Buddy, a 7-year-old German shepherd and the first pet dog in the United States to test positive for COVID-19, has died.
After their beloved pet became very ill, Buddy’s owners decided on July 11 that the best thing for Buddy would be to have him euthanized.
Buddy is believed to also have had lymphoma, but it is unclear what specifically caused him to be so ill.
The details of Buddy’s case have been unknown to the public until now, with a press release from the Agriculture Department. The guidance from health officials so far has been that dogs are unlikely to catch COVID-19 or pass it to their owners.
“When he was passing away in front of me, he had blood all over his paws,” one of his owners told National Geographic. “I cleaned him up before we drove to the vet and stayed with him in the back seat. I said, ‘I will have your voice heard, for all our furry friends. Your voice will be heard, Buddy.'”
In April, Buddy began to show signs of illness. His mucus became thick, and he started breathing heavily. As his condition worsened, Buddy began to lose a lot of weight. X-rays indicated his liver and spleen were enlarged, and a cardiologist detected a heart murmur.
After several visits to the vet, Buddy was tested for COVID-19. Days later, he was found positive. Weeks before, one of his owners, Robert Mahoney, tested positive for the virus. Health experts believe Mahoney likely transmitted the virus to his dog.
The Mahoneys feel that not enough was done by officials to learn more about Buddy’s condition. When they took Buddy into the vet to be put to sleep, the possibility of an autopsy was never suggested. By the time officials in New York made the decision to ask for an autopsy of the dog, he had already been cremated.
Allison Mahoney says Buddy was “a good little pumpkin. I just kind of wish we’d had him for longer.”
