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     COVID-19

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    Protocol for handling animals coming from an environment with a known or suspected COVID-19 positive individual (household, boarding facility, shelter, long-term care facility)

     

    We are committed to keeping our clients and referring partners informed during this crisis. Below is the protocol we have established at Angell for animals coming from a COVID-19 positive location. We hope that this information is helpful for primary care veterinarians establishing protocols for their clinics or looking to inform clients of safety measures being taken.

     

    Definitions

    1. Animal from a COVID-19 positive environment: Animal presenting to Angell after direct transport from an environment where it has contact with a human who has tested positive for COVID-19 and is either still ill from the disease or less than 72h have passed since the household member has recovered from the disease.
    2. Animal from a suspected COVID-19 positive environment: Animal presenting to Angell after direct transport from an environment where it has contact with a human who is under a doctor-ordered 14 day quarantine for COVID-19 and the person in question has a fever and one of the two following signs:
      1. Coughing
      2. Shortness of breath

    Protocol

    1. Ensure via telephone that the person presenting the animal is NOT the COVID-19 positive or suspect positive person. If it is, ask them to have another person who has no or casual contact with the positive individual to present the animal.
    2. Gown and gloves should be worn for triage.
    3. Inspect patient: if it is a hairless breed or has open wounds or sores skip steps 4 and 5.
    4. Once animal is separated from owner, the pet should be brought to M ward and wiped over the entire hair coat with a Wypall that has been saturated and then gently wrung (so it is very moist but not dripping) with Rescue 1:16 solution. Avoid the periocular area. Areas of high human touch (favorite places for petting) should be wiped a second time. These are:
      1. Behind ears and neck
      2. The entire dorsal surface from top of head all the way to base of tail.
      3. Ventral abdomen
    5. Discard Wypall in M ward trash.
    6. The patient should be admitted to isolation (M ward or cage isolation) and be treated with barrier precautions (Gown and gloves only) and labeled as coming from a COVID-19 POSITIVE household.
    7. Perform hand hygiene at the end of your contact with the patient after removing your gloves and gown.
    8. Isolation requirement, barrier precautions and labeling may be removed after 24h as there is little chance that remaining virus will exist on the hair coat.

    Frequently asked Questions

    1. Is it safe to wipe a dog with Rescue?

      Answer:
      Most likely yes! Once diluted, Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide solutions are safe for human skin contact so very likely won’t cause a problem to a pet’s skin. IN ADDITION, our goal is not to wet the skin but just the hair coat, which is much less susceptible to irritation since it is not living tissue. (This is also why we are not wiping hairless breeds and animals with sores or cuts.) However, because this is a new protocol adopted at the suggestion of a very respected infection control expert in the face of an unprecedented pandemic, we don’t have much experience with it so we ask those of you on the front lines to let our Angell COVID-19 taskforce know if you see any concerning irritation by emailing COVID-19taskforce@angell.org so we can modify the protocol.

    2. Is it safe for me to touch a dog who has been wiped with Rescue?

      Answer:
      Remember that you’ll be wearing gloves and a gown for the first 24h after admission so you will have barrier precautions in place for the first 24h hours anyway, so it shouldn’t matter for that time period. However, hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water and oxygen over time, both of which are safe, so touching the pet after 24h without gloves should cause no problems.

    3. I’ve heard of “peroxide blondes.” Could Rescue change a dog’s hair coat color?

      Answer:
      Probably not. The concentration of peroxide in diluted rescue is VERY LOW compared to hair dye. But we have not done this before and are adopting this protocol at the suggestion of a very respected infection control expert in the face of an unprecedented pandemic so those of you on the front lines need to let Angell’s COVID-19 taskforce know by emailing COVID-19taskforce@angell.org if you notice any change in coat color so we can modify the protocol, if needed.

     

    You can reach our call center 24 hours a day at (617) 522-7282.

     

    References

    https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2020/03/articles/animals/dogs/covid-19-what-we-dont-know-but-that-doesnt-mean-we-cant-do-something/ Accessed: March 21, 2020. 

     

     

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    Angell Animal Medical Center

    Angell in Boston | 350 South Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130 | 617 522-7282
    MSPCA-Angell West | 293 Second Ave., Waltham, MA 02451 | 781 902-8400

    Angell Clinics

    Angell at Essex | 565 Maple Street, Danvers, MA 01923 | 978 304-4700
    Angell at Nashoba | 100 Littleton Road, Westford, MA 01886 | 978 577-5992
    The Mission of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is to protect animals, relieve their suffering, advance their health and welfare, prevent cruelty, and work for a just and compassionate society.