Mumbai coronavirus victim’s dog spends two weeks in isolation

Alex Fernandes | TNN | Apr 15, 2020, 07:00 IST

Tuffy was released from a veterinary hospital after 15 days

MUMBAI: A dog was placed in an isolation kennel for 15 days after its caretaker died of Covid-19. The Pomeranian, pet to a family in suburban Mumbai’s Deonar, was taken to a veterinary hospital where it was examined for those two weeks to watch for symptoms. Tuffy, a 3-year-old male, was found to be hale and hearty, and released back to his family home.
The pet’s caretaker, a 65-year-old woman, died last month after contracting the coronavirus. Seven of her relatives who lived in the same house in a chawl, were taken to a hospital for isolation as a precaution, said Krishna Shenoy, manager of In Defence Of Animals (IDA), an animal welfare trust having its veterinary facility at Deonar.
“Left to fend for itself in the locked house, the dog seemed stressed,” he said. “We got a call from the BMC on March 26, asking us to rescue the dog.”
In the presence of police and fire brigade personnel, dog rescuers from IDA entered the house. “The dog was barking anxiously. Our staff pacified him and put him in an ambulance,” said Shenoy.
When the dog was first taken to the hospital in Deonar, it was a bit aggressive. It was kept in isolation in a standalone kennel, about 10ft by 12ft in size, said Sudnya Patkar, founder trustee of IDA.
The basic rules of isolation for a dog are similar to those for humans. The Pom was observed for any symptoms of viral infection. Its temperature was checked daily over two weeks.
‘Pet dog now back home, is perfectly fine’
The dog’s respiration was examined with a stethoscope. This means the dog’s breathing rate per minute was tested. Also, its pulse rate was assessed, said Dr Makarand Chavan, a trustee of IDA.
“The dog had no respiratory distress or respiratory infection. It was not sneezing, had no cough or nasal discharge. In other words, the dog was perfectly normal and healthy,” said Dr Chavan who has his clinic near Shivaji Park at Dadar. Now, the dog is back home, a member of the family from Deonar told TOI. “Our pet is eating well and back to his routine now. He’s perfectly fine.”