Pug in NC Tests Positive for Coronavirus; Thought to be the First Case Detected in a Dog in the US
A pug named Winston is thought to have the first known positive case of coronavirus detected in a dog in the country.
The McLean family from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was tested for coronavirus as part of a Duke University study. Winston, along with the family's mom, dad and son, tested positive for COVID-19, while the daughter, a second dog and a cat tested negative, according to WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Winston is experiencing mild symptoms. His mom, Heather, said he seemed to make gagging sounds instead of the usual coughing and sneezing sounds pugs make, and one day he didn't want to eat breakfast.
The son, Ben, told WRAL in Raleigh that it makes sense that Winston got coronavirus because he "licks all of our dinner plates and sleeps in my mom's bed, and we're the ones who put our faces into his face."
The first pets in the United States to have confirmed cases of COVID-19 were two cats in New York, who tested positive last week.