STATEN ISLAND – Buddy, the first dog to test positive for a new coronavirus in the United States, died, according to a report.
He had just turned 7, his owner said, and he was a very friendly dog weighing 120 pounds.
Robert Mahoney, the owner of Buddy, said his dog seemed perfectly healthy and playful until mid-April, the heyday of the COVID-19 mayhem in New York.
Mahoney tested positive for coronavirus, and his wife tested positive for antibody.
Buddy had somewhat similar symptoms: mucus coming out of his nose, lethargy, and loss of appetite.
The Mahoneys visited numerous vets before they could test Buddy for a coronavirus.
They did several other tests and x-rays showed that he had inflamed lungs and an inflamed heart.
The Staten Island German Shepherd finally tested positive for COVID-19 on June 1, just a few weeks after he started having difficulty breathing. He died on July 11.
Laboratory results on the day of Buddy’s death showed that he had lymphoma. It is unclear if that made him more vulnerable to COVID-19.
According to National Geographic, lymphoma was considered the cause of its symptoms. But Mahoney wants to use Buddy’s story to encourage health officials to issue protocols and show more concern for pets with symptoms of COVID-19.
According to public health records, fewer than two dozen animals across the country tested positive for COVID-19.
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