Fear of coronavirus makes people buy "face" masks even for four-legged pets
The coronavirus became a global threat in a matter of moments. The number of people infected is on the rise and there is not a day that goes by when it is not in the news and in the press. Naturally, this is causing panic in people all over the world. Often to the point where they try to protect their pets as well as themselves.
According to the Daily Mail, not only are face masks for humans on the rise in China in recent days, but increasingly so is a variant for dogs. So people are trying to protect their pets from the coronavirus.
Zhou Tianxio, a Beijing-based seller of "face" masks for dogs, who offers masks for dogs because of the often bad smog situation in the region, mentioned to the Daily Mail that he used to sell around 150 masks per month, but now it's about 50 per day.
However, dog masks are not only breaking sales records in China. The US company Good Air Team has also seen a 300 per cent increase in sales of its K9 'face' masks for dogs, although there have been few cases of people with coronavirus in America so far.
Can dogs get coronavirus?
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, dogs can become infected with certain types of coronaviruses, such as canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV) or another type of enteric coronavirus that can cause diarrhea. However, doctors do not yet believe that the current 2019-nCoV coronavirus poses any threat to domesticated animals.
According to the World Health Organization, there have currently been no reported cases of pet coronavirus problems, nor is there evidence that domestic animals such as dogs or cats have the potential to be infected with coronaviruses.
Still, a representative of China's National Health Commission warned pet owners to be vigilant not only about their own health, but also the health of their pets: "If pets come into contact with an infected person, they have a chance of getting infected. Pets should remain isolated," said epidemiologist Li Lanjuan, according to China Daily.
Other experts, however, say it is still unclear exactly how the new coronavirus is transmitted and face masks for humans or pets may be completely unnecessary.
