The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has began offering free COVID-19 testing for pets in the realm to assist pet owners prevent transmissions involving domesticated animals.
LA health officials formally announced the initiative on Aug. 20, saying that it’s offering free COVID-19 testing for pets after receiving funding for this system.
The department encouraged pet owners to reap the benefits of the initiative on Twitter.
“Your pet could also be eligible without cost SARS-CoV-2 testing in the event that they were exposed to a human or animal with COVID-19 or has symptoms of COVID-19,” the official LA Public Health Twitter account wrote alongside a link for the service.
Based on the outline of the service on the department’s website, the initiative was funded by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support the surveillance of the virus in animals in Los Angeles County.
“This project will help us to learn more about COVID-19 from a One Health perspective, meaning that we will learn more concerning the significance of COVID-19 in human, animal, and environmental relationships,” the department said on its website.
In partnership with local animal care facilities and agencies, the officials said this system is just not only for domesticated animals. They plan to check many alternative species of animals, including wildlife.
A few of the animals eligible for the free COVID-19 testing include dogs, cats, hamsters, pocket pets, deer, bats, raccoons and marine mammals reminiscent of seals.
Pet owners can request a free COVD-19 test for his or her pet whether it is experiencing any of the coronavirus symptoms in animals, including fever, cough, difficulty respiratory, lethargy, sneezing, runny nose, eye discharge, vomiting, diarrhea and lack of appetite.
So far, 177 animals in the realm, including dogs, cats, bats, raccoons, skunks, rats, and sea lions, have been tested. But none of them tested positive for COVID-19.