Idexx Laboratories tested thousands of pets for coronavirus. None have come back positive
There is still no evidence that pets can be a source of COVID-19 in people.
"Our results aligned with the current expert understanding that COVID-19 is primarily transmitted person to person and that pets aren't likely to contract the disease and probably have a low likelihood of spreading the disease," said Dr. Jim Blacka, a veterinarian and senior director at Idexx Laboratories.
As fears about COVID-19 — the disease caused by the novel coronavirus — continue to mount, there’s something that can be a source of comfort rather than concern: our pets.
In mid-February, Idexx Laboratories, an American multinational corporation and global leader in veterinary diagnostics, started testing samples from dogs, cats and horses for the coronavirus strain responsible for COVID-19. Veterinarians submitted more than 3,500 specimens from dogs, cats and horses in South Korea and all 50 U.S. states, including areas experiencing human COVID-19 cases like Seattle.
To date, zero have tested positive.
“Our results aligned with the current expert understanding that COVID-19 is primarily transmitted person to person and that pets aren’t likely to contract the disease and probably have a low likelihood of spreading the disease,” Dr. Jim Blacka, a veterinarian and senior director at Idexx, told TODAY.