Can pets catch a cold from us?

The cold and flu season is well and truly in full swing, with coughs, sniffles and sneezes pretty hard to avoid. It’s often the case when one person in the household catches a cold, it can soon spread to everyone else in the house too, but the question many pet owners want to know the answer to – can your pets also catch your cold?  

PDSA Vet Nurse Shauna Walsh explains: “Pets can experience cold-like symptoms, including a cough, watery eyes, fever, a runny nose, sneezing and low energy, however they won’t have caught that from a human.  

“Whilst pets can pick up respiratory illnesses, they can’t catch colds and flu from humans, and it’s the same the other way around – you shouldn’t worry you’ll catch a cold from your pet. Most viruses are species specific, which means if you have any other pets in the home, they won’t be able to catch colds from each other either, so it’s fine if your dog has sniffles near your cat.  

“It’s good to be aware though species specific viruses can and may spread from dog to dog, or cat to cat, just like humans can pass cold and flu symptoms to fellow humans. So, if you do have a multi-pet home of the same species, your pets may pass a virus to one another. 

“To try to avoid the spread of any viral infections in the home, it’s a wise idea to not let pets share the same water or feeding bowls and try to limit contact between them. From being in close contact, to licking one another, or sharing the same toys, pets can easily spread germs between each other.  

“It can be hard to stop the spreading of viral infections in multi-pet households, and even separating pets completely to different spaces, isn’t a full guarantee a virus won’t spread.   

“Some of the symptoms we see in pets may appear to be like cold and flu, however there are many causes which share similar signs, which can include the following: 

• Kennel cough, which is a common respiratory infection, commonly heard as a dry, honking, or hacking cough.  

• Allergies, if your pet is regularly coughing or having respiratory trouble, it could be a sign that your pet is experiencing allergies. 

• Certain dog breeds, including flat-faced breeds like Pugs and French Bulldogs, can suffer from respiratory issues such as brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS), which may present as sounding like your dog is sniffling and struggling to catch their breath. This often worsens during exercise, and pets may have a distinct loud snore when sleeping too. 

• A foreign body, which is something stuck in the nose, like a grass seed, could cause symptoms like sneezing, watering eyes and discharge from the nose. 

“If your pet starts to show any of the symptoms of a cold, or severe symptoms including: difficulty breathing, discharge from the nose or eyes, high fever, persistent or severe coughing, diarrhoea or vomiting, very low energy, or not eating food or drinking water, it’s important to call your vet and get your pet checked over. 

“If you have a cold, and then your pet appears to also have picked up a cold, it’s worth keeping a close eye on their symptoms, as they won’t have your same cold, but they may have picked up another virus, which could need treatment from your vet.” 

For more pet health advice, head to PDSA’s website: www.pdsa.org.uk/phh