COVID-19 masks for pets spiked 500% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Top vets tell us why animals shouldn't wear one.
Advertisement
Grace Dean
Jan 10, 2021, 22:54 IST
A pet dog wears a special mask on December 24, 2020 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province of China.Huang Jinkun/VCG via Getty Images
Sales for New York-based company Pet Masks have rocketed around 500% during the pandemic, the Southwest News Service (SWNS) reported.
But the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) both advise people against putting masks on their pets.
The masks can cause distress for pets, and may make it difficult for them to breathe.
The risk of dogs and cats spreading COVID-19 to people is considered to be "low," but the virus has been known to spread from humans to animals.
Advertisement
A company selling face masks for pets has reported booming sales for 2020 - but top vets told Insider you shouldn't put a mask on your pet.
People had previously bought the $25 masks as a novelty or to protect their cats and dogs from pollution, the company's founder, Salitia Henwick, told the news agency.
But sales have boomed during the pandemic as people look to protect both their pets and themselves from COVID-19. This is despite the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and UK vet charity PDSA all telling people not to put masks on their furry friends because it can distress them as well as making it difficult for them to breathe.
Pet Masks isn't the only store selling face masks for cats and dogs.
Advertisement
A man and a dog where matching face masks in Geneva, Switzerland, in May 2020.Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
k9 Mask in Austin, Texas, makes face masks to protect against pollution, dust, and smoke, partially inspired by the growing number of California wildfires. Though the company doesn't claim its masks protect against COVID-19, its sales quadrupled in just one week in January 2020 as worried pet owners looked to protect their animals.
"We can't 100% guarantee that it will protect your pet, all we can say is the filters were designed using the exact recommendation the CDC suggests for humans to wear to protect against bacteria," Kirby Holmes, founder of k9 Mask, told Fox Business at the time.
It isn't just in the US that people have been scrambling to buy masks for their pets. Some of k9's orders came from overseas customers in China, Japan, and Australia, and a Beijing-based seller told MailOnline demand for speciality dog masks was up tenfold only a month after China confirmed its first COVID-19 case.
But animals shouldn't be wearing face masks, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) told Insider.
Advertisement
Pets can catch COVID-19, but most only experience mild illness and fully recover, it explained.
A dog wears a face mask at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on June 18, 2020.Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Wearing a mask can be distressing" for pets, UK pet charity PSDA noted, and may affect their ability to breathe normally, particularly in flat-faced breeds.
A pet dog wears a special mask on December 24, 2020 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province of China.Huang Jinkun/VCG via Getty Images
People who are ill with COVID-19 should isolate from their pets, the CDC said. These people should get someone else to care for their pets, but if this is not possible they should wear a mask and gloves while handling their pet when ill, AVMA told Insider.
"There is no evidence that the virus can spread to people from the skin, fur, or hair of pets," the CDC said in its guidance.
Alongside masks, people shouldn't use products including chemical disinfectants, alcohol, hand sanitizer, and counter-cleaning wipes on their pets, it added.
Advertisement
{{}}
NewsletterSIMPLY PUT - where we join the dots to inform and inspire you. Sign up for a weekly brief collating many news items into one untangled thought delivered straight to your mailbox.