I’ve gotten behind on writing so I’ll start back with a quick post. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has released an advisory document about the new coronavirus (the cause of the newly named disease COVID-19).
On the animal front, it’s still an ongoing battle to balance awareness (considering potential zoonotic sources and what to do with exposed animals) and over-reaction (resulting in paranoia about contact with any animals). We still have no evidence that this virus affects domestic animals, but since we also still have no real evidence that it doesn’t, it’s best to continue to take reasonable precautions to reduce the risk of exposure of animals to infected people, and to properly manage pets of people who are infected. It’s not necessarily complicated, and it hopefully won’t be necessary, but it’s always better to practice prevention than damage control.
On the prevention front, my dog Merlin had fake coronavirus for the day (just like he had fake Ebola a few years ago) to practice our containment practices. He escaped unscathed, and Merlin made the front page of the Toronto Star in the process.