CORONAVIRUS vs COVID 19
Veterinarians and human health workers have dealt with coronavirus for many years. The old coronavirus was a fairly common infection that caused mild common cold symptoms. Veterinarians often diagnosed this virus in younger animals including puppies and calves and it also showed mild symptoms and illness. Vaccines and antibodies have been used off and on to control the old coronavirus. The canine coronavirus is so mild, that standard vaccination was discontinued by most veterinarians over 15 years ago.
The new virus, or Novel Coronavirus, has been named COVID-19. This virus is a completely new strain and acts differently than the previous coronavirus, so there are very few similarities other than the name. This new virus originated in China and has been rapidly spreading around the globe. It is highly contagious, much more so than the common flu. Transmission is most likely to occur when there is contact with a person’s bodily secretions, such as droplets from a cough or a sneeze. The best way to avoid the disease is to limit being around crowds, limit touching each other by handshake, wipe down commonly touched areas with sanitizers, and wash your hands often. For most people the risk of being infected is low but the virus is a very serious public health threat due to its ability to spread quickly.
Fortunately, multiple international and domestic human and animal health organizations agree that there is no evidence at this point to indicate that pets become ill with COVID-19. There is also no evidence that animals spread the disease to other animals including humans. There are currently no documented cases of COVID-19 virus in animals. As with any virus, if you are sick, it is good to isolate yourself from other humans and pets as much as possible to eliminate the spread of the disease.
There are no drugs or vaccines licensed by the FDA available to treat COVID-19. If a person feels sick, please stay home and take care of yourself much the same as a cold or other flu virus.
Veterinary Wellness Partner veterinary clinics will remain open to take care of the needs of our patients. We are taking the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We are taking steps to limit the use of supplies and keeping our staff separated into smaller working groups. We continue to monitor the situation and will respond accordingly. We ask that you limit the number of people coming to each pet's appointment to one. Please call us if you have concerns about your pet or have any questions regarding the need for your pet to be seen.
