A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced today (28) that a dog living in the home of a person diagnosed with New Crown Pneumonia had a weak positive test for the virus.
The AFCD received information from the Department of Health on the 26th that a dog diagnosed with new crown pneumonia should be referred to the AFCD for processing. AFCD staff picked up the dog at a residence in Dakeng on the same evening, and immediately took it to the animal shelter at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port, and took samples from its mouth, nasal cavity and anus for a new coronavirus test. The results showed that the oral and nasal samples were weakly positive in the test. However, the dog was not associated with any symptoms.
At present, only this dog has been tested in the animal shelter of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port, and no other animals have been tested. Department staff will step up cleaning and disinfection of facilities in the residence.
Although the AFCD does not have any data to prove that the pet will become infected or develop new crown pneumonia, the Department will closely monitor the dog and take further samples to determine whether the dog is infected with the virus or its mouth The nose is infected with the virus from the environment. The Department will continue to perform repeated tests on this dog and will not return the dog until the test result is negative.
An AFCD spokesman said that in order to ensure the health of the public and animals, the department strongly recommends that pets (mammalian animals) diagnosed with new crown pneumonia be quarantined. It will be sent to an animal shelter facility designated by AFCD for 14-day quarantine and veterinary surveillance, and new coronavirus tests will be conducted as appropriate.
The spokesman reminded pet owners to always maintain good hygienic habits. After contacting pets, hands should be thoroughly washed with soap and water or alcohol hand sanitizer; livestock owners should wear masks when going out. If you notice changes in your pet's health, you should seek the advice of a veterinarian as soon as possible. (Main Station reporter Dong Jin)