Dear Clients, Friends and Family,
There has been some disturbing developments in the COVID-19 outbreak with the diagnosis of the novel coronavirus in a tiger at the Bronx Zoo as well as other reports of dogs testing positive at well. We just wanted to let everyone know that the chances of your pets contracting COVID-19 are VERY, VERY low, and the chances are even lower that they actually show signs of respiratory illness or be able to spread it to you. Tigers and house cats are genetically distant enough that it is still unknown whether house cats can test positive for the disease at all. Furthermore, there are too many unknowns at this time to be able to accurately let you know how this virus will affect pets but all the evidence that we know of at this time is that they are, by and large, unaffected by COVID-19. Please DO NOT relinquish your pets to an animal shelter. Our official recommendation is to continue to practice Social Distancing and let us know if your pet becomes ill. We are still open and seeing sick patients. Take comfort in the fact there’s almost no chance they’ve contracted COVID-19! We will update you as more information becomes available.
Stay Safe,
Dr. Jones, Dr. Karla, and the River’s Edge Team