A dog in New York that was one of the first in the country to be diagnosed with COVID-19 died shortly before his seventh birthday.
Buddy, a German shepherd who lives with his family on Staten Island, began having trouble breathing in mid-April, when the COVID pandemic peaked in New York.
When the dog became ill, it was examined and determined to be positive for COVID-19.
He also had lymphoma, said his family, who was diagnosed on the day of his death on Saturday, July 11, according to a National Geographic report.
The Mahoneys said that about every two weeks a new problem would arise; She could no longer control her bladder and her urine was bloody, her breathing became much heavier, and then she started having trouble walking.
“We knew that nothing could be done for him from there,” they said. “What are you going to do for a dog with this? But he had the will to live. He did not want to leave.
Buddy received antibiotics and then steroids after other tests detected a heart murmur.
The New York City Department of Health told National Geographic that because Buddy was severely anemic, he did not want to collect additional blood out of concern for the dog’s health.
The confirmation results showed that it was unlikely that he was still removing the virus, meaning that he was probably no longer contagious, by Wednesday May 20, when he was tested the second time.
The United States Department of Agriculture first informed the public in early June that at least one dog had tested positive for COVID-19, but provided no details other than its location.
Authorities said samples taken from that dog showed signs of respiratory illness, but the animal was expected to make a full recovery. One of the dog’s owners also tested positive for COVID-19.
A second dog at Mahoney’s house showed no signs of the virus, but tested positive for the antibodies, suggesting that the dog may have contracted and recovered it.
The CDC said that because of the low number of cases of COVID-19 in domestic pets, routine testing on animals is not recommended, although state and federal health officials are making new determinations on whether an animal should be tested.
The CDC guidelines on pets say “there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19,” but recommends that they treat them “as they would other members of the human family.” .
“Don’t allow pets to interact with people or animals outside the home. If a person in the home becomes ill, isolate that person from everyone else, including pets. “
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