LONDON : COVID-19 is common in pet cats and dogs whose owners are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a study.
In the yet-to-be published study, researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands studied pet dogs and cats of people who had tested positive for COVID-19.
A mobile veterinary clinic visited the homes of owners to take oropharyngeal and rectal swabs, and blood samples from their cats and dogs.
The swabs were used in PCR tests, which provide evidence of current infection, and the blood samples were tested for antibodies, which provide evidence of past infection.