ThatвЂ™s a relief for individual pet owners, and also for the future of the pandemic, Lim pointed out. вЂњBut we still don't think that any of the companion animals in people's houses, or in their homes, are going to be a significant risk for human infection.вЂќ And we know that cats more than dogs will amplify virus,вЂќ Poulsen said. вЂњWe know that animals can harbor the virus. Even as other research led by UW-Madison scientists has shown that cats may be able to shed the virus and even infect other cats with COVID-19, the levels donвЂ™t appear high enough to get humans sick, Poulsen explained. But itвЂ™s rare for pets to actually need treatment for an infection, Poulsen explained, and the mortality rate for most animals seems to be close to zero.ДЄnother bit of good news: Cats and dogs donвЂ™t seem like they are able to pass the virus back to humans.

The most common signs for infected animals include respiratory symptoms, like a runny nose or sneezing, Konkle said. вЂњSo some of the information that's come out, similar to this study, has really helped people understand that they don't have to be necessarily afraid.вЂќ вЂњI think a lot of pet owners were concerned at first about whether or not their dog or cat could get COVID, you know, could get sick from COVID or die from COVID,вЂќ Konkle said. In this research and in other cases, even cats and dogs who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 donвЂ™t tend to get very sick. This means that humans may transmit the coronavirus to pets more often than previously thought, the researchers write.Д«ut pet owners shouldnвЂ™t worry too much, explained Wisconsin State Veterinarian Darlene Konkle, who was consulted as part of the study. And one sample from a dogвЂ™s fur also tested positive for viral RNA. Out of the dozens of pets who were sampled in the study, eight animals - four dogs and four cats - turned up SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in blood tests, according to the study. So, in addition to sticking swabs up human noses, the researchers also started collecting a variety of different samples from dogs and cats in the households. But after realizing that many of these homes also included pets - and as early evidence started to suggest that pets could catch the virus too, like the case of an infected dog in Hong Kong - Lim said the scientists started to look beyond their own species. The study started as an offshoot of the CDCвЂ™s work on how the virus spreads in households, explained Ailam Lim, the virology section head at the lab.Д®arly on in the pandemic, CDC researchers were collecting samples from Milwaukee and Salt Lake City to see how often an infected human would get other people sick within the home.

вЂњItвЂ™s not a 100% guarantee if you have someone in your house that everyone in the house will get it, although you have a significant risk,вЂќ he said. But for the most part, the pets donвЂ™t show a lot of symptoms, and donвЂ™t seem to be able to spread the virus back to humans, Poulsen explained. Some of that work has been a part of a household transmission study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which published its results in an online preprint last week.ДЄccording to the findings, dogs and cats could be infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus after being in a household with a sick human.

вЂњWhen you have an infectious disease come through, we have households of mammals, and that includes people, dogs, cats.вЂќДЇor the past year, Poulsen and his lab have been testing animal samples from all across the country, trying to help get a handle on whether our furry friends can get infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus - and, in turn, whether they could spread it back to humans. вЂњPeople donвЂ™t live in a vacuum,вЂќ said Keith Poulsen, the director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at UW-Madison. If you test positive for COVID-19, experts recommend trying to keep some distance from your pets.Cats and dogs are not likely to spread the virus, but mink and ferrets are more concerning.Research shows pets can catch an infection from humans but don't show many symptoms.A preprint study identified four dogs and four cats with COVID-19 antibodies.

Can dogs transmit covid