As the information about COVID-19 is changing on a daily basis the AVMA is regularly updating their website with information for both veterinarians and pets. Rather than take the chance of disseminating out-of-date information, this is a compilation of the questions answered on the AVMA website:
AVMA COVID-19
A lot of the answers are embedded in pdf’s. Depending on your browser, you may be able to open the pdf, or it may simply download to your computer, usually found in the Downloads folder.
The COVID-19: FAQs For Veterinarians and Veterinary Clinics is found on the AVMA site, in the lower left, near the bottom of the webpage.
Q: Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation Department (AFCD) has indicated that a pet dog whose owner had contracted COVID-19 had been tested for SARS-CoV-2 and that multiple tests over several days’ time had come back “weak positive.” Do you have more information and should we be worried for our pets or for ourselves?
Q: Can SARS-CoV-2 infect pets and can it be spread by pets to other animals, including people?
Q: Can pets serve as fomites in the spread of COVID-19?
Q: If I am ill with COVID-19 are there special precautions I should take to prevent spreading disease, including when caring for my pet?
Q: What should I do to prepare for my pet’s care in the event I do become ill?
Q: My pet or service animal is not ill but has a scheduled appointment at the veterinarian and I am not ill with COVID-19 – what should I do?
Q: My pet or service animal needs to go to the veterinarian and I am ill with COVID-19 – what should I do?
Q: What should I do if my pet or service animal becomes ill after being around someone who has been sick with COVID-19?