It is now clear companion animals can become infected, likely from their owners and possibly secondary to close contact, environmental contamination, aerosols, or a combination thereof. Determining length of virus survival time on an animal’s hair coat is a key step in determining transmission risk.
Initial guidance from the AVMA12 suggested that there was no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 could be transmitted from exposure to the animal’s fur, but there was also no evidence showing that it could not be transmitted in that manner. There has been evidence of contamination on similarly porous PPE materials.11
One may speculate that an oily hair coat may actually prolong virus survival and allow for efficient transfer to hands and other contact points. Whereas the virus may survive for a shorter period on a porous hair coat than it would on a hard surface, leash, or collar, survival times may be similar to that of cardboard (≤24 hours).13 Some nurses in Wuhan shaved their heads to prevent transfer of virus via long hair.14