In these difficult times, we are committed to the treatment of our exotic companion pets, especially hamsters.

Based on current guidance, we are taking the following actions:

1) We recommend delaying any routine body checks or annual health exams for hamsters until further notice.  This is to protect your hamster and prevent them from exposure to other animals and humans.

2) For any hamsters purchased before December 22, there is no risk for COVID infection unless they were in contact with a human with COVID infection. We will continue to provide care for these pets as per usual.

3) For hamsters purchased after December 22 or for those that were found as strays or abandoned, based on current AFCD guidance to veterinarians, we will see these hamsters in our isolation room while wearing gloves, a mask, and gown.  We will offer your hamster all services and care as with any pet. Please do not be afraid to come to us for veterinary assistance.

We will continue to follow our COVID protocols in hospital by wearing masks, checking staff temperatures daily, and maintaining proper hygiene to keep you and your pets safe and healthy.

Hamsters and COVID

The situation in Hong Kong is still rapidly evolving, and we will have more information on these cases as the days go on. At this time, we have prepared a summary of the current facts for pet owners. As the situation changes, we will update our summary and recommendations. We thank you for your understanding, as we are learning most of this information at the same time as the public through press conferences and press releases.

What do pet owners need to know right now:

1) THERE IS NO REASON TO RELEASE OR ABANDON YOUR PET (whether it is a hamster, rabbit, guinea pig or chinchilla). Since the beginning of the pandemic and over the past 2 years, we have seen numerous cases where animals have become infected by people, but a series of cases of workers on mink farms in Denmark becoming infected from the mink (which originally got COVID from humans). Infection was thought to have spread more rapidly on the farms due to the high number of animals and close contact between animals and humans. This constitutes an exceedingly low number of the over 330 million human covid infections. The risk of animal to human transmission is extremely low and appears to be almost nonexistent for pet animals.

2) Unless your pet hamster is part of the group imported into Hong Kong after December 22, or had contact with one of those hamsters, or contact with a human with covid- no further action is needed. You should continue to care for your pet as you have done previously.

3) While we do know that golden hamsters can become experimentally infected with COVID, we know that they can only infect other hamsters for up to 6 days post infection. For this reason, the longer the pet has been in your home and not exposed to further sources of COVID, the risk of potential transmission decreases drastically after 6 days. We have not previously confirmed naturally occurring COVID infection in hamsters. There are currently no confirmed cases of hamster to human transition of covid (this would be the first reported case, if confirmed).

4) As always, take precautions to ensure the health and safety of your pet. Do not handle your pet if you are sick and wash your hands before and after handling to prevent disease transmission. Do not take your pet out to interact with other pets or humans at this time, especially if they are showing signs of illness. Do not kiss your pet or hold them close to your mouth or nose. Again, your pet is many, many times more likely to become infected from you, than you are to be infected by them.

Hamster literature

1. Munnink, Bas B. Oude, et al. "Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 on mink farms between humans and mink and back to humans." Science 371.6525 (2021): 172-177.

2. OIE Technical Factsheet. “Infection with SARS-CoV-2 in Animals.” Last updated October 2021. https://www.oie.int/app/uploads/2021/11/en-factsheet-sars-cov-2-20211025.pdf. Accessed 18 January 2022

3. Dowall, Stuart, et al. "Development of a Hamster Natural Transmission Model of SARS-CoV-2 Infection." Viruses 13.11 (2021): 2251.

4. Port, Julia R., et al. "SARS-CoV-2 disease severity and transmission efficiency is increased for airborne compared to fomite exposure in Syrian hamsters." Nature communications 12.1 (2021): 1-15.

5. Sia, Sin Fun, et al. "Pathogenesis and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in golden hamsters." Nature 583.7818 (2020): 834-838.

6. Frutos R. and Devaux C. A. “Letter to the Editor: Mass culling of minks to protect the COVID-19 vaccines: is it rational?” New Microbes and New Infections 38 (2020): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nmni.2020.100816. 

在這困難的時期，我們仍致力提供醫療服務給珍禽異獸寵物，包括倉鼠。

根據目前的指引，我們正採取以下行動：

 1) 我們建議延遲所有倉鼠的年度及常規身體檢查，直至另行通知。 這是為了保護您的倉鼠，避免及減低它們與其他動物和人類接觸的風險。

 2) 我們將繼續如常照顧於 12 月 22 日之前購買的任何倉鼠，除非它們與感染了新冠病毒的人接觸，否則它們沒有感染新冠病毒的風險。

 3) 根據目前漁農自然護理署對獸醫的指引，對於 12 月 22 日之後購買遭、棄養或流浪的倉鼠，我們會在隔離區如常進行診症，同時亦會配戴手套、口罩和保護衣物等措施。 我們將為這些倉鼠提供與其他寵物一樣的治療及護理。請不要過於擔心，如有任何問題請聯絡我們尋求協助。

我們將繼續謹守對抗新冠病毒的日常防疫措施，在本院戴上口罩、每天檢查員工體溫並保持良好的衛生習慣，以確保您和您的寵物之安全和健康。

倉鼠與新冠病毒

香港的疫情仍在迅速發展，隨著時間推進，我們將獲得更多有關信息。 在這個困難時期，我們為寵物主人準備了以下實際情況之總結。 此後，我們將會隨著事情的發展，更新我們的總結和建議。感謝並敬請諒解，我們的訊息來源主要也是通過新聞發布會和新聞稿而來。

寵物主人的須知：

 1) 據現時情況，沒有任何理由棄養您的寵物（無論是倉鼠、兔子、天竺鼠還是龍貓）。 自過去兩年的疫情開始，我們收到許多動物被人感染的病例，例如在丹麥的水貂養殖場，數名工人被水貂感染了（最初的源頭是從人類身上感染）。 由於養殖場動物數量眾多，以及動物與人類之間的緊密接觸，該案例在農場傳播速度快。 但對比在超過 3.3 億人類感染新冠病毒的病例中，這一數字極低。 動物傳給人類的傳播風險極低，對於家養寵物來說幾乎不存在。

 2) 除非您的寵物倉鼠於12 月 22 日之後進口到香港、或曾與其中的倉鼠接觸、又或與患有新冠病毒的人接觸，否則無需採取進一步行動。 您應如常照顧您的寵物。

 3) 雖然我們知道黃金倉鼠（熊仔鼠）可以通過實驗而感染 新冠病毒，但它們最多只能在感染後的6 天內感染其他倉鼠。 基於這個原因，寵物在您家中的時間越長，而期間沒有接觸更多的新冠病毒，它們6天後的潛在傳播風險就會急劇下降。 到目前為止，從未證實倉鼠會於體內自然產生或感染新冠病毒。 目前還沒有證實人類可經由確診倉鼠感染的病例（如果得到證實，這將是全球第一個病例）。

 4) 請如常地採取預防措施，確保寵物的健康和安全。 如果您患病，請盡量避免接觸您的寵物，如有必要接觸寵物，請務必在接觸前後徹底清潔雙手，以防止疾病傳播。 此時，請不要帶同您的寵物與其他寵物或人類互動，尤其是當它們出現患病跡象。 請謹記不要親吻您的寵物，或將它們靠近您的口鼻。 同樣，您的寵物被您感染的可能性，遠比您被它們感染的可能性高很多倍。

有關倉鼠之文獻 (只提英文版本）

 1. Munnink, Bas B. Oude, et al. "Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 on mink farms between humans and mink and back to humans." Science 371.6525 (2021): 172-177.

2. OIE Technical Factsheet. “Infection with SARS-CoV-2 in Animals.” Last updated October 2021. https://www.oie.int/app/uploads/2021/11/en-factsheet-sars-cov-2-20211025.pdf. Accessed 18 January 2022

3. Dowall, Stuart, et al. "Development of a Hamster Natural Transmission Model of SARS-CoV-2 Infection." Viruses 13.11 (2021): 2251.

4. Port, Julia R., et al. "SARS-CoV-2 disease severity and transmission efficiency is increased for airborne compared to fomite exposure in Syrian hamsters." Nature communications 12.1 (2021): 1-15.

5. Sia, Sin Fun, et al. "Pathogenesis and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in golden hamsters." Nature 583.7818 (2020): 834-838.

6. Frutos R. and Devaux C. A. “Letter to the Editor: Mass culling of minks to protect the COVID-19 vaccines: is it rational?” New Microbes and New Infections 38 (2020): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nmni.2020.100816.  

Dr. Sylvia Tan - BVSc(Hons I), CVA, MANZCVS(Avian)

星寵動物醫院榮幸地邀請到Dr. Sylvia加入我們的醫療團隊為大家服務，以下是她的簡歷。

Dr Sylvia在2014年於澳洲University of Queensland以一級榮譽畢業。在此之前她一直在新加坡生活及成長。畢業後她以小動物獸醫的身份回到新加坡並工作了三年。 在2018年，Dr Sylvia決定來到香港發展。她在香港一家私人診所及一家24小時動物福利獸醫診所執業，主要醫治貓狗，亦會為雀鳥及小動物治療。在過程中得到了很多寶貴的經驗，包括處理病危的動物、提供急診服務、主理軟組織手術、牙科及腹部超聲波檢查。 她亦有參與一些海外動物福利組織的義工服務，協助流浪貓狗絕育及為一些社區動物提供醫療服務。 Dr Sylvia 在工餘時亦積極進修，以提供最好的醫療服務給她的動物。她分別修讀了小動物腹部超聲波、牙科及內窺鏡的課程。她亦在2019年完成中獸醫學院的動物針灸課程，及於2021年成為Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists的會員，主要研究鳥類醫學及手術。 Dr Sylvia十分享受獸醫學的各個範疇，她尤其對小動物內科及鳥類醫學有著濃厚的興趣。 在她的工餘時間，她會留在家中與她領養的動物：約塞爹利狗狗及雞尾鸚鵡相處。她亦喜歡遠足及遊歷不同的地方。

Zodiac Pet & Exotic Hospital is thrilled to welcome and introduce Dr. Sylvia Tan who joined our hospital.

Dr. Sylvia was born and raised in Singapore before she moved to Australia to pursue her veterinary degree. She graduated from the University of Queensland, Australia with first class honours in 2014. She then moved back to Singapore to work as a small animal veterinarian for three years.
In 2018, she decided to move to Hong Kong where she worked in a private clinic and a 24 hour welfare veterinary hospital. Although dogs and cats made up the majority of her patients, she was also treating birds and small mammals. She has developed a wide and varied experience which include managing critically ill patients in hospital, attending to out of hours emergency cases, soft tissue surgery, dentistry and abdominal ultrasound. She has also volunteered with overseas animal welfare organisations to help with desexing stray dogs and cats, as well as providing veterinary treatment to the locals’ pets.
Dr. Sylvia actively participates in continuing education to improve her skills and knowledge to provide the best care for her patients. She has undergone further training in small animal abdominal ultrasound, dentistry and endoscopy. Furthermore, in 2019, she was certified in veterinary acupuncture through the Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. In 2021, she was admitted as a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists by examination in Avian Medicine and Surgery.
She enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine, but has a strong interest in small animal internal medicine and avian medicine. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her rescue pets at home - a Yorkshire Terrier dog and a cockatiel, hiking, and travelling.