The information about pets and COVID 19 has been fairly consistent. There is still no evidence that pets can spread the virus to people and that, yes, pets can get the coronavirus. Buddy’s story is a sad reminder of this fact.
RIP Buddy! Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Buddy, a German shepherd, and the first to test positive in the United States for a SARS-CoV-2 infection crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on July 11 after a three month illness.
Buddy, almost seven years old started having trouble breathing in mid-April, several weeks after his owner got sick with COVID-19.
In an exclusive about Buddy, National Geographics states that while it later became clear the symptoms that directly preceded his death were likely a result of cancer, lymphoma, questions remain about whether the coronavirus played any role in the progression of his cancer—or whether his cancer made him more susceptible to the virus in the first place.
His story shows how little is actually known about animals and the coronavirus: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/07/first-dog-to-test-positive-for-covid-in-us-dies/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=Animals_20200730&rid=17F30E8B00AC67B0725E495F0024F52E
Protecting your pets from COVID 19 – Data suggests that most pets that test positive for the virus got it from their owners who tested positive. Some suggested precautions to avoid spreading the coronavirus to their pets are avoid face-to-face contact, wear a face covering around your pet, and avoid sharing food and sleeping in the same bed.
https://phys.org/news/2020-07-covid-affect-pets.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#Pets-and-Animals
Dogs Can Detect COVID 19:
Dogs are being training to sniff out the coronavirus and so far have a 94% success rate. This research is exciting and has great potential and applications in helping fight the pandemic. Researchers are training the dogs to tell the difference between COVID-19 samples and other diseases such as the flu. Way to go Canines!
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/934876
https://www.dw.com/en/german-sniffer-dogs-show-promise-at-detecting-coronavirus/a-54300863