New research has found Covid-19 is commonly detected in pet cats and dogs whose owners have the disease.

But how likely is it for dogs to catch Covid and what are the signs and symptoms your pet has the virus?

Researchers from Utrecht University sent a mobile veterinary clinic to households in the Netherlands that had tested positive for Covid at some point in the past 200 days.

Swabs were then taken from cats and dogs in the households to test for evidence of a current infection.

Blood samples were also tested for antibodies suggesting a past exposure to Covid-19.

Swabs were taken from 310 pets in 196 households where a human infection had been detected, with six cats and seven dogs.

The study tested cats and dogs for Covid-19 in households that had the virus.

It found that four per cent of dogs and cats had positive PCR tests indicating active infection and 17 per cent had antibodies indicating prior infection, suggesting that about 20 per cent of exposed pets may have been infecting a positive PCR result and 54 animals testing positive for virus antibodies.

The authors of the study said no evidence of pet-to-owner transmission had been recorded to date.

However, researchers also said this would be difficult to detect while coronavirus was still spreading easily between humans.

Our readers had mixed thoughts on the news.

Louise Adam Johnson, said: “Interesting that cats/dogs dying from supposed illness and a certain type of food being blamed.

“I’d like to know how many owners have had a jab.”

Helen Riley said: “This could actually be the straw that breaks the camel's back.”

Wendy E. Lovering, said: “This won’t be good. Another excuse for giving up pets.”