Vets allay farmers’ fears, say chances of COVID in cattle low

According to  Gopalakrishnan from Triplicane,  a  dairy  farmer,  they are scared about cattle catching  the  infection,  which  would  affect   their   livelihood.   “We   know   about  the  treatment  required  in  case  of  seasonal  diseases.  But  this  is  a  new  virus,  so  we  don’t  know  what  to  do  to  keep  the  cattle  safe.  The  government  should  give  us  proper guidelines,” he said.

To  ensure  that  the  cattle  do  not  catch  the  infection,  these  farmers  are   wearing   gloves   and   masks   while feeding and milking the cat-tle, and do not allow anyone to enter the farm or shed. Nageshwar  of  Tiruvottiyur,  an-other dairy farmer, said two of his pet  dogs  died  of  some  disease  just  two days after falling ill, which has raised concerns. “From then, I am worried  about  my  cattle.

We  hope  the government or veterinary doctors  give  some  advice  to  maintain  cattle in this pandemic,” he added. However,    veterinary    doctors    said  cattle  faced  less  risk  of  catching  the  infection,  though  it  is  advisable for owners and workers to take safety measures.“Till now, we have not received any cases among cattle. The risk is very  low  for  cows  and  goats.

Dogs  infected by the virus won’t be able to  eat,  vomit  blood  and  die  within  five days. But there is no possibility of transmission to humans.  However,   if   people   are   infected   with  the  COVID,  they  should  be  cautious  and  should  not  go  near  cattle. We are expecting guidelines soon to safeguard animals from the virus,”  said  Dr  R  Sokkalingam,  a  veterinary doctor.