Dog in Georgia tests positive for virus that causes COVID-19

FILE – This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. The sample was isolated from a patient in the U.S. On Tuesday, April 21, 2020, U.S. health regulators OK’d the first coronavirus test that allows people to collect their own sample at home, a new approach that could help expand testing options in most states. The sample will still have to be shipped for processing back to LabCorp, which operates diagnostic labs throughout the U.S. (NIAID-RML via AP)

by: Associated Press

Posted: Jul 4, 2020 / 04:30 PM EDT

Updated: Jul 4, 2020 / 04:30 PM EDT

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ATLANTA — A dog in Georgia is believed to have been the second canine in the US to test positive for the virus that causes COVID-19.

The Georgia Department of Health said in a news release Wednesday that the 6-year-old mixed breed dog was tested after its owners contracted COVID-19 and the dog began suffering from a neurological illness.

The dog was positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The dog was euthanized after the neurological illness progressed.

Officials say the dog’s neurological illness was caused by a condition unrelated to the coronavirus.

Experts do not believe that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus.