A Dog in Cedar Rapids Has Been Diagnosed With COVID
The first canine case of COVID in the state of Iowa has officially been reported.
According to a new article from CBS 2, a local boxer named Eden has been diagnosed with COVID. A Cedar Rapids resident by the name of Steve Shriver is Eden's owner, and after his family contracted the coronavirus, he began noticing that she was showing similar symptoms. A post on Steve's Facebook page says that she had a "super hacking dry continuous cough," so they consulted with Dr. Marty Weber at the Cedar Rapids Animal Hospital and did a nasal swab and bloodwork.
Our dog Eden has tested positive with Covid 19. She is the first dog in Iowa so it’s not super common. Her symptoms...
Posted by Steve Shriver on Wednesday, February 3, 2021
4-year-old Eden is now the first case of canine COVID here in Iowa that we know of, but she's not the first in the country. The CBS 2 article says:
"The CDC confirms that certain animals can, and do, contract COVID, but it's rare. In the U.S., only 58 cases of COVID in cats are reported. In dogs, the number is 41."
The good news is that none of the dogs or cats that have been diagnosed with the virus have died, but there is still a lot of research that has yet to be done when it comes to COVID and animals. We do know that it can be spread from humans to animals, so the CDC recommends avoiding contact with them if you contract it. The CDC's website also states:
"At this time, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to people. Based on the limited information available to date, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is considered to be low."
You can read more about animals and COVID-19 HERE.