We get asked a lot of dogs can get Covid-19 and spread it to humans. This gets fueled by the media with reports that a number of pet cats and dogs have been infected with the virus in several countries, including the United States.
The latest has been “Buddy”, a german shepherd from the united states.
”Buddy” died in July after he started to show signs of respiratory infection. What didn’t make the headlines was the fact that Buddy was suffering from malignant lymphoma. Cancer that most commonly arise from lymphoid tissues in the bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes, or spleen. Three weeks before Buddy developed symptoms of a respiratory infection, his owner was diagnosed with Covid-19.
Buddy was the first dog in the United States that was confirmed to have Covid-19. But did he die of Covid-19? No, he died because he had malignant cancer. It certainly is likely the underlying condition could weaken the dog’s natural defences to a lot of things including COVID.
We have known for a while now that if a positive owner sneezes, coughs, or spatters over a dog, that the dog will test positive for Covid-19 but Buddy actually displayed signs of COVID.
The jury is still out on this!
The Australian Veterinary Association released a statement that currently there is no evidence that dogs play any role in human infections. And The World Health Organization’s official statement is “At present, there is no evidence that companion animals/ pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus. However, it is always a good idea to wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pets. This protects you against various common bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella that can pass between pets and humans.”
