Many of us remember the SARS epidemic in 2002-2003. SARS was a severe respiratory disease that was first seen in China and that quickly spread across Asia. Some people were infected there and brought the disease to the US before they knew they were sick. In that time, travel restrictions and infection control measures reduced and eliminated the spread of the virus.
SARS was very scary because it had a lot of the features of the 1918 Pandemic Flu: healthy adults were getting sick and dying, there was no specific treatment aside from supportive care, and initially it seemed to be rapidly spreading across the globe. The severity of symptoms meant that patients needed hospitalization, both exposing medical staff and using up resources like hospital beds, ventilators and protective equipment.
COVID-19 is a disease caused by a similar virus to SARS, but it seems to be both more contagious (easily spread) and less virulent (disease is usually less severe).
What is a coronavirus?
Coronaviruses, like the ones that cause SARS and COVID-19, are a group of viruses with a similar shape and type of genetic material. Most coronaviruses are found in bats and birds, but they cross species into other mammals and then evolve in their new hosts. It’s believed that COVID-19 was previously found in a civet, a member of the feline family, that was being sold for meat in an open market, where the virus hopped to a human host. Thankfully, China has now banned selling wild animals for food.
There are several known coronaviruses of little concern for people. A couple types cause a common cold in people. Other ones infect dogs or cats but not people. The coronavirus of largest concern for veterinarians is called variant-systemic feline coronavirus. This is a mutant of a diarrhea virus that, in unlucky cats, causes feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). It does not help to vaccinate for this virus and the best method of prevention is to reduce unplanned breeding of cats, as most stray kittens get infected early on with the pre-mutated form. In dogs, there is a coronavirus that causes mild to severe diarrhea symptoms. There is a vaccine that reduces the severity of infection but it does not prevent the spread of the disease and does not prevent disease in all cases.
Can I get COVID-19 from my dog?
The short answer is probably not. We are keeping a watch on the situation but it is unlikely that we will see a third species of animal involved in transmission. In the SARS epidemic, there were dogs and cats that had been infected with the virus, but they did not have clinical signs and did not appear to be spreading the virus. With COVID-19, there has been at least one dog that tested positive in Hong Kong. It is much more likely that you will get infected and transmit it to your dog than the other way around.
In Hong Kong, they are recommending avoiding kisses with dogs. I will defer you to your own judgement as to whether you or your dog is a carrier.
What are we doing to prevent transmission?
We are taking standard precautions to avoid transmitting diseases in our clinic. We have increased the number of times per day we sanitize all the counters and seating areas. We are washing hands very frequently and using hand sanitizer after interactions with clients and their pets. We are checking the temperature of anyone who is sick.
We are going to try to avoid unnecessary palm-side hand contact like handshakes. If you get a fist bump, know that it comes from a place of love. We are trying to put clients into exam rooms more quickly so that we minimize the number of people in our lobby at one time.
What can clients do to help?
First, wash your hands. A lot of transmission will be prevented by more frequent handwashings. Resist the urge to wipe your eyes and face with your hands. If you use a tissue for a sneeze or to wipe your eyes or nose, throw it away. These basic hygiene measures will go a long way.
Stay healthy! Get full nights of sleep. Eat good food. Wear appropriate clothing when it is cold or hot. You know, the basics for avoiding a cold.
If you have a cough, call a doctor and get screened before going out. In this season it will be hard to tell the difference between an infection and allergies. Taking your temperature can help. If it is above 100°F then you should probably stay home and cancel your plans.
This virus will hopefully fizzle out like the SARS virus did, but if we end up with a pandemic, we need to be doing all we can to slow its spread. Even if we all are eventually exposed, slowing it down will keep resources available for those who need hospitalization. We are approaching COVID-19 with cautious optimism. We’re confident that our community will get through this outbreak and we will all soon breathe easily.
Photo by Rejaul Karim Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0