What is a corona virus?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses found in both animals and humans. Some infect people and are known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
What is a novel corona virus?
A novel coronavirus (CoV) is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans. The new, or “novel” coronavirus, now called 2019-nCoV, had not previously detected before the outbreak was reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019.
Can 2019-nCoV coronavirus be caught from your pet?
No, at present there is no evidence that companion animals or pets such as cats and dogs have been infected or have spread 2019-nCoV.
Can dogs or cats contract the 2019-nCoV corona virus?
The focus of the authorities in China has been to investigate the impact on human health and finding the animal source that spread it to humans. It is unknown if companion pets can contract the 2019-nCoV strain from the animal source, could be spreading it to humans, or humans are conveying the virus to them. The WHO (World Health Organisation) has dismissed any claims that it can be spread to or from companion animals as there is no evidence suggesting this is the case. Despite this, officials in China have been culling family’s pets to prevent the spread.
Civet cats were known to spread Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) to humans. It is believed that SARS jumped possibly from bats to civet cats. SARS is a different member of the coronavirus family but this doesn’t mean any comparisons can be drawn between this and 2019-nCoV.
Current known corona viruses in dogs
Current strains are canine respiratory coronavirus, canine enteric coronavirus, and pantropic canine coronavirus.
Canine respiratory coronavirus is a part of the kennel cough complex and is primarily spread in situations where dogs are in close proximity to each or become exposed to infected surfaces.
Canine enteric virus causes diarrhea. Although a vaccine is available for this strain it is not always recommended on the grounds that infection causes mild symptoms, generally occurs in dogs 6 wks of age and younger, and is typically self-limiting.
Canine pantropic coronavirus leads to lethargy, lack of appetite, vomiting, bloody stools and sometimes seizures. This strain is primarily found in Europe.
Known Corona Viruses found in cats
There are 2 significant coronavirus strains currently found in cats: feline enteric coronavirus and feline infectious peritonitis.
Similar to canine enteric coronavirus, feline enteric coronavirus causes mild diarrhoea in cats.
Feline infectious peritonitis is triggered by infection with a feline coronavirus. There are two forms (wet & dry) both include antibiotic-resistant fever, anorexia, weight loss and lethargy. The wet type also shows an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal/chest cavity.
Do you need to worry?
It doesn’t seem like there is any need to worry. The spread of the virus within China has been well controlled. As of 21 February, a total of 5,885 people have been tested, of which 5,876 were confirmed negative and 9 positive. If more cases are confirmed in the UK, it will be announced as soon as possible by the Chief Medical Officer of the affected country. You can see daily updates here.
