Dogs get coronavirus.
Cats get coronavirus.
Cows get coronavirus.
As do horses, goats and sheep.
BUT, as far as we know today, only humans get COVID-19, also known as “new coronavirus” and “SARS-CoV-2.”
As of today, we don’t even know whether other primates (monkeys, chimps, apes, etc.) are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, although, it seems likely, and, if I had a subhuman primate as a pet I would take every precaution I’m taking for myself and my family.
Coronavirus disease in dogs is usually limited to a mild diarrhea, usually with a loss of appetite and, infrequently, vomiting. It is often a self-limiting condition not even requiring treatment unless complicating factors occur. There is a vaccine for canine coronavirus, but it is not widely administered.
Coronavirus in cats causes Feline Infectious Peritonitis, FIP. You can click here to read about FIP. Unproven antiviral drugs have been tried in FIP-infected cats and some researchers in Singapore have suggested trying those drugs in humans with new coronavirus, but legitimate human trials are not close.
In cows, bovine coronavirus causes a variety of syndromes including diarrhea in calves, hemorrhagic (bloody) diarrhea in adult cattle and plays a part in the bovine respiratory disease complex, also known as “shipping fever.”
You may have seen the completely bogus Facebook posts that occurred when COVID-19 first hit the United States, suggesting that humans take the bovine coronavirus vaccine. Physicians, researchers and veterinarians cringed at the thought of what reactions people might have if anyone actually did that.
That’s what we know today. Your dog, cat and farm animals are safe from COVID-19.
As new information becomes available, we will post it here.
MMCOVID
