Aug. 27, 11 a.m. — Many animal owners have been concerned about the possibility of their animals contracting COVID-19. Some animals (cats, ferrets) have their own coronaviruses, and some seem to get infected with SARS-CoV-2. What’s the significance of this?

This week we’re talking with two experts from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine about pets and coronavirus.

The guests:

• Jane Sykes is chief veterinary medical officer of the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and associate dean of Veterinary Medical Center Operations at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. As a clinician and researcher she specializes in infectious diseases of dogs and cats.
• Niels Pedersen is professor emeritus in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. His research career has focused on viruses that cause disease in cats. These include coronaviruses — in the same general family as the COVID-19 virus — which can cause a disease called feline infectious peritonitis. He has been involved in trials of experimental drugs to treat coronavirus in cats.

The conversation, hosted by Soterios Johnson, will be streamed live on Facebook,  YouTube and Twitter beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27.  

Questions can be submitted via Facebook and Twitter either in advance or during the show.