Fever, headaches, and a blistering rash are potential symptoms that your pets could contract from contact with monkeypox. As France approaches 500 human cases of contamination, ANSE has published recommendations to prevent the spread to animals. Indeed, the extremely contagious mode of transmission of the disease, by direct contact with the mucous membranes, skin lesions or droplets (saliva, postillion, sneeze) of the patient seems to be a vector of propagation also in animals.
Thus, this disease is mainly transmitted by rodents. Thus rabbits and hares are a population sensitive to the affliction but also rats, mice, hamsters and guinea pigs. Special attention should therefore be paid to animals. This is all that ANSE indicates, which recommends avoiding all contact in the event of symptoms. Contact with squirrels and wild prairie dogs should also be avoided. There are no data yet for dogs, cats and ferrets.
Nevertheless, in the event of symptoms, ANSE recommends having animals kept for the time of isolation in order to avoid the spread and advises washing hands and wearing gloves and a single-use mask each time you handle the animal.
These recommendations also apply to veterinarians. ANSE asks veterinarians “the greatest vigilance” concerning animals with the corresponding symptoms.
