And no, this is not about politics, per se.
I was listening to an interesting Webinar from the One Health group at CDC. Ok, fine. Talk about those things which affect all parts of the biosphere; plants, animals, people. So far, so good. But then the discussion went on to the subject of animal care/pet care/companion care in the face of disaster.
I am still good. But wait – there are huge amount of precautions recommended for anyone who has the misfortune to develop COVID-19 and has animals.
Let us stop and think (excluding the rapid spread of SARS-COV2 in mink farms in the Netherlands – that is its own problem and will be gone by 2024 anyway when the farms are outlawed) – according to conservative estimates – there have been at least 19 million cases of COVID-19 in humans. Deaths are well above 155,000 in the US alone. Look at those numbers for a moment. Think about them.
Now, consider that there have ben 42 (forty-two, no trailing zeros) documented cases in pets (and not all in the US). That is 42. And how many of the 4+ million in the US who have been diagnosed have pets?
The following is my personal take – and NOT the official CDC guidance
Do not isolate yourself from your pet if you are ill. You need them and they need you. Do NOT drop your pet off at a shelter just because you have a positive test. If you are too ill to take care of it, you are probably too ill to take care of your self. Make the appropriate arrangements for both of you.
I am more concerned about those living alone who land in hospital – and haven’t made arrangements for their animals. The same way that pets/companions need to be considered when hurricane, tornado. or earth quake strikes, But this particular disease is not the same at all. Any pet who goes out side is at much greater risk of parasites and worms than they are from catching COVID-19 from you…. Please be sensible
