In a first-of-its-kind case documented in the United Kingdom, officials have confirmed that a dog tested positive for COVID-19. Officials believe that the pet, now recovering at home, caught the infectious virus from its owner.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that cases like this are rare and there are no strong pieces of evidence to hint that dogs, cats or other pets are passing on the virus to humans.

The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: “The infected dog was undergoing treatment for another unrelated condition and is now recovering.

“It is very rare for dogs to be infected and they will usually only show mild clinical signs, and recover within a few days.

“There is no clear evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will update our guidance to pet owners should the situation change.”

Officials say that owners and people who work closely with animals should wash their hands regularly in order to maintain proper hygiene.

Officials also mentioned that animal fur can carry the COVID-19 virus for a shorter period in the same way as other surfaces such as door handles.

Sharing food, food bowls or utensils with your pet is a complete no-no.

Even though there are some coronaviruses that can spread from animals to people, but that is rare. 

This is not the first time that animals have been infected with Sars-CoV-2. In November 2020, Denmark culled millions of mink. That was done amid concerns about a mutated form of a virus being detected in the species.

Apart from pets, apes, lions and other animals, too, have been infected with the virus. At a Barcelona Zoo, four lions, along with two keepers tested positive.

The list of animals that have been infected includes big cats in captivity, domestic cats, dogs, ferrets, fruit bats, mink, non-human primates, pangolins, pigs, raccoon dogs, rodents, white-tailed deer.

According to the UKHSA, there have been documented cases of humans catching COVID from mink and from ferrets.