COVID-19 and Your Pets

Hello tribe members! 💜💜 It’s the Yettie in the Pink Underwear here to tell you about COVID-19 and your pets! 😁 Yetties can’t get the coronavirus, which is why I’m in charge while everyone else is quarantining, but some pets have the chance of getting infected. 

What Can Dogs do to Help?

While it is true that dogs can catch COVID-19, it’s really rare. The symptoms of coronavirus in animals aren’t clear, and most of them don’t even seem sick. The best news is: your smart doggos may be able to sniff out the virus! 😱 There’s been a study done with dogs who are already trained to detect things like explosives and colon cancer, and they found that these dogs can be trained to smell coronavirus in people’s sweat too. Many dog breeds can be trained for this, and they can even tell if someone has COVID before a test comes back positive. These dogs could really have fun sniffing everyone’s armpits as a new way of testing. 🐶

How Many Animals Catch COVID-19?

There have been cases of pets contracting the virus, but in a study only about 2 in 15 dogs that live with a human caught the disease. Also, it seems like dogs don’t pass the virus to their humans or other dogs, so that’s good news! Other mammals may be able to get COVID too, though, and a few tigers and lions from the New York Zoo have tested positive. 🐯🦁 Animals that aren’t mammals haven’t caught coronavirus, so that means Aquaman and his pet fish are all okay. 🐠🐡

What Can You Do For Your Pet?

If you aren’t sick, you can keep your pet safe by not letting them roam around freely, and keeping them on a leash at least 6 feet away from other people. You should wear a mask, but don’t try to put one on your pet (even if they look really cool in it). 😷 If you or someone you’ve been in contact with has COVID-19, you should avoid contact with your pet. Yes, that sadly means no petting, snuggling, or kissing for you doggos. 🥰😘 People who aren’t sick or who haven’t been exposed to the virus should care for your pets, so they can get all the love and attention they need. If you have to take care of your pet while you’re sick, please wear a mask and wash your hands a lot. 🧼 Even though the chances of your pet catching COVID-19 are low, some of them can still get sick, unlike me. So, unless you have a pet Yettie, be careful to make sure your pet stays safe. 💜💜😁