COVID-19
Information for animal owners seeking veterinary services
Veterinary services have been impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Your veterinarian can assist you by explaining how to safely access veterinary care for your pets and animals at this time. Please note that every veterinary facility is unique and may be delivering services differently to ensure the health and safety of their staff and clients. If you don’t have a veterinarian, and require veterinary services for your animal, please make use of the College’s Find a Veterinarian search tool.
My regular veterinary clinic is closed
Your veterinarian may need to close temporarily due to illness, staffing shortages or other circumstances. Information on how to access veterinary care and medical record information may be available to clients on a phone message, signage on the door, website, or electronic notice. These provisions are required through the veterinarian-client-patient relationship.
If you need veterinary services but you do not have a regular veterinarian
If you do not have a veterinarian, please visit the College’s Find a Veterinarian search tool, found on the College’s website. You will need to contact the veterinary facility to determine what services are being offered at this time.
The delivery of veterinary services during the pandemic
Veterinarians are committed to providing services safely, and as employers they are committed to providing a safe workplace for their staff. Your veterinarian may implement their own rules and policies about public health measures, for example, masking, or limiting public access to the clinic building. Public health measures are intended to minimize exposure to COVID-19; if you have questions about rules or policies that your veterinarian has implemented, contact your veterinarian.”
COVID-19 and animals
Public health authorities recommend that people with COVID-19 symptoms or those who are self-isolating due to contact with a COVID-19 case, should follow similar recommendations around animals, as they would around other people in these circumstances:
Precautionary measure for livestock producers
Livestock producers should follow normal biosecurity measures as always. Producers are encouraged to consult the following resources for more information on farm disease prevention:
For more information:
Worms and Germs Blog – For further information on risks you may wish to keep in mind regarding your pets and the COVID-19 pandemic, visit the Worms and Germs Blog, published by the University of Guelph’s Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses.
Ontario Animal Health Network – The Ontario Animal Health Network has published a guide about caring for your horse during a pandemic to assist horse owners with developing a plan for their horse’s care if they become ill or need to self-isolate.
Public Health Ontario - A COVID-19 fact sheet providing guidance on how to care for pets and other animals, How to care for pets and other animals.
SARS-CoV-2 in Animals Dashboard - The SARS-CoV-2 in Animals Dashboard is a public interface that displays cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals in Canada, which are confirmed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease. The dashboard is interactive and can be searched by species, province and date or time period.