Business
Leading medical insurance for pets provider confirms no increased signs of pet illness despite first dog testing positive for COVID-19 in the U.S.
Trupanion data indicates frequency of respiratory related claims remains consistent, both countrywide and in high impact areas SEATTLE, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE
About this update from Trupanion, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Trupanion data indicates frequency of respiratory related claims remains consistent, both countrywide and in high impact areas\nSEATTLE, April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the recent reports of a dog testing positive for COVID-19 in North Carolina, data from Trupanion, the leading provider of medical insurance for pets, confirms they have nothing unusual to report related to pet health.\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n GI and respiratory claims in cats and dogs remain consistent\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n With over 500,000 pets under its medical insurance coverage, Trupanion receives thousands of data points daily. Since the start of COVID-19 testing in pets began, Trupanion has yet to see any tests come through their veterinary invoice data. In addition, if pets were being affected by this virus, the database would reflect an upward trend in respiratory and gastrointestinal claims since the pandemic was first reported. According to Trupanion’s database of millions of claims for sick pets over 20 years, the frequency of claims with those conditions over the last several months has not increased and has followed the same historic trend pre-COVID, indicating that there is no evidence that this a pet health problem. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4b1db48c-eb2a-4cd9-b014-4b1a7f7000f8 The insurer’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Steve Weinrauch has been a key voice in the industry, joining forces with leading animal health constituents to provide the latest information to ease the concerns of North American pet owners. During a recent webinar, Dr Weinrauch explained that in those rare cases where a pet does test positive for COVID, it is likely due to a close human contact having COVID-19. If a pet owner has tested positive for COVID-19 it is recommended that both the pet owner and the pet should quarantine themselves together and avoid contact with others. “At Trupanion we know how much a pet means to a family and just like any family member, people are concerned about protecting the health of their loved ones,” said Dr. Steve Weinrauch, chief veterinary officer at Trupanion. “While reports of pets testing positive for COVID-19 can be distressing for pet parents, we want to reiterate that COVID-19 is currently considered a primarily human to human di...