North Carolina health officials said Tuesday that a dog that died from COVID-19-like respiratory symptoms was the first rooster in the state to test positive for the coronavirus.
The dog was trained at NC State Veterinary Hospital Aug. 3 after he showed signs of respiratory distress earlier that day, officials said.
“The dog has unfortunately suffered from his acute illness,” the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release. “The customer warned staff that a family member had previously tested positive for COVID-19 and was later tested negative.”
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NC State College of Veterinary Medicine & Veterinary Hospital
The dog was a male Newfoundland who was about 8 years old, NC State University spokesman Mick Kulikowski told the Charlotte Observer.
The dog was referred to NC State after being spotted by his veteran, Kulikowski said, according to the paper.
Officials did not release the dog’s name or name the place where he and his owner lived.
The news report said a necropsy was performed to determine the health status of the animal at the time of death and the cause of death. Results were pending.
“Based on the available information, the risk of animals spreading the virus to humans is considered low,” said Drs. Carl Williams, State Sector for Public Health.
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State Veterinarian Dr Doug Meckes said there was currently no indication that dogs could transmit the virus to other animals “so there is no justification for taking action against companion animals that could endanger their welfare.”
In April, the North Carolina media reported that a pug named Winston in Chapel Hill was positive for COVID-19 after being tested at Duke University. Winston was believed to be the first dog to come across the virus in the US
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But further tests later revealed that the pug probably never had the virus, according to WRAL-TV on Tuesday.
