{"id":53416,"date":"2026-03-31T13:06:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T13:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c?p=53416"},"modified":"2026-03-31T13:06:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T13:06:46","slug":"can-dogs-get-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/can-dogs-get-covid\/","title":{"rendered":"Can dogs get COVID? Here\u2019s what you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Your dog is part of the family, so of course you want to keep them as healthy as possible at all times. While you cover all the care basics &mdash; vaccinations, vet trips, plenty of food, water and snuggles &mdash; you may want to know if your dog can get COVID (from you or anyone else!), and if so, how serious it is and what to do.<\/p><p>Whether you&rsquo;ve been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 and are wondering if you should steer clear of your pet or just want to be proactive, here&rsquo;s what the experts have to say about dogs and whether or not they can catch COVID.&nbsp;<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-custom-dynamic-list key-takeaways-block\"><h3>Key takeaways<\/h3><div class=\"key-takeaways-container\"><ul><li>Yes, dogs can get COVID, but there are fewer cases in pets than humans and symptoms tend to be more mild.<\/li><li>Most of the dogs who have caught COVID-19 were associated with close contact with infected humans; however, it&rsquo;s still unlikely that your dog will catch COVID from you.<\/li><li>Common COVID symptoms in dogs include sneezing, lethargy, coughing and nasal discharge. It&rsquo;s important to see a vet if your pet is in respiratory distress.<\/li><li>You can protects dogs from COVID by practicing good hygiene, avoiding crowded spaces like dog parks during peak illness times and isolating your dog from other sick pets.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-can-dogs-get-covid\" data-toc-id=\"b1651b1a\">Can dogs get COVID?<\/h2><p>The short answer is yes, dogs can get COVID.&nbsp;However, even though it is possible for a dog to catch COVID, infections in dogs and other animals are still uncommon, according to researchers at the <a href=\"https:\/\/csh.ac.at\/news\/data-gap-in-sars-cov-2-cases-in-animals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Complexity Science Hub Vienna<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p><p>The Austrian researchers teamed up with the Wildlife Conservation society to publish the first <a href=\"https:\/\/vis.csh.ac.at\/sars-ani\/#infections\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">COVID data tracking dashboard<\/a> for cases in animals, and it&rsquo;s updated regularly. As of their latest figures, 42 different animal species, including cats, minks, hamsters and other pets, have been impacted by COVID.<\/p><p>But if you put the number of cases where COVID infection has been confirmed in animals &mdash; 6,091 since 2022 &mdash; up against the millions of cases of humans infected with COVID-19, the chances of your dog coming down with the disease is very rare, according to the experts.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-care-com-resources wp-block-embed-care-com-resources\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"e98SrDWRVK\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/my-dog-ate-chocolate-but-seems-ok-what-do-i\/\">What should I do if my dog ate chocolate?<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&ldquo;What should I do if my dog ate chocolate?&rdquo; &mdash; Care.com Resources\" src=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/my-dog-ate-chocolate-but-seems-ok-what-do-i\/embed\/#?secret=Vpg9mTGX1O#?secret=e98SrDWRVK\" data-secret=\"e98SrDWRVK\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" data-toc-id=\"4369388c\">Can dogs get COVID from humans?&nbsp;<\/h2><p>Most of the dogs who have caught COVID-19 were associated with close contact with infected humans, says New York City veterinarian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smalldoorvet.com\/team\/dr-robert-gonzalez\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Robert Gonzalez<\/a>, regional medical director for Small Door Veterinary. <\/p><p>With human contact to blame for most cases of the family dog catching COVID, does that mean your pooch will catch it from you if you&rsquo;ve tested positive? The risk of your family dog catching COVID from you remains low, according to Gonzalez.&nbsp;&ldquo;Human-to-dog transmission is possible but very rare,&rdquo; he notes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p>The transfer of illnesses between animals and humans is not uncommon. The CDC estimates that 6 out of every 10 infectious diseases that make humans sick are what&rsquo;s known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/one-health\/about\/about-zoonotic-diseases.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">zoonotic diseases<\/a> &mdash; essentially nasty germs that are spread by animals to humans. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7725765\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">COVID-19 has been labeled<\/a> a zoonotic disease by the World Health Organization, and there are reports of domestic pets passing the disease to humans.&nbsp;<\/p><p>It works the other way too &mdash; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3938448\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reverse zoonosis disease transmission<\/a> is the process of a human transmitting a disease to an animal, such as in the cases of dogs getting sick from their owners. And while COVID-19 transmission from humans to their pets is rare, it&rsquo;s still recommended that you avoid contact to prevent it from happening.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-should-i-avoid-contact-with-my-pets-if-i-have-covid-19\" data-toc-id=\"9ada103a\">Should I avoid contact with my pets if I have COVID-19?<\/h2><p>If you&rsquo;ve been instructed to isolate yourself from other humans due to a positive COVID test, the same should apply to your pets, Northern California vet Dr. Sabrina Kong advises.&nbsp;Leave pet care to a family member or a dog walker who is healthy and won&rsquo;t put your dog at risk.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Of course it&rsquo;s not always possible to completely isolate yourself from your dog &mdash; especially if you live alone and your pup still depends on you for the basics like food and water &mdash; but at the very least, it&rsquo;s best to cut out snuggles and sleep separately from your dog while you recuperate, as well as wear a mask when you do have to interact.&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/pet-sitters\">Find a pet sitter near you<\/a><\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-do-dogs-show-symptoms-if-infected-with-covid-19\" data-toc-id=\"3fb52a9a\">Do dogs show symptoms if infected with COVID-19?<\/h2><p>If your dog does catch COVID, you may not know it at all. That&rsquo;s because most experience mild or no symptoms at all, Gonzalez says.&nbsp;<\/p><p>In fact, 42% of dogs whose infections were tracked by the Austrian researchers &mdash; the largest subset of the 180 total sick dogs around the world &mdash; were labeled &ldquo;subclinical,&rdquo; meaning they either had no symptoms or their symptoms could not be definitively linked to COVID.&nbsp;<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>&ldquo;Severe illness in dogs due to COVID-19 is extremely rare, and the overall prognosis for dogs with COVID-19 is generally very good.&rdquo;<\/p><cite>&mdash; Dr. Robert Gonzalez, veterinarian<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-common-dog-covid-symptoms\" data-toc-id=\"912b2dba\">What are common dog COVID symptoms?&nbsp;<\/h2><p>If your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/can-dogs-get-colds\/\">dog does get sick<\/a> and is one of the pets that shows symptoms, they may show any or all of the following signs:<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Coughing.<\/li><li>Sneezing.<\/li><li>Nasal discharge.<\/li><li>Lethargy.<\/li><li>Mild respiratory distress.<\/li><\/ul><p>If your dog has been exposed to COVID and is showing any of these signs, it&rsquo;s important to call your veterinarian and follow their advice.&nbsp;<\/p><p>&ldquo;Infected pets should be cared for while taking precautions to prevent transmission to humans and other animals,&ldquo; Gonzalez advises.&nbsp;<\/p><p>If you&rsquo;re under quarantine because of a COVID-19 diagnosis or exposure, it&rsquo;s important that you do not take your dog to the vet yourself &mdash; ask a friend or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/pet-sitting-cost-how-much-should-i-pay\/\">hire a pet sitter<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/how-much-does-a-dog-walker-cost\/\">dog walker<\/a> who can safely transport your pup to get care.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-should-i-get-my-dog-tested-for-covid\" data-toc-id=\"769a539d\">Should I get my dog tested for COVID?<\/h2><p>Although there are coronavirus tests for animals, the United States Department of Agriculture does not suggest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov\/animal_health\/one_health\/downloads\/faq-public-on-companion-animal-testing.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">routine testing of dogs<\/a> simply because they&rsquo;ve been in contact with someone who has COVID-19.&nbsp;<\/p><p>But if your dog is showing symptoms that require a vet visit, your vet will decide if a coronavirus test is in order or not.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-can-i-get-covid-from-my-dog\" data-toc-id=\"555da764\">Can I get COVID from my dog?<\/h2><p>OK, so we said COVID-19 is zoonotic, which means it can be transmitted from an animal to a human. And we&rsquo;ve acknowledged that it is possible that your dog could get COVID. Does that mean your dog could actually be the one giving you COVID? <\/p><p>While there have been documented cases of human-to-pet and potential pet-to-pet transmission, the risk of you catching the virus from Fido is very low, Gonzalez says.&nbsp;<\/p><p>If by chance your dog does get a COVID diagnosis, you should still follow precautions to reduce the risk of transmission to both you and other pets:<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Isolate your dog from other pets.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Follow the same social distancing rules that apply to people in the home (as much as possible &mdash; we all know dogs don&rsquo;t exactly understand space!).<\/li><li>Avoid dog parks, dog kennels and mixing your dog with other animals and humans.<\/li><li>Practice good hygiene &mdash; wash your hands well before and after petting your dog, feeding them, etc.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when interacting with a sick dog.<\/li><li>Consult your veterinarian for guidance on providing care and monitoring.<\/li><\/ul><p>Just as you would if you were sick with COVID-19 yourself, you&rsquo;ll also have to simply steer clear of your pooch, says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fivebarks.com\/about-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Linda Simon<\/a>, a veterinarian with Five Barks. &ldquo;As hard as it will be, limit contact and avoid cuddles or kisses during this time,&rdquo; she advises.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>Treatment comes down to supportive care&hellip; keeping a dog warm and comfortable and encouraging rest while providing tempting food to help keep their appetite up as well as plenty of fluids.<\/p><cite>&mdash; Dr. Linda Simon, veterinarian<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-the-health-risks-if-my-dog-gets-covid\" data-toc-id=\"33f3ee97\">What are the health risks if my dog gets COVID?<\/h2><p>Because COVID-19 is a virus, there is no cure &mdash; not even in dogs.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Treatment comes down to supportive care, Simon explains, keeping a dog warm and comfortable and encouraging rest while providing tempting food to help keep their appetite up as well as plenty of fluids. She suggests offering a teaspoon of honey every four to six hours to soothe the dog&rsquo;s throat if they have a harsh cough, and your vet may prescribe anti-inflammatories or other pain relief to help make your dog more comfortable.&nbsp;<\/p><p>The biggest risk for a dog with COVID-19 is a secondary infection &mdash; such as a bacterial infection that may turn into pneumonia and require antibiotics and more serious treatment.&nbsp;<\/p><p>The good news? Dogs have a very high rate of recovery from COVID.&nbsp;<\/p><p>&ldquo;In most cases, they recover without significant complications, similar to humans with mild cases,&rdquo; Gonzalez notes. &ldquo;Severe illness in dogs due to COVID-19 is extremely rare, and the overall prognosis for dogs with COVID-19 is generally very good.&rdquo;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-can-i-get-my-dog-a-covid-19-vaccine\" data-toc-id=\"beb9b9cd\">Can I get my dog a COVID-19 vaccine?<\/h2><p>There are plenty of vaccines out there that can help keep our dogs safe from serious diseases from Lyme to rabies, but right now there&rsquo;s no COVID-19 vaccine for dogs &mdash; just humans.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Your vet may suggest your dog receive either the Enteric Canine Coronavirus (CCoV) or the Respiratory Canine Coronavirus (CRCoV) vaccines. These canine coronavirus vaccines help prevent a contagious intestinal virus that can cause a variety of nasty symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Unfortunately, neither of the vaccines can prevent SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-final-thought-on-dogs-and-covid\" data-toc-id=\"84df6d97\">A final thought on dogs and COVID<\/h2><p>Dogs aren&rsquo;t immune to COVID, but pet owners don&rsquo;t need to lose sleep worrying that their furry friend may be harmed by the virus. In general, pets are much less likely than humans to catch COVID, and they&rsquo;re also less likely to experience severe symptoms of they do get sick.<\/p><p>With that in mind, the experts say the best prevention is to simply keep dogs away from unvaccinated people and those who are actively showing COVID-19 symptoms. If you are sick yourself, working with a qualified <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/dog-walkers\">dog walker<\/a> or pet sitter can help you avoid putting your pet at risk. <\/p><p>Lastly, if your dog is exposed to COVID or is showing symptoms of being ill, check in with a veterinarian. They can answer your questions and give you personalized advice to keep your pup healthy and safe.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can dogs get COVID from humans? We asked experts to weigh in on the top questions pet owners have about dogs and COVID.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1263,"featured_media":53417,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"enable_toc":false,"care_reviewed_by":0,"care_post_updated_flag":false,"care_updated_date":"2026-03-31T13:06:38.831Z","last_update":"2026-03-31","view_count":244519,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1070],"member-type":[4],"vertical":[7,21],"platform":[2],"class_list":["post-53416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dogs","member-type-all","vertical-pets","vertical-pet-health-safety","platform-resources"],"acf":[],"created":"2021-10-01","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1263"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53416"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227122,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53416\/revisions\/227122"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53416"},{"taxonomy":"member-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/member-type?post=53416"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=53416"},{"taxonomy":"platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/platform?post=53416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}