Dog in Georgia tests positive for virus that causes COVID-19

ATLANTA – A dog in Georgia is believed to have been the second canine in the U.S. to test positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, health officials said.

The 6-year-old mixed breed dog was tested after its owners contracted COVID-19 and the dog began suffering from a neurological illness, the Georgia Department of Health said in a news release Wednesday.

The dog was positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The dog was euthanized after the neurological illness progressed. Officials said the dog’s neurological illness was caused by a condition unrelated to the coronavirus.

Guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that based on the limited information available so far, the risk of pets spreading coronavirus to people “is considered to be low.”