FARMINGTON, Conn — UConn's Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (CVMDL) confirmed the first reported case of a dog testing positive for COVID-19 in the state.
According to the report, the 3-month-old puppy was brought to the CVMDL for a necropsy after it suddenly died.
Director of the CVMDL Salvatore Frasca said the CVMDL serves with other labs as part of a national surveillance program for COVID-19 in animals.
The CVMDL said the dog showed no signs of COVID-19 before its death. However, after the puppy was tested, it was confirmed positive.
Assistant Professor Dong-Hun Lee, who heads the Genomics and Molecular Epidemiology Research (GaMER) lab and works closely with CVMDL, said only 6,723 animals have been reported as positive for COVID-19 as of March 15.
The CDC says that the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to humans is considered low. However, the CDC added the virus can spread mostly through close contact from humans to animals.
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