Coronavirus: final testing of Hong Kong dog’s blood concludes it was infected
- Antibodies for the virus were found in 17-year-old Pomeranian’s blood, proving infection, animal welfare authority says
- Officials say they will continue quarantining pets of confirmed Covid-19 cases, although no evidence they play a role in spreading the virus
Final testing has confirmed that the 17-year-old Pomeranian revealed as the first dog to catch the coronavirus was infected, Hong Kong’s animal welfare authority said, after antibodies were found in the animal’s blood.
Despite the conclusive positive reading, an Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) spokesman stressed that cases of infection in dogs appeared “infrequent”, with most of the city’s quarantined animals testing negative.
The AFCD said that wider checks had revealed dogs and cats were not easily infected and that there was no evidence they could spread the virus to humans or other animals.
The Pomeranian, called Benny, which belonged to a now-recovered Covid-19 patient, had been under mandatory quarantine at a government facility since February 26 due to repeatedly testing “weak positive” from oral and nasal samples.
Benny returned home after two negative tests proved he was no longer infected, and passed away three days later.
Medical sources believed he had died from old age and underlying illnesses, adding he had shown no signs of Covid-19, the disease caused by the new virus.
While Benny was in quarantine, the AFCD also took blood samples on March 3. Officials said on March 13 that the first serology test – which looks for antibodies in the blood that would confirm infection – came back negative, meaning no antibodies specific to the coronavirus were found in the pet’s system.
But further serological testing was conducted on the blood sample at the World Health Organisation reference laboratory at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the final test result was positive, according to an announcement by the AFCD on Thursday night.