The first dog in the world to contract the coronavirus died Monday in Hong Kong, just days after it was discharged and allowed to return home because he was free of the infection.

According to reports, the Pomeranian dog, whose owner contracted Covid-19 last month, had been quarantined at government facilities, but was able to return home last weekend.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation told The South China Morning Post that the dog’s owner let them know that the dog had died on March 16, and that she is not willing to have an autopsy performed on her dog to determine the cause of death.

Last month, the pet tested for the lethal virus “weak positive” after nasal and oral tests, however, in two tests on March 12 and 13, it tested negative, allowing him to return home.

According to reports, the dog’s owner was identified as Yvonne Chow Hau Yee, who was infected in late February, hospitalized and released on March 8. It is highly likely that the dog was infected by humans around him.

Previously, the Health Organization (WHO) indicated that Yee’s dog is the only dog that has contracted the coronavirus so far.

Sources: New York Post, A similar case from Wasghington Post

Written by Cesar Moya