What happens to the pets when the owners are in hospital?

RE: What happens to the pets when the owners are in hospital?

Liz w — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 02:18:10 GMT

That’s a really sad story. I’m trying to think how we could stop that sort of thing happening now. Probably just a note next to the front door listing the pets

RE: What happens to the pets when the owners are in hospital?

Laurence Webb — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 23:09:04 GMT

That's a really good question, and admittedly something that we (I) haven't focused on asking clients yet.

3 years ago one of our clients suffered a stroke and, after hospital admission, subsequently died. Sadly his dog died as well because the emergency services did not realise that he had a pet and, after taking him to hospital the dog was left alone at home until it died from dehydration. Without any friends or relatives, the two of them had horrible endings.

Awfully, I walk past his house each day on my way to work. Had I known that he had been hospitalised I could have saved one of them.

Perhaps we need to get over using the euphamisms of 'putting to sleep' and talk rationally about what happens about death, both animal and human. And keep an eye on our more vulnerable clients.#

Edit - I was answering more to the thread title than the post!

RE: What happens to the pets when the owners are in hospital?

Liz w — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 08:44:56 GMT

Thanks Iain, that’s been really helpful.

RE: What happens to the pets when the owners are in hospital?

Iain Richards — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 08:43:55 GMT

Other than a good bath as they could be a fomite (especially given the way some folk cuddle animals) they are not a risk. The dog that had Covid-19 isolated (now dead apparently, 17yo pom) has only tested +ve to PCR from nose and mouth. It was serologically negative (probably an unvalidated test) and virus isolation tests are pending (check the OIE site - https://www.oie.int/wahis_2/public/wahid.php/Reviewreport/Review?page_refer=MapFullEventReport&reportid=33546)

IF dogs were more of a risk, given the likely wet market origin concerns woul dhave already been expressed