- Hong Kong, China -
The Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has concluded that cats and dogs cannot pass the new coronavirus on to humans, but they can test positive for low levels of the pathogen if they catch it from their guardians.
This conclusion has come after a dog in quarantine tested weakly positive for the virus February 27, February 28, and March 2, using the pup’s nasal and oral cavity samples.
CNY Central reports that an unidentified spokesman for the department said in a news release: “There is currently no evidence that pet animals can be a source of infection of COVID-19 or that they become sick.”
The agency suggested any pets, including dogs and cats, from households where someone has tested positive for the virus should be put into quarantine.
The general advice for pet parents, regardless of the virus, is to maintain good hygiene, including washing hands before and after handling animals, their food and supplies.
Furthermore, people who are sick should avoid contact with pets and most importantly, if we detect changes in our furbabies’ health, we should seek for a veterinarian's advice.
The spokesman added and I TOTALLY AGREE: “Apart from maintaining good hygiene practices, pet owners need not be overly concerned and under no circumstances should they abandon their pets."
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