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A recent report from The Lancet showed evidence that two patients, both male who lived together, contracted monkeypox and most likely gave the virus to their 4-year-old Italian greyhound. ... The report said that 12 days after the onset of symptoms, their dog appeared to have the same scabs and lesions that coincide with monkeypox. Using PCR testing protocol and comparing monkeypox virus DNA sequences from the dog with one of the dog's owners, it was confirmed that the dog had monkeypox. (Mayer, 8/12)

If you have monkeypox, you should avoid contact with your pets and wildlife to prevent spreading the virus. It can spread through close contact including, petting, cuddling, hugging, licking, sharing sleeping areas and sharing food. If you can, have a friend or family member who lives in a different home take the pets and care for them until the person with monkeypox recovers. After the person with monkeypox has recovered, you’ll have to disinfect your home before bringing the animals back. (Clarke, 8/10)

It's unclear if the dog has since recovered, but the researchers said more study is needed to better understand how this virus might affect pets and what isolation protocols are necessary to keep pets safe from infection altogether. Dogs and cats can contract other orthopoxviruses, too, such as the vaccinia virus, which is used in the smallpox/monkeypox vaccines, but this isn’t a concern at the moment. It’s unknown if less conventional pets like gerbils, guinea pigs, and hamsters can become infected with the virus. The CDC says domestic adult rabbits can “possibly” be infected, as well as mice and rats. Chinchillas and hedgehogs, other less popular pets, can catch monkeypox. (Camero, 8/12)

Nineteen years ago, a 3-year-old from Wisconsin, Schyan Kautzer, was hospitalized; her small body was covered with a strange rash. Underneath a mop of red hair, her face was warm with a 103-degree fever. A photo from the time shows the girl, wearing a pink Winnie the Pooh shirt, next to her mother, Tammy, who cradles a small pet prairie dog, a gift from Mother’s Day. Barely noticeable is the tiny scab on the child’s index finger where the prairie dog had bitten her. The cause of her sickness? Monkeypox. (Linder, 8/15)