No need to get paranoid watching your dog or cat lying on the couch.
Of course, Denmark, which decides to slaughter millions of farmed mink to limit the mutation of the virus responsible for Covid-19, questions the transmissions between humans and animals, but Jean-Luc Angot, the president of the Veterinary Academy from France, is rather reassuring on our pets.
Be careful if you own a ferret.
READ ALSO>
Covid-19: why the mutant mink virus in Denmark can become worrying
Can our pets transmit Covid-19 to us?
JEAN-LUC ANGOT.
Studies have identified a few rare cases of dogs and cats who have contracted Covid from their sick human masters.
Conversely, apart from employees working in mink farms, there appears to be no contamination from animal to human.
There is no evidence that pets are involved in the spread of the pandemic in humans.
Jean-Luc Angot, President of the Veterinary Academy of France./DR
Can dogs and cats cause mutations in the virus?
No, dogs and cats are epidemiological dead ends.
They do not appear to constitute a reservoir where the virus could then mutate.
On the other hand, this is what has been observed in mink farms in Denmark, which could pose a problem in finding an effective vaccine.
An endlessly mutating virus would mean always chasing the right vaccine, as we do in veterinary medicine to fight avian infectious bronchitis.
As a result, vaccination is not always satisfactory.
It is for this reason that we prefer to remain vigilant on domestic ferrets, close cousins of mink.
With the Academy of Medicine, we are also calling for epidemiological surveillance on these species of mustelids (ferrets and minks).
In practice, what can we do to avoid contaminating our animals?
Our advice when you are sick or have contact: avoid any contact with your pets, especially if they are ferrets or cats, and observe the same barrier measures as to prevent contamination of the rest of your family. household by washing hands, wearing a mask, ventilating ...