Animalix - Magazine

A pet dog in Hong Kong has contracted coronavirus from its owner in what is believed to be the first known human-to-animal transmission of the disease, local health officials confirmed Wednesday. The pooch was placed under quarantine at an animal facility after three tests confirmed it came down with a “low-level infection” of the COVID-19 virus — though it shows no signs of illness, a spokesperson for Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said in a statement. There is “no evidence” that pets could be a source of the virus or that they would even become sick once infected, the spokesman stressed. But the department advised that pets like cats and dogs from households of confirmed cases should be placed under official quarantine. “Apart from maintaining good hygiene practices, pet owners need not be overly concerned and under no circumstances should they abandon their pets,” the AFCD spokesperson said. Officials first tested the dog on Feb. 26 an...

Dog Flu - Canine Influenza Symptoms Canine influenza (dog flu) is influenza occurring in canine animals. Canine influenza is caused by varieties of influenzavirus A, such as equine influenza virus H3N8, which in 2004 was discovered to cause disease in dogs. Because of the lack of previous exposure to this virus, dogs have no natural immunity to it. Therefore, the disease is rapidly transmitted between individual dogs. Canine influenza may be endemic in some regional dog populations of the United States. It is a disease with a high morbidity (incidence of symptoms) but a low incidence of death. Your dog is coughing and congested, listless and feeling lousy – just like we feel when we come down with a respiratory ailment. Dog Flu - Canine Influenza Symptoms The virus is passed from animal to animal through “respiratory secretions, dogs can spread the virus through simply “barking, coughing and sneezing, contaminated objects, such as water bowls, toys, food, clo...