2021 ANIMAL STORIES MAGAZINE

2021 PET MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS JANUARY 21, 2021 Page 55 B ecause they’re members of your family in the midst of this pandemic, you have concerns about your pets’ health and the practical issues that go along with this communicable disease. Getting reliable information about Covid-19 continues to be difficult. With the current knowledge from science, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has issued this information about you, your pets and Covid. What you need to know: • A small number of pets worldwide, including cats and dogs, have been reported to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, mostly after close contact with people with COVID-19. • Based on the limited information available to date, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is considered to be low. • It appears that the virus that causes COVID-19 can spread from people to animals in some situations. • Treat pets as you would other human family members – do not let pets interact with people outside the household. • If a person inside the household becomes sick, isolate that person from everyone else, including pets. • This is a rapidly evolving situation and information will be updated as it becomes available. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some coronaviruses cause cold-like illnesses in people, while others cause illness in certain types of animals, such as cattle, camels, and bats. Some coronaviruses, such as canine and feline coronaviruses, infect only animals and do not infect humans. Risk of people spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 to pets We are still learning about the virus that causes COVID-19, but it appears that it can spread from people to animals in some situations. A small number of pets worldwide, including cats and dogs, have been reported to be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, mostly after close contact with people with COVID-19. Infected pets might get sick or they might not have any symptoms. Of the pets that have gotten sick, most only had mild illness and fully recovered. You, your pets and Covid