Terrified Mandy, from Gravesend, Kent, got a friend to take the dog to the vets, who dismissed the symptoms as kennel cough, then lung worm, she said.
Visit our live blog for the latest updates: Coronavirus news live
But the dog got worse, and he was rushed in for a CT scan which revealed excess fluid in his lungs, which can be a sign of advanced coronavirus.
Retired store manager Mandy rejected advice to put Mushka down and instead pressured vets into giving him steroids.After six weeks, both Mandy and Mushka are finally on the mend.
Protect Your Dogs Paws in the Winter with Vaseline. If you don’t have any paw balm, and if your dog doesn’t like wearing boots, you can use some Vaseline to help protect your dogs paws in the winter.
Mandy hasn’t been able to get a test for her dog but she is even more convinced he had the disease after it emerged a pet cat in the UK had tested positive .
She said: ‘I know he had it. We nearly lost him. When the CT scan revealed lungs full of fluid I asked can he have caught it from me, but the vet said “no”.
‘At that time, the American Kennel Club had on their website that dogs, cats should be sent away to be looked after, if someone had virus in household.‘The UK Kennel Club statement was “no known cases”. This has made me very angry. I know my dog had it.
‘I have video clips of him when he was suffering, showing him coughing, and very unwell.
‘More pet owners need to be made aware of the fact that it is being proven cats and dogs can contract coronavirus from humans.’
The UK’s first confirmed animal infected with Covid-19 has been recorded in a pet cat.
Mandy, who has two children and six grandkids, added: ‘Throughout the whole pandemic this was waved off by experts as pet owners just being pedantic and overly worried about their pets.
Chase that tail! Dogs chase their tails for a variety of reasons: curiosity, exercise, anxiety, predatory instinct or, they might have fleas! If your dog is chasing his tail excessively, talk with your vet.
‘I know many families who went with the advice of veterinary experts and had their beloved pets put down when there were other options.
‘In America pet owners were informed that the safest thing to do was to re home their pets if they contracted the virus to prevent any chance of them getting ill.‘But we weren’t informed of anything like that here in the UK. We were just told it was extremely unlikely and not to worry.
‘I think pet owners should know the real reason why their cherished companions aren’t here with them now, at a time when they are needed most.
‘The government should accept that they were too slow in releasing this critical life saving information to the public.’
A statement on the Kennel Club website said there is ‘no evidence that dogs’ health is impacted by COVID-19′. It added: ‘If your dog is unwell then it is very unlikely that COVID-19 is the cause of their illness, but it is still important that you contact your vet to find out what is causing their illness.’Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at[email protected] .
For more stories like this,check our news page .
Coronavirus Updates from .co.uk
Play a Nice Interactive Game of Tug With Your Dog. A 5 minute game of tug works wonders for tiring out your dog & letting him get rid of some of that pent up energy. (and no – it won’t make your dog aggressive despite the old myth)
Get the need-to-know coronavirus news, features and tips, right to your inbox.
Not convinced? Find out more »