What you need to know about positive cases of COVID-19 in animals

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, more questions have come up about pets, owners and disease sharing.  This weekend, a Malayan tiger was confirmed infected with SARS-CoV-2.  

It is not unheard of for zoo animals to contract disease from humans (think elephants and tuberculosis), in fact, it is not even unheard of for big cats to contract diseases from their keepers.  In 2009, a group of cheetah were confirmed to have developed H1N1 after a keeper that was infected prepared their diets.  Since we already know that domestic cats have contracted the novel coronavirus from their infected owner, it stands to reason that a tiger being cared for by an infected human would be able to contract COVID-19 as well.  

After all, tigers are just like domestic cats…except bigger…and with more glamorous coat patterns.  However, the news this weekend that the Bronx Zoo’s big cats were struggling with the pandemic just like the rest of us (the affected 2 Malayan tigers, 2 amur tigers,  and 3 African lions had mild clinical signs and are doing well) does inspire us here at Vet Candy to reflect upon the positive creatures to date:

Timeline of events:

What you don’t see here is any evidence that any of these animals can transmit the virus to humans.  There remains NO EVIDENCE that dogs, cats (or lions and tigers) can transmit the disease to their owners.  It is always prudent to practice standard precautions around pets and other animals if you are ill, especially if you are suffering from a respiratory illness.

Dr. Jenifer Chatfield

Dr. Jenifer Chatfield is the Staff Veterinarian at 4J Conservation Center, an instructor for FEMA/DHS courses, and a Regional Commander for the National Disaster Medicine System Team. She graduated from Texas A&M University's CVM and has pursued emergency medicine and zoo medicine throughout her career. She owned two emergency clinics and has been the Senior Veterinarian in a zoo. She completed fieldwork in Madagascar and South America and continues to explore new areas of medicine as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine for more than 10 years. Dr. Chatfield is a Medical Reserve Corps member and developed the "Veterinary Support to Zoological Animals in a Disaster" for the National Veterinary Response Team’s training curriculum. Dr. Chatfield has chaired the Florida Veterinary Medical Association's (FVMA) One Health Committee and co-chaired FVMA's Disaster Response Committee.

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