In light of the novel coronavirus outbreak, archived photos of scenes from the Spanish Flu of 1918 have been making their rounds across the internet to show parallels, including one widely shared family portrait which includes a pet cat sporting a handmade mask, fitted for his feline frame, along with the humans holding him.
So was this family ahead of their time? A mere month or two ago, pet experts were saying that pets could not carry the virus. Now, after two asymptomatic dogs in Hong Kong and a tiger in the Bronx zoo tested positive for COVID-19 after their handlers were infected, those same experts are now saying that it is possible for dogs and cats to at least carry it.
“Since we don’t know so much, kind of treat your animals with that same approach [of] physical distancing,” Oak Creek Small Animal Clinic Manager Marc Kinney said.
That means that to be on the safe side, sick pet owners should avoid close contact with their pet, or have someone else care for them instead.
Kinney also advised against bringing dogs on group hikes and events, which are restricted with social distancing guidelines anyway. However, even though dog parks may still be open, Kinney advised against going at this time.
“We don’t know with dogs and transmissions,” he said. “Even if dogs don’t get [COVID-19], I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think they could have [the virus] in their fur.”
The West Sedona clinic transitioned to curbside intake only on March 20, with staff doing intake outside the pet owner’s car and then taking pets in and out of the vet offices for diagnosis and treatment before walking them back out.
“People were a little bit cavalier about just walking in and picking things up,” Kinney said about why they closed their doors to clients.
The clinic’s pet taxi, “Fiona,” is also available for staff to pick up and drop off pets, so that the owners don’t need to leave their houses, especially if they’re sick.
“We will drive all over this valley if we have to, picking up pets that need medical care,” the clinic posted on their website. “It might just keep one of our staff members working who would have been sent home.”
Bell Rock Veterinary Clinic in the Village of Oak Creek has also started offering a home pickup and dropoff service, and offers curbside drop off as well as open doors with one client and their pet allowed to enter at a time.
“The main challenge has been adapting to the times while still being here for our patients and limiting risk of spread,” Dr. Rachelle Jarvis said of Bell Rock Veterinary Clinic. “Some clients are not concerned, and others are very worried, so we are doing everything we can to provide care and minimize risk.”
This means expanding appointment and telemedicine times, as well as disinfecting the entire clinic every hour, down to every last countertop and doorknob.
“I personally am not worried about contracting the virus from the pet directly, but they can carry the virus on them [aka fomite transmission] and if we aren’t [disinfecting and] washing our hands appropriately, then myself and my staff could contract the virus this way,” Jarvis said.
She recommends that pet owners also wash their hands before and after handling their pets.
“As of now we don’t know if pets can transmit the virus [directly] to people but the evidence says they cannot. Animals can get the virus from people, but it appears animals are dead end hosts,” Jarvis said. “There is a study suggesting that cats can shed the virus in their vomit, feces and respiratory secretions [Science Magazine, April 8, 2020]. If this is true then it may be able to go from cats to people.”
While dog owners are advised to temporarily change some habits of their canines — such as limiting their exposure to other dogs and humans outside — the same isn’t exactly true with cats. For instance, Kinney said that trying to turn an outdoor cat into an indoor one to limit the cat’s exposure could cause more damage than good.
“If you have a cat that’s accustomed to roaming the neighborhood, [trying to bring them indoors could be] opening up a can of worms,” he said, noting behaviors such as peeing inside, scratching furniture and constant whining would be likely.
And while the circa 1918 family that invented the cat mask may have been ahead of their time in trying to protect their feline friend, Jarvis doesn’t advise making masks for your pet anytime soon.
“I would not put a mask over a pet’s mouth because it will not be effective,” she said. “In order for masks to be effective, they have to fit snug so that air cannot flow around the sides of the mask and they need to be of a material that can filter out viruses. The mask will unlikely fit a pet appropriately and probably just stress them out having a strange thing put on their face.”
Both Jarvis and Kinney have said they have seen a decline in appointments being made at their clinics since COVID-19 precautions hit.
“We definitely noticed a drop off a few weeks ago,” Kinney said. “It came immediately after the city enforced closures of restaurants and resorts.”
Jarvis said in talking to her vet colleagues in the area, drops in appointments seemed to be consistent across clinics in the Verde Valley, but not in Phoenix.
“I think it’s a ripple effect. People freak out and cancel everything [they think] is non-essential,” Kinney said. “A lot of animals still need to be seen for ongoing issues.”
The Humane Society of Sedona, too, is taking a hit financially, with their three area thrift stores closed since March 19.
“Although we have greatly reduced both our employees and volunteers working in our animal shelter, the animals in our care are still receiving the same level of care we always provide,” Executive Director Jennifer Brehler said. “In fact, in some cases we have been able to provide additional opportunities for training and behavior intervention for those animals most in need of care.”
Brehler also said that the shelter has not seen an uptick in surrendered animals there, though they are bracing themselves because economic hardships often do lead to more pet surrenders.
“We have seen an outpouring of support from our community to adopt and foster animals, which has helped reduce our in-shelter animal population significantly at this time,” she added. “Of course, this could change. That is why we have been working to enhance and expand our pet retention and re-homing efforts to support families in crisis who have animals in an effort to help them stay together.”
Alexandra Wittenberg can be reached at 282-7795 ext 126 or at awittenberg@larsonnewspapers.
