Do Pets Get Colds?

“Thank you for sharing your cold with me.”

That was the guilt-inducing text message that I recently received from a coworker. Apparently that cold that I’d been dealing with and wishfully telling myself wasn’t contagious while at the same time trying to limit my contact with those around me was, in fact, contagious. Being a veterinarian, I deal with the public every day. And when you deal with the public on a daily basis, you encounter a wide variety of people and an equally wide variety of their germs.

On top of that, as a veterinarian, it’s important that I show up and do my work every day that I am able. People, their pets, my staff and my bosses rely on me being available every day that I’m scheduled to work. So it becomes a judgment call between “taking the day off” to minimize exposure for others and “it’s not that bad” and I can fight through it to perform my duties and help people and their pets.

One question I get on a fairly regular basis is: “Do pets get colds?” I have found that many people don’t realize that cats and dogs can get “colds,” too. Kitty and canine colds are not necessarily caused by the exact same viruses and infections that people are susceptible to. However, pets and people can share some diseases — visit www.cdc.gov/healthypets for a list of zoonotic (pet-to-people) diseases.

There are several viruses and bacterial infections that can cause upper respiratory infections in cats and dogs alike. Sneezing, coughing and nasal discharge are some of the major signs that we’ll encounter in our pet patients with colds. Often we will also see eye infections, eye discharge and conjunctivitis. Pets may cough or swallow repeatedly due to post-nasal drip. Many pets will simply be lethargic or not act like themselves and feel “droopy.” They may even hide from family members (especially cats). Some pets will feel so poorly that they will quit eating — which may turn into a potentially life-threatening problem called hepatic lipidosis in cats. Your pet may also become dehydrated if not drinking enough water or taking in enough moisture from food. If these symptoms are not addressed appropriately the upper respiratory infection may become a lower respiratory infection — pneumonia — which can also be a life-threatening concern.

Upper respiratory infections in cats and dogs are commonly caused by viruses that often set up the environment for secondary bacterial infections. Some of these diseases are self-limiting, lasting a couple of weeks but they may also develop life-threatening complications. If your pet is exhibiting symptoms of an upper respiratory infection, it is best to contact your veterinarian. Your pet may need medical intervention such as antibiotics (for secondary bacterial infections), appetite stimulants, hand-feeding, fluid therapy, eye ointments or even vaporizing therapies depending on the severity of disease.

Dogs and cats can pick up respiratory infections from other dogs and cats. Nose-to-nose contact is a great way to spread doggy and kitty germs. Areas like dog parks, municipal parks, kennels, boarding and grooming facilities, dog or cat shows, doggy daycare, outdoor cat colonies, veterinary office waiting rooms and even through open windows where outdoor and indoor cats like to interact with each other are potential sources of pet germ spreading. Just as with children going to the school house — when you bring kids together they spread germs among themselves. This is not to say don’t send your kids to school or don’t send Fido to the groomer or that Fluffy needs to live in a bubble. It’s just a fact of life — germs are good at their jobs and their jobs are to spread amongst the population. Germs are most easily spread from contact between hosts.

Even though it’s a controversial topic these days on social media outlets — as with Johnny in the school yard — vaccination for common diseases can help decrease disease spread and increase your pets’ immune system response when it comes in contact with disease. Acting quickly by getting veterinary medical assistance when symptoms develop can also help decrease the severity of signs.

There are a few things all people deal with throughout their life time. No matter who you are, what you believe in, what you do for a living, we all have to deal with sickness at some point. Your pets may not have to worry about calling in sick. But as their owners, we need to be aware of their illnesses to help stop disease spread to other pets and to help them get better by seeking veterinary medical attention as needed.

Author:  Dr. Marisa Tong