Vet warns pets can pass coronavirus between humans

He said their fur can act as a 'surface' which can pass on the disease.

A vet on daytime TV programme This Morning has responded to concerns about whether humans can catch coronavirus from their pets.

The programme’s resident vet, Dr Scott Miller, reassured viewers that they can’t catch the disease directly from a pet – but said they should be aware the fur on animals could act as a ‘surface’ for transmission between humans.

Dr Scott said: ‘So at the moment we don’t believe that cats can, or any animal, pass it back to us from the initial infection.

‘Now we don’t believe at all that dogs or cats can transmit it back to us as an infected host.

‘What we are concerned about is that they may be able to act as a surface – so if someone with Covid-19 coughs on their dog and then takes it for a walk, then you pet their dog and then touch your face, you could potentially pick up Covid-19 that way – although the chances are very very low.’

Read the latest updates: Coronavirus news live

Programme host Phillip Schofield raised the topic, mentioning there have been worries since a tiger at a zoo in New York tested positive for coronavirus over the weekend.

Dr Scott added: ‘This case with the tiger – there’s also been one reflected in a domestic cat in Belgium – where that cat did actually did show some coronavirus symptoms, i.e. had respiratory symptoms and had diarrhoea.

‘Its owner did have coronavirus, both were tested and proven to have a positive result, but they have both since recovered.

‘There is some concern and that is something very much that the veterinary profession will be watching, but it all boils down really to just good hygiene, and don’t touch other people’s pets at this time.’

A tiger at a New York City zoo has tested positive for coronavirus in what is believed to be the first known Covid-19 case in a US animal or tiger anywhere, zoo officials said.

A four-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia, and six other lions and tigers, reportedly became ill at the Bronx Zoo.

Officials said the first animal first began showing symptoms on March 27 and tested positive for the virus.

All of the lions and tigers are expected to recover, according to the zoo which has been closed since March 16.

There have reportedly been cases of pets outside the US becoming infected by the virus, which has killed over 9,500 Americans and infected more than 333,000.

In February, a dog in Hong Kong reportedly tested positive for a low level of the virus, although health officials in Hong Kong said that pets could not pass the virus to humans.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.