Pet Dog Gets Covid From Owner First Confirmed case in the UK

From the sofa to cuddling and playtime, people share a lot with their pets. However, it appears that coronavirus infections are on the list of shared experiences. Experts claim to have discovered the first incidence of coronavirus infection in a domestic dog in the United Kingdom, which was contracted from its owners. The infection of the dog was verified after testing on November 3rd.

This isn’t the first time that dogs have tested positive for the strain; last year, the same lab discovered coronavirus in a cat, and new studies from the Netherlands revealed that the virus is frequent in cats and dogs owned by individuals who have Covid.

Some doctors have urged that Covid patients avoid their dogs to avoid transferring the virus to them and have voiced fears that the pets could operate as a virus repository, transmitting the infection back to humans.

Dr. Christine Middlemiss, the UK’s chief veterinary officer, said coronavirus had been detected in a domestic dog in the UK following tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey.

“The diseased dog was being treated for an unconnected ailment and is on the way to recovery,” she explained.

The CDC also claims that contracting Covid from a dog is unlikely. It reads, “Based on existing knowledge to date, the danger of animals transferring Covid-19 to people is deemed low.”

However, it seems that transmissions can, at least in some cases, be reversed. “Covid-19 is primarily transmitted from person to person, but it can also be transmitted from humans to pets in some circumstances,” said Dr. Katherine Russell, a consultant epidemiologist at UK Health Security Agency.

Coronavirus outbreaks on mink farms led to huge cullings in countries such as Denmark. In February, the World Health Organization warned that there was a significant chance of the coronavirus being introduced and transferred from fur farming to people.

According to the CDC, mink to human exposure has indeed been observed in countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark, and Poland, and mink farms may transmit the virus to humans.

Source: NDTV