After dying from an "acute illness" earlier this month, a dog in North Carolina has been found to be positive for the novel coronavirus, Monday.
While it remains unclear whether the dog died of the coronavirus disease or due to underlying conditions, its death could be the first of rare yet potentially fatal cases of COVID-19 in pets.
According to North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services, on August 3, the dog showed signs of respiratory distress and was brought to NC State Veterinary Hospital situated in Raleigh.
In a report by NBC News, the person who took the dog to the hospital advised the staff that one of his family members once tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The department did not disclose the identity of the person who brought the dog to the hospital nor give any more information about the dog citing patient confidentiality.
In a statement by a spokesperson from the department, the dog died on the same day it was brought to the hospital. But the samples that have been taken from the dog were tested in a diagnostic laboratory and returned with a positive result. The United States Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed the result.
However, the statement also indicated that investigation on the dog's cause of death is still ongoing.
COVID-19 in Animals
Based on a list that is maintained by the Department of Agriculture, only a few animals have contracted COVID-19 in the US. Many of the animals were infected after they had close contact with people who had the disease as reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agriculture department also noted that there is just a low risk of these animals spreading the disease to people.
The list was last updated on August 7 and confirmed 13 cases of dogs that have been infected by the virus across eight states. In addition, there were also several cats that contracted the disease, and at least eight tigers and lions from a zoo in the Bronx.
In the past month, National Geographic reported that the first dog to contract the disease in the US has died on the 11th of July. The dog was a German shepherd from New York and was 7-years old. According to the magazine, the dog who was named "Buddy" had lymphoma before he died, thus, it is still not clear if it was cancer that caused his death or that if COVID-19 had a role to play.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the American Veterinary Medical Association, Michael San Filippo stated that most dogs who get infected by COVID-19 are either asymptomatic or only exhibit mild symptoms. He also said that since the dogs are asymptomatic, COVID-19 seems to pose no severe threat to dogs.
However, he also emphasized that there is still a lot to learn about the possibility that the disease may combine with other conditions and cause problems. He also noted that it is still best to keep pets away from people who are ill and to practice physical distancing with pets and other pets or people outside the household.
