Stay away from your pets if you're sick: Animal expert warns Australians they could pass on coronavirus to their dogs and cats
- Epidemiology expert said people should treat their pets like they would people
- Dr Ezekiel Nwose said there is a risk pet owners could pass COVID-19 to animals
- Cases of domestic animals contracting illness are documented in the UK and US
- An Italian study which is yet to be peer reviewed has suggested the same thing
- Dr Nwose said while study in early days there was a chance pets could contract
- He said it is important to treat them as you would people during the pandemic
Treat your furry friends as if they are humans during the pandemic, an Australian epidemiology expert says, amid mounting evidence that pets can contract COVID-19.
Person-to-person spread of the coronavirus has been widely documented and Charles Sturt University's Dr Ezekiel Nwose says the threat of human-to-animal spread is also very real.
'The idea of animal infections is not strange ... it is downplayed that humans can infect animals,' Dr Nwose said in a statement on Thursday.
Hongkonger Yvonne Chow Hau Yee, pictured in an undated photo, is the owner of a 17-year-old Pomeranian dog in Hong Kong that died after contracting the virus
Cases of domestic dogs and cats contracting COVID-19 have been documented in the UK and US.
The first dog in the world to catch coronavirus died after it was declared disease-free and returned home to its owner in Hong Kong.
The 17-year-old Pomeranian, whose owner caught COVID-19, had been quarantined at a government facility but returned home over the weekend.
A recent Italian study found some pets showed evidence of catching coronavirus.
The study, which has not been peer-reviewed yet, tested 540 dogs and 277 cats from households in northern Italy where someone was infected with the virus or in areas where it was prevalent.
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It found coronavirus antibodies in 3.4 per cent of dogs and 3.9 per cent of cats, indicating they were infected with the virus at some point.
Dr Nwose said while study in the area was in its early days, there was a clear likelihood that pets could contract the virus so humans should treat them as they would other people.
Dr Nwose (pictured) said while study in the area was in its early days, there was a clear likelihood that pets could contract the virus so humans should treat them as they would other people
That means maintaining good hand hygiene, avoiding licks and kisses, and keeping away from pets or relocating them if you become sick.
A pet should be taken to a vet if it has been in contact with a positive case and begins showing signs of respiratory distress.
'Don't treat pets less than you would humans,' Dr Nwose said.
Professor Jonathan Ball, an infectious disease expert at the University of Nottingham, previously said it was unlikely for animals to get sick after catching COVID-19.
'They produce very low levels of virus, which is why we don’t think they can transmit the virus to humans,' he said.
'The best thing you can do to protect your pets, is to avoid close contact if you are, or think you might be, infected with the virus.'
Although there is no evidence so far that a human can catch the coronavirus from an infected pet, scientists have previously warned pets can carry the coronavirus on their fur, which risks spreading the disease.'
An official report by the UK's top vet said: 'Close contact such as cuddling, grooming, feeding and allowing animals to share food could all allow the transfer of virus.'
