ST. LOUIS — We've been talking a lot about the importance of social distancing and staying at home with your family. And for many of you, that family includes dogs and cats.
Today in St. Louis' Allie Corey talked to Dr. Travis Arndt, the Director of the Animal Medical Center of Mid-America.
He said you should keep your pets away from people if you don't know where they've been.
Dr. Arndt said there have been no documented cases of family pets getting COVID-19 in the U.S., but there have been a few cases in some other countries. Pets can get the virus from human interaction, he said.
"There was a situation of a dog in Hong Kong that tested positive. There were reports of a cat in Belgium and now the tiger at the Bronx Zoo. In all those instances, they had contact with an infected person and that’s why those animals were tested in the first place. That’s where they contracted that virus from."
Dr. Arndt said you should still take your dog for a walk, but don’t let strangers pet them. Call your vet if your pet shows symptoms of COVID-19. Especially if you notice respiratory issues, coughing and not acting themselves.
The AMCMA remains open for surgeries and medications and don’t forget The Humane Society is open for adoptions. In fact, they hit record numbers in March. They had 604 adoptions and 231 were through their curbside pickup.
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