is the veterinarian Lothar Wieler, and in the region of Castilla y León the emergency committee includes Elías Rodríguez Ferri, professor of Veterinary Science at the University of León.
Obviously animal welfare organisations are concerned that this situation be carefully monitored and properly reported as there is a very real risk that pet owners may start to abandon their animals if they believe them to be a risk to their own health or that of for example, a young family.
For the moment the best advice is to keep pets "on a short lead" and keep them locked down until more is known about the situation.
And be aware, this is NOT fake news.
Eds. Note: When the Covid-19 cases first started to appear ourselves, along with many other media, were attacked mercilessly on social media and accused of scaremongering. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but it's really important to make sure that information is made available so that informed decisions can be made. Many people will be upset by this article and will attack it as being fake news, but along with the stories about the Covid-19 outbreak in humans, there could be serious repercussions for animal welfare organisations should further cases emerge, so be ruthless with those who decry this as fake news on social media; there are many who wish now that they had listened to the warnings of the scientific community when Covid-19 first began to break and had taken a flight back home when they had the chance instead of sitting on social media decrying the fake news about this new virus from China!
Remember: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.
Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest updates locally for the Region of Murcia and the main information for the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/.
Our local area groups are as follows. These are designed to filter locally specific information and may be used by clubs, charities, any of the businesses who work with us to ensure information is available to residents in English and for those living in the specific areas. They are not buy and sell groups, do not accept any bickering or argumentative so and so's, are not "open for any old rubbish" pages, and are not trying to compete with your local comunity groups, they are specifically for sharing good, relevant local information and we hope you will use them for that during this difficult time.
Around Mazarrón news, events and local info: Click to join
Mazarrón, Fuente Álamo, Águilas, Lorca, Totana, Puerto Lumbreras, Camposol, Alhama de Murcia. Click to join (all within a half hour drive of each other)
Mar Menor news, events and local info. Click to join (this includes all the Mar Menor municipalities and Cartagena)
North-west Murcia: Bullas, Mula, Cehegin, Caravaca, Cieza, Calasparra, Jumilla, Moratalla info. Click to join
What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus
The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212) if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre.
Sensible precautions
The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:
- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel
- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues – and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!
- If you don’t have a tissue, use your sleeve – and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity
- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell
- Don´t panic!
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