First US pet dog who tested positive for Coronavirus dies; Buddy was about to turn seven

A German Shepherd named Buddy, who was the first dog in the United States to be infected with coronavirus, has died of the infection in New York. Right before his seventh birthday in mid-April, Buddy began struggling to breathe. Six weeks later, he became the first dog in the US to be positive for COVID-19. The six-year-old canine passed away on July 11.

As per reports in US media, medical records provided by two veterinarians who were treating Buddy indicate that he likely had lymphoma, a type of cancer, which explained the symptoms he suffered before his death. His family said it is unclear whether cancer made him more vulnerable to contracting coronavirus, or if the virus made him ill.

Buddy’s family, like thousands of families around the world, are grappling with the effects of the coronavirus. Fewer than 25 pets in the US have tested positive for the virus.

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Animals at Coronavirus risk

Soon after coronavirus started spreading around the world, reports emerged of positive cases in animals such as pet cats in Hong Kong, tigers in a New York City zoo and mink on farms in the Netherlands. Researchers are trying to discover which species can contract COVID-19 and whether they can pass it to humans.

Roughly a dozen animals are known to be vulnerable to the virus. Several species, including pet dogs and cats, lions and tigers in the zoo and farmed mink, certainly contracted the disease from humans yhat probably means that related canids, felids and mustelids — the animal group that includes mink, weasels, badgers, martens and wolverines, could also be susceptible to the virus, though this remains to be tested

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(Image for representation, Credit: Pixabay)