The Pets Left Behind by Covid-19 - The New York Times
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As a trained disaster responder, Dr. Robin Brennen was well versed in proper safety procedures when she entered a coronavirus patient’s apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in late March. She pulled on protective plastic bootees, a face mask and an eye shield.
Then, with a gloved hand, she picked up the rest of her equipment: a 5-pound bag of cat kibble and a litter box.
The pandemic’s devastating human toll in New York City has been well documented. But it has also affected people’s lives in ways that have gotten less attention, including what happens to the pets of those who become seriously ill.
Dr. Brennen, a veterinarian at Animal Care Centers of NYC, is part of a team of specialists who help the animal companions that have been left behind.
Across the city, animal specialists in full-body personal protective gear enter homes to feed, at no charge, famished pets whose owners are hospitalized with the virus, or to take custody of pets belonging to patients who do not return home.
Pet owners who have died of the virus have left behind dogs, guinea pigs and cats, at least one of which starved to death before anyone had checked the owner’s apartment, according to Animal Care Centers of NYC.
For cats, which are susceptible to coronavirus infection, the city’s standard strategy is to essentially quarantine them in their homes for at least 14 days, with city animal specialists monitoring them. (It is unclear whether cats can pass the disease to humans.)
Some pets are taken for quarantine at one of the Animal Care Centers of NYC locations, after which they are available for adoption.Credit...Desiree Rios for The New York Times
On the Upper West Side that day in March, residents of the co-op building had alerted Dr. Brennen’s organization that a woman who lived there was in intensive care battling the virus, and that her two beloved cats had been left behind.
Dr. Brennen went in and fed the cats twice a week.
“I knew how much she wanted those cats and loved them,” she said. “And I wanted them to be there for her when she got home.”
Ultimately, the cats’ owner died; a neighbor later adopted them.
“They don’t have her, but they had people willing to help her,” said Dr. Brennen, the animal care organization’s vice president of animal health and welfare. “And that is something."
Some virus patients, intubated and in intensive care units, have been unable to tell anyone that their dog or cat has been left behind, leaving neighbors to figure it out from plaintive pet sounds down the hall.
In late April, New York City’s emergency management and animal welfare offices introduced a hotline for people who were struggling to care for their pets because of the virus.
Some questions that come into the hotline, which is staffed by members of local animal rescue groups and representatives of the city agencies, are fairly basic. One example: Can my dog get the virus? (There have been few documented cases of dogs contracting the disease; they include one in the United States involving a pug in South Carolina).
The hotline’s primary goal is to help struggling or sick New Yorkers avoid surrendering their pets, connecting callers to things like subsidized emergency veterinary medicine and the city’s network of free pet food pantries.
But sometimes, surrendering pets is the only option: As of June 17, roughly 145 had been turned over via the hotline. The animals have been cared for by Dr. Brennen’s organization and by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Manhattan.
Animals surrendered by people who have contracted the virus must be quarantined for 14 days. After that, they can be adopted.
“It is so important, especially at this time, that this human-animal bond is taken care of,” said Christine Kim, the city animal welfare office’s senior community liaison. “This is the time when people need that the most.”
When Howard Katz, 61, a limousine driver from Massapequa, on Long Island, was hospitalized with the virus in April, his primary concern was not for himself, his sister, Cynthia Hertz, said. Instead, he was worried about Lucy, his Shiba Inu, who was readjusting after surgery for an illness that necessitated removing her eyes.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
I’ve heard about a treatment called dexamethasone. Does it work?
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the firsttreatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
What is pandemic paid leave?
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
Does asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19 happen?
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
What’s the risk of catching coronavirus from a surface?
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
How does blood type influence coronavirus?
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?
The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
My state is reopening. Is it safe to go out?
States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
How can I protect myself while flying?
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
What should I do if I feel sick?
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
Ms. Hertz said she and her boyfriend spent three days calling vets, dog boarding facilities and rescue shelters to find someone to care for Lucy. No one would.
“They were afraid,” she said. “Lucy could be carrying the Covid, and nobody was able to help.”
A call to the pet hotline connected her with Jenny Coffey, the community engagement director at the rescue group Animal Haven.
The group, which Ms. Coffey said had fielded 215 cases so far, arranged for Lucy to stay at a Long Island boarding facility for three weeks. The cost was covered by a grant from Red Rover, a group that provides financial help to people with pets in crisis.
“It was like a lifeline for my brother,” said Ms. Hertz, adding that Mr. Katz was overjoyed to be reunited with Lucy after three weeks in a hospital and rehabilitation center. “I didn’t know if he was going to make it if something had happened to Lucy.”
A dog and cat were removed from the Bronx apartment of a woman who was hospitalized amid concerns she had contracted the coronavirus. Credit...Desiree Rios for The New York Times
Entering homes where the virus is believed to have been present can be nerve-racking, said Feraz Mohammed, an animal control officer at Animal Care Centers of NYC.
On one recent day, Mr. Mohammed drove an agency van covered with images of cats and dogs to a South Bronx apartment building. A resident who was thought to have contracted the virus had been hospitalized; her dog and cat had not had food or water for five days.
Mr. Mohammed pulled on a mask, gloves and a Tyvek suit, meticulously sealing the openings around his wrists and ankles with tape. Then he grabbed his dog-catching stick and cat carrier.
Upstairs, a blond mop of a dog bounded out of the apartment, a blur of canine joy. Mr. Mohammed snapped a leash on the small dog and then went inside. He fished a tabby cat out from under the couch, and he cooed gently at the two pets as he brought them downstairs and locked them in cages in the truck.
“Once we get them fed, get them water,” he said, stroking the little dog’s head, “it makes me feel better about all of this.”
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