i Still Love Dogs

Pet Dog in North Carolina Infected with Coronavirus

Until this past week, there were cases of humans, tigers and cats being affected with the coronavirus. Now, for what’s believed to be the first time in the United States, a pet dog has tested positive for COVID-19.

Winston, a 2-year-old Pug who lives in Chapel Hill, N.C., coughed frequently and lost his appetite for a day, but he’s now doing fine. His dog mom, Dr. Heather McLean, is a pediatrician at Duke Health. She and two other members of her family were also infected with COVID-19. They all had mild symptoms. The family’s other dog and a cat did not test positive.

Perhaps, like me, you’re wondering how in the world family pets were able to be tested for COVID-19 when hundreds of thousands of humans are still waiting to be tested. As it turns out, the family is participating in a Duke University study that’s researching how bodies react to infections. The study, called the Molecular and Epidemiological Study of Suspected Infection (MESSI), was launched before the pandemic. The results will hopefully lead to effective tests and treatments for infections like COVID-19.

“Everyone is a little on edge and afraid, so this just gives us the ability to feel like we have something that we can contribute to society and help patients get better,” McLean told WTVD.

On April 1, MESSI researchers came to her home to test her family. “They all came out to our house and did blood samples,” McLean told WRAL. “For the humans, they swabbed our noses as well as our mouths, and for the animals they did oral swabs for both dogs and the cat.”

If you’re concerned about your own dog getting COVID-19, McLean said you shouldn’t worry too much about it. “We’re not seeing an epidemic of household pets or them transmitting it to other humans and animals — we just happened to detect it in our dog,” she told USA TODAY.

In early March, a dog belonging to someone with the coronavirus in Hong Kong was believed to be the first pet dog in the world to get the virus from a human.

However, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out, there is still no evidence that dogs or other pets can transmit the coronavirus to people.

Protecting Your Dog from COVID-19

To help prevent your dog from being infected with COVID-19, the CDC recommends that you do the following:

Don’t let your dog interact with other people or animals outside your home.
Walk your dog on a leash and stay at least 6 feet away from other people and animals.
Even if they’re open in your area, avoid dog parks and other public places where people and dogs congregate.

If you have been infected with COVID-19:

If at all possible, have another family member or friend take care of your dog.
If you must be around your dog, wear a face mask and wash your hands frequently.
The hard part: Avoid touching, kissing, snuggling or otherwise interacting with your dog.
The most important part: Get well soon!

Photo: CBS This Morning/YouTube

Pit Bull Rescued from Dogfighting Ring Becomes K-9 Officer

It’s very sad that the four-legged survivors of dogfighting operations used to be given an automatic death sentence. Fortunately, the Pit Bulls who survived one of the most notorious of these operations, Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels, proved that these dogs could be rehabilitated and placed into loving forever homes.

Many of these “Vicktory Dogs” went on to become therapy dogs and loving pets — even though former Humane Society of the United States CEO Wayne Pacelle, as well as PETA, wanted these dogs to be euthanized.

Fast forward 13 years, and some of the 31 dogs rescued from a dogfighting ring in Canada are also proving that these survivors can become heroes. In January, a survivor named Hansel became New Jersey’s first Pit Bull arson officer.

This month, another Pit Bull rescued from that same ring has become a K-9 deputy for the Craven County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.

K-9 Nibbles graduated from the Police Canine School on April 12, earning a certificate in narcotics detection and basic obedience. He will work alongside his partner, Deputy Willis McCaw, to “fight against drugs being trafficked and sold in Craven County,” according to a Facebook post by the Craven County Sheriff’s Office.

“This dog comes to us at no cost to the [Craven County] taxpayer and is going to help us immensely in our fight in curtailing the illicit flow of drugs that have been coming into our county on a daily basis,” Sheriff Chip Hughes said at a press conference.

Like Hansel, Nibbles was rescued by the Throw Away Dogs Project, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that trains rescued dogs to become K9 officers and service dogs.

According to news reports, Nibbles, Hansel and at least two other dogs rescued from the Canada dogfighting operation are now serving in law enforcement. Others have become certified service dogs.

You can make a donation to help the Throw Away Dog Project rescue more dogs via its website.

Photo: Craven County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

Hero Pit Bull Takes 4 Bullets During Armed Robbery (He’s OK!)

Todd Lane was walking up to his home in Wilmington, N.C., Monday night with Skylar, his 12-year-old Pit Bull, when a man behind them said, “Gimme that.”

The stranger was referring to the money Lane had just won from a scratch-off lottery ticket. But before Lane could reach for his wallet, the robber started shooting.

Grazed by a bullet, Lane fell to the ground. Skylar immediately took action to protect his owner.

“He charged after the dude with the gun and that guy shot the dog four times,” Lane told WWAY. “They found four different shots in him.”

The robber fired at least eight shots before running off. Two shots were fired into Lane’s living room, where people were watching TV. Fortunately, no one inside the house was hurt.

And fortunately for Skylar, the hero dog survived the shooting. Two bullets grazed him. One went through his upper lip. But the other bullet shattered his front left paw, requiring reconstructive surgery so he can walk. Because Skylar has arthritis in his shoulder, amputation was not an option.

Lane’s niece, Tina King, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds to cover the expensive surgery. As of today, it’s raised nearly $4,000.

“Right now with the coronavirus a lot of people are short with money and it’s hard,” KIng told WWAY. “So it’s hard asking people for money, but a lot of people have given $5 and my sweet friend Courtney gave $500.”

Lane is grateful not only for Skylar but for the community’s generosity in helping to pay the hero dog’s veterinary bills. “It ain’t me that’s saved his life, it’s this community,” he told WWAY. “All the funds they have given me, all the support they have given me, and everything they’re doing for my dog has literally saved his life.”

Skylar was able to return home from the animal hospital yesterday. He’s recovering but will need another surgery.

The hero pit bull “saved me,” Lane told WWAY. “I mean, you always wonder, would your dog take a bullet for you? And I found the case out. He took four for me. He’s a great dog.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Wilmington Police Department at 910-452-6120.

You can make a donation to help pay for Skylar’s vet bills through the Justice for Skylar – Vet Bill Assistance GoFundMe page.

Photo: GoFundMe.com

Dogs May Soon Be Able to Sniff Out Coronavirus in People

Dogs are already saving human lives by using their incredible senses of smell to detect cancer, diabetes and other deadly diseases in humans.

In the not-too-distant future, will they be able to sniff out COVID-19, aka coronavirus, as well?

That’s a potential goal of Medical Detection Dogs, a nonprofit organization based in England that trains dogs to detect diseases in human urine, breath and swab samples. Medical Detection Dogs is planning to work with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Durham University to see if dogs can also be trained to detect COVID-19. This team previously successfully trained dogs to sniff out malaria.

“In principle, we’re sure that dogs could detect COVID-19,” Claire Guest, the founder and CEO of Medical Detection Dogs, said in a press release. “We are now looking into how we can safely catch the odor of the virus from patients and present it to the dogs.”

Once those odor samples can be obtained, it will take six weeks to train dogs “to help provide a rapid, non-invasive diagnosis towards the tail end of the epidemic,” according to the press release.

To train the dogs, they will sniff samples from people infected with COVID-19 along with those from people without the virus. They will indicate, usually by sitting down, when they smell COVID-19. Dogs are also able to detect slight changes in the temperature of human skin, so they can help determine if someone has a fever.

The trained dogs may be deployed to airports and other public places to help detect people with the coronavirus.

“The aim is that dogs will be able to screen anyone, including those who are asymptomatic, and tell us whether they need to be tested,” Guest said. “This would be fast, effective and non-invasive and make sure the limited NHS testing resources are only used where they are really needed.”

The ability of dogs to detect COVID-19 will be “profoundly impactful” in the months to come, according to James Logan, head of the department of disease control at LSHTM.

Steve Lindsay, a professor at Durham University, said having coronavirus-sniffing dogs in public places “would help prevent the re-emergence of the disease after we have brought the present epidemic under control.”

There is currently no evidence that dogs can get the coronavirus from people, or that we can get it from dogs or cats. Here are some tips for what dog owners should do if they are infected with the coronavirus.

Photo: Mark Watson/Flickr

What Will Happen to Your Dog If You Have the Coronavirus?

There are plenty of things to be concerned about during the current coronavirus pandemic. For us dog owners, one of those concerns is likely what will happen to our pets if we get very sick.

Here are tips from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) and other experts that may help put our minds a little more at ease. Be safe and stay healthy!

Have a Pet Preparedness Plan Ready

The HSUS recommends that you have a preparedness plan. This should include:

Asking a friend or family member if they can care for your dog should you need to be hospitalized.
In case your dog needs to be relocated, be sure to have extra food and supplies ready, and a carrier or crate if necessary.
Make sure your dog’s vaccines are up to date, and that you and the designated temporary caretaker have copies of the records. Note that even in states that have ordered “safer at home,” like where I live in California, animal hospitals remain open.
If your dog is taking any medications, make sure you have a list with the names, dosages and administering instructions.
Your dog should be microchipped with your current contact information, and wear a collar and ID tag.

Find Pet Care Resources in Your Community

As the coronavirus spreads, your local community may be able to help you care for your dog.

“During this crisis, there may be options of temporary housing for pets, donated supplies, subsidized veterinary services and more available to help people care for and stay together with their pets,” the HSUS says.

The HSUS also recommends contacting local shelters and animal service agencies to see if any support is available. If you are experiencing financial hardship, check out their list of local and national pet resources for those in need.

Can You Infect Your Dog with the Coronavirus?

Here’s one less thing to worry about: Dogs (and cats) are very unlikely to become infected with COVID-19, according to both the CDC and the World Organisation for Animal Health. There is currently no evidence that they can spread the virus to people.

APRIL 29, 2020 UPDATE: A Pug in North Carolina tested positive for COVID-19, as did some of his his human family members.

However, if you have the coronavirus, you should avoid contact with your pets as well as people. “If you must care for your pet or be around animals while you are sick, wash your hands before and after you interact with them,” the CDC advises.

Photo: That’s my shelter dog, Ella, sheltering in place with her Kong toy and favorite blankie.