Pets and Taking Care of Them during COVID-19 Pandemic
Rosanne Fortier
News Correspondent
Pets are an important part of the family and everyone should have an emergency plan in place for their pets during this COVID-19 Pandemic.
Connie Brown, President of Prairie Tails Animal Rescue Society (PTARS) said this can be a hectic time of the year for PTARS as kitten season is well underway and they are busy at the shelter. “With social distancing in full effect, we are making sure that we are taking the necessary precautions at the shelter as well. We are limiting the number of people that come in and out of the shelter and that includes our volunteers. That can make it a bit of a challenge with kitten season being a more demanding time. We are following infection control methods within the shelter.
“We are asking the public that if they have animals related inquires to continue going through the proper channels to contact us by calling Animal Control during regular hours and during after hours.
“As our shelter relies on donations, we will do our best to help pet owners that may require assistance with pet food if they have run into financial problems due to lay-offs,” Connie explained.
When asked if cats and dogs can get COVID-19, Brown explained that there have been some reported cases of cats and dogs showing COVID-19 symptoms believed passed down from humans. “There have not been any studies showing that pets can spread COVID-19 to humans. Please maintain good hand washing and other infection control methods when handling your pets. During this time, it is important to be prepared and have a plan in place if you should become ill or cannot temporarily care for your pet. Make arrangements with family or friends have enough pet food and litter on hand to last a month if possible and remember that your pets remain loyal companions and a perfect form of therapy during isolation.” Brown added.
