COVID-19 and your pet: Can my dog or cat get the coronavirus?
It's on the tip of our tongues: COVID-19. This past week health officials have warned us that this is just the beginning. The impact of the virus will play out over months to come. Many pet owners have questions about the virus and how it could impact their fur-family. I decided to sniff out the facts on coronavirus and your pet.
What is coronavirus?
Let's start at the tip of the nose and work our way down to the tip of the tail. When you contract what is referred to as the 'common cold' you have likely contracted a type of coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses ranging in severity. The World Health Organization (WHO) explains coronaviruses:
"Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new strain that was discovered in 2019 and has not been previously identified in humans."
It's on the tip of our tongues: COVID-19. This past week health officials have warned us that this is just the beginning. The impact of the virus will play out over months to come. Many pet owners have questions about the virus and how it could impact their fur-family. I decided to sniff out the facts on coronavirus and your pet.
What is coronavirus?
Let's start at the tip of the nose and work our way down to the tip of the tail. When you contract what is referred to as the 'common cold' you have likely contracted a type of coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses ranging in severity. The World Health Organization (WHO) explains coronaviruses:
"Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new strain that was discovered in 2019 and has not been previously identified in humans."