First U.S. Dog With COVID-19 Has Died

July 31, 2020 — Buddy, a 7-year-old German shepherd, that was the first dog to test positive for the coronavirus in the United States, has died after being sick for three months, CNN reported Thursday.

Whether the dog died from the coronavirus or lymphoma isn’t clear. Buddy got sick in April but it wasn’t until May that a vet confirmed the animal was infected.

In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed this was the first dog to test positive for the coronavirus in the country, CNN noted.

Buddy’s health continued to worsen. By July 11, the dog’s owner told National Geographic, that the dog was throwing up clotted blood.

According to the USDA, less than 25 dogs and cats have been infected with coronavirus in this country.

But because there is no mandatory testing for animals in homes with people diagnosed with COVID-19, it’s not known how many pets may be infected, CNN said.

“The second dog to test positive in the U.S., in Georgia, and the sixth dog, in South Carolina, have both died, for example, and their deaths were attributed to other conditions,” National Geographic reported.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has guidance for caring for a pet with COVID-19, but there’s no reliable data on how the virus affects pets, CNN reported.