(Pix Credit: The History of Dogs as Pets)
The coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic has necessarily focused on its transmission, strategies for its containment, strategies for its eventual eradication, and the human tragedy generated during its course. Those tragedies center on human suffering and death for those who have fallen victim to the disease along with their loved ones, as well as the economic, social, and economic repercussions of a pandemic the magnitude of which was underestimated.
But solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris (Marlowe, The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus (1604) (misery loves company; Mephistopheles' answer to Fautus, who asks why Satan seeks to enlarge his kingdom with sinners)).
Over the last several months there have been investigations about the transmission of COVID-19 from humans to dogs. . . . and of course, from dogs back to humans.
This mirrors the earlier debate, unresolved, about the origins of COVD-19 in some sort of wild animal--with the usual focus on bats. (Bats are not to blame for coronavirus. Humans are ("Reclusive, nocturnal, numerous -- bats are a possible source of the coronavirus. Yet some scientists concur they are not to blame for the transfer of the disease that's changing daily life -- humans are. Zoologists and disease experts have told CNN that changes to human behavior -- the destruction of natural habitats, coupled with the huge number of fast-moving people now on Earth -- has enabled diseases that were once locked away in nature to cross into people fast.")).
The possibility of human infection of dogs, however, has created a space for tragedy. Having gone to the trouble to infect dogs, humans now appear potentially ready to abandon the dogs they have infected.--and those who might become infected. This has caused some worry among those who worry about such things. In the process it has given rise to a fear that people will abandon dogs (and perhaps cats as well). This will create the potential for an additional challenge to public authorities at precisely the moment when public bodies may be least capable of effectively responding.
Authorities face multiple issues: (1) can dogs (or cats) be infected with COVID-19?; (2) can they get sick?; (3) can they pass COVID-19 back to humans?; (4) what sort of contact is necessary to pass COVID-19 back to humans?; (5) can animals pass COVID-19 to each other (thus requiring containment and segregation in multiple dog households?; (6) should high risk humans dispose of their dogs?; (7) ought infected dogs to be euthanized even if they are otherwise healthy and loving and of no other threat to humans as a mitigation measure?; (8) to what extent are mitigation and containment strategies that cause pain or harm to dogs in the circumstances of their relation COVID-19 in breach of core premises of human dignity applied to the space within which individuals engage; and (9) how do animals cruelty laws (and the human norms and principles on which they are grounded) implicated where decisions are made to euthanize or abandon dogs out of fear of COVID-19?
These questions have yet to be fully considered. The possibility of cruelty on a large scale cannot be ignored--it is as great as the capacity of human communities to allow fear to excuse inhumane actions (for which regret after the fact provides small comfort). Some of the issues, confusions, and the limited state of knowledge are nicely summarized in recent reporting--Second dog tests positive for coronavirus as owners warned not to abandon pets (Market Watch 21 March 2020)--portions of which are reproduced below .
Second dog tests positive for coronavirus as owners warned not to abandon pets
The Hong Kong government has urged people not to abandon their pets and to stop kissing them after a second dog tested positive for coronavirus, but stressed that the animal had not shown any symptoms of the disease.
A German shepherd living in the Pok Fu Lam area on Hong Kong Island was sent for quarantine along with another mixed-breed dog from the same residence on Thursday after their owner was confirmed as being infected, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said in a statement.
Though the shepherd tested positive for the virus, no such result was obtained from the mixed-breed dog, and “neither dog has shown any signs of disease,” the AFCD said, adding it will continue to monitor both dogs and conduct repeated tests on the animals.
The new case comes after an elderly 17-year-old Pomeranian, which had tested “weak positive” during repeated tests for the virus, died two days after it was released from quarantine disease-free. The AFCD said the dog’s owner wasn’t willing to allow an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
The Hong Kong animal-welfare authority stressed that there is currently no evidence that pets can be a source of the virus or that they can get sick from it. “Under no circumstances should [owners] abandon their pets,” it said.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) said that infectious disease experts and multiple international and domestic human and animal health organizations, all agree there is no evidence at this point to indicate that pets become ill with Covid-19 or that they spread it to other animals, including people.
These include the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the U.S.’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which have also both stated that there is no evidence that companion animals such as cats and dogs can spread the virus. “Therefore, there is no justification in taking measures against companion animals which may compromise their welfare,” the OIE said.
However the AVMA said that “out of an abundance of caution, it is recommended that those ill with Covid-19 “limit contact” with animals until more information is known about the virus. The AFCD also reminded pet owners to use good hygiene practices and urged them to avoid kissing their pets.
Some animal-welfare experts have suggested the Pomeranian’s death could have been caused by the stress of being quarantined and separated from its owner, while others have noted its age. “The dog likely died from causes other than Covid-19 as it had never displayed any clinical signs of illness,” The College for Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said in a post on its website.
Vet diagnostic company IDEXX IDXX, -5.12% said thousands of dogs and cats have been tested for Covid-19, and so far, none have tested positive for the virus.
“Our pets can be a source of comfort for us, and not another source of concern, during this evolving Covid-19 environment,” said Dr. Jim Blacka, a veterinarian with IDEXX’s Companion Animal Commercial Business. “Data from IDEXX shows no cases to date of the novel coronavirus in thousands of dog and cat samples tested, which is good news for pets and the people who care for them,” he added.
The AFCD said it “strongly advises” that mammalian pet animals including dogs and cats from households with persons infected with Covid-19 or those who have had close contacted with others infected with the virus, should be quarantined in government facilities.
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