NO! You cannot contract coronavirus from your pet. Your pet can get infected from you
In lieu of the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak, a lot of pet owners across the globe have questions about the safety of their family members and the chances of anyone contracting the COVID-19 because of their pet animal. In some instances, it has also been seen that people have disowned their pets because of the fear of getting infected. This fear is nothing but a myth.
Dr. KK Gupta, a Veterinary Physician, in an exclusive conversation with India TV, said that all those people abandoning their pets are doing a great injustice to the animals out of sheer panic and no facts.
"Coronavirus cannot pass on from a dog to the owner. The pet can contract the virus from their owner but not the other way around," Dr. Gupta said.
Gupta, who owns a pet clinic in Delhi's CR Park, said that as long as pet owners maintain basic hygiene for themselves and their pets, they will encounter no problem.
"You have to maintain basic hygiene for yourself and your dog. When you are taking the dog out for a walk make sure his paws are clean. It is for the dog's safety," he added.
Dr. Gupta did not advise any change in diet for your pet in these times but said that the basic food that you serve to the pet should also be hygienic.
"There has been only one case of the pet being infected with coronavirus, it was in China. The pet contracted the virus from the owner. Apart from that, no other instance has been reported," he said.
He also added that like in human beings, dogs with the weak immune system are most prone to contracting the coronavirus.
Dr. Gupta has 9 years of experience practicing his profession and said that his clinic will not shut down during these testing times.
