If an infected person coughs on your pet you can get COVID-19 from its fur

As the coronavirus crisis continues to accelerate, especially in the United States, people are really worried about everything they touch… and they should be because the virus can live on surfaces for up to four hours or even a few days. So, the best solution is to disinfect everything you touch, especially when you have been in public spaces or when you come back home. 

Unfortunately, studies have shown that the coronavirus can be found on a variety of surfaces, from the support pole in the subway to your pet’s fur… but only if a person infected with COVID-19 contaminated them. 

How does it spread? If a person who is infected with this novel coronavirus coughs or sneezes without covering their mouth and nose they could potentially spray the surfaces with secretions that can infect you as well. So, if someone who is already infected with COVID-19 coughs on your pet you can get the virus too. 

“This is where it gets a little difficult. Technically, yes [ you can get the virus]. If [someone infected with COVID-19] coughed over a dog, viruses in that droplet can survive for somewhere between three-and-a-half to four hours. So for my staff, when we receive a pet, we actually take a cloth that has been sprayed with one of the common antivirals we use, or soap and water, and we do a very gentle wipe-down of the fur, but not the animal’s face,” said Dr. Black.

“The limited studies that are available have put [the new coronavirus] on solid surfaces and shown the virus can remain infectious for a period of hours to a couple of days. As far as I know, no one’s done any controlled experiments on hair,” Dr. Bird. 

In addition, if you observe this, all you have to do is to bathe your little furry pet with its normal shampoo.