The current fear over the novel coronavirus extends to worrying about our beloved pets, especially dogs, who need our services for walks outside a few times a day. Israel Hayom answers readers' many questions about coronavirus and pets.
The most common question is whether a sick person could be putting their pet in danger, and can pets pose a risk to their owners?
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As far as we know, dogs and cats cannot contract coronavirus. The Health Ministry went one step further, and said this week: "Since in theory, coronaviruses of other types could infect a pet, it is best to take caution and not care for pets if you are suffering from symptoms of coronavirus. If you must have contact with animals, a person should wear a face mask and take care to wash their hands."
The Israel Companion Animal Veterinary Association is going by data from the World Health Organization and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, both of which say that pets are not at risk and do not pose any risk. (In the sole case of a dog in Hong Kong who tested positive for coronavirus, the animal is considered a "contaminated test case.")
When it comes to long walks with Fido, the Health Ministry informed Israel Hayom that anyone in quarantine should have friends or family members take dogs (or other animals who need them) out for walks. However, the ministry stressed that "there is no reason not to touch a dog or its leash," and stressed that "anyone walking a dog must observe the rules of hygiene and wash their hands afterwards."
Dr. Sharon Maoz, the chief veterinarian for the Let Animals Live association, wants to calm pet owners.
"Basically, the instructions from the Health Ministry, as well as the Veterinary Association, are correct," she tells Israel Hayom.
"As far as we know, animals don't catch the virus and don't spread it, so there is no reason not to be around them while in quarantine."
When it comes to walking them, Maoz said that solutions for walks must be found, and suggests hiring a dog walker who is not under quarantine.
Adi Barnea, director-general of Dog-Man, a service that provides one-on-one dog walking services (as opposed to dog walkers who take dogs out in packs) in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Givatayim, saying that his business has seen a dramatic uptick in calls this past week, and expects the number to continue to rise.
"A lot of people are in quarantine and don't have a relative or anyone who can walk their dogs three times a day, so they need dog walkers. I'm running around trying to find more workers, even today, so we can meet all the demand," he said.
"We provide them [the dog walkers] with gloves, hand disinfectant, and ask customers to have the dog sitting outside the door when they get a Whatsapp message, so they won't come in contact with the dog handlers," Barnea added.
Meanwhile, kennels are being hit hard, as customers are canceling reservations for their pets while they cancel their own travel plans. Jonathan Reider, the owner of the Dogville kennel on Moshav Azriel, discussed his business woes with Israel Hayom.
"Generally, we're used to being filled-up at this time of year, especially right before Passover, because people go abroad. But this time it's not happening because the vast majority are staying in Israel because of the novel coronavirus, and it's a real financial hit," Reider says.
