Keeping your animals healthy during the pandemic

How the Utica Zoo and local vets are making sure animals are healthy during the pandemic.

Cats particularly have been found to be more susceptible to the virus than dogs.

Suprise to many animal experts and has many zoo officials and pet owners concerned about their animal's health.

News channel 2's brent kearney is live in front of the utica zoo with how the zoo is keeping their animals healthy.

Brent!

Kristen the zoo tells me they were surprised when they heard about the tiger in the bronx zoo.

But tell me they're taking every precaution to keep their animals healthy.

For about a month the utica zoo has remained closed due to covid-19 concerns.

But zookeepers remain on site to keep themselves and the animals healthy.

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None .

None "the animals are being taken care of in an excellent manner.

Our animal care and security come to zoo grounds, that's all we are allowing right now.

Everybody is working in safe social distancing guidelines just like you and i are doing right now being far away.

Zoo officials say that staff are also wearing gloves and masks when interacting with the animals.

"we are continuing as we have been in practicing safe vetranarian practices.

All of our staff are wearing protective masks and gloves when interacting with the animals."

But what about our pets at home?

Whitesboro vet dr. david nickel tells me owners should keep their pets away from other people and animals.

He added the cdc reports more cases in cats than dogs.

"their are cases of cats getting infected by their owners.

And the coronavirus has been transmitted from humans to cats.and their are no reports of this time of cats giving coronavirus to people."

The cdc reports that no pets have gotten the coronavirus here in the u.s. and of the reported cases in cats in wuhan china, the animals experienced mild symptoms. dr nickels warns pet owners not to panic if their cat starts coughing or sneezing.

"the problems with the symptoms of the covid virus are non specific symptoms like coughing sneezing and non specific symptoms. cats get many respiratory symptoms that are unique to the cat.

They can get a rhyno tracheal virus that causes coughing and sneezing or they could get a kaleechy virus that causes coughing and sneezing.

So i would caution people if their pet is coughing and sneezing, its unlikely to be the coronavirus."> now the zoo says like the rest of us they're hoping to for this to end soon.

But they're making sure the animals are healthy.

But in terms of your pets.

We will have a link to the cdc's full report on our website at wktv.com today is international beaver