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Three Common Canine Infectious Diseases

The three major infectious diseases in dogs are canine distemper, canine parvovirus, and canine coronavirus. Symptoms of distemper include loss of appetite, lethargy, high fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. In severe cases, there may be convulsions, epilepsy, and other neurological symptoms. Parvovirus symptoms include severe vomiting, hemorrhagic enteritis, bloody stools, dehydration, and a significant decrease in white blood cells. Similar to parvovirus, coronavirus also has symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, loss of appetite, and depression in the early stages. However, the mortality rate of coronavirus is lower than that of parvovirus, and with reasonable treatment, dogs can basically recover. These diseases are very dangerous for dogs, especially young puppies. To avoid infection, owners must ensure that their dogs are properly vaccinated.

  1. Canine Distemper

Canine distemper is a highly contagious disease caused by the canine distemper virus. It can be divided into early, middle, and late stages based on symptoms. Diagnosis requires a cdv test for canine distemper virus.

In the early stage, dogs may exhibit symptoms such as loss of appetite, lethargy, runny nose, and fever. Owners may easily overlook these symptoms or mistake distemper for a cold.

As the disease progresses to the middle stage, the dog's condition worsens, and it is basically unable to eat. There may be purulent discharge from the nose and eyes, accompanied by severe vomiting and diarrhea that can last for more than a month.

Finally, in the late stage, the cure rate is very low. The dog may begin to show neurological symptoms such as seizures, circling, abnormal standing posture, unstable gait, muscle pain, and weakness. In severe cases, the dog may experience shock and coma. Under these circumstances, the dog will generally die within 1-2 weeks.

  1. Canine Parvovirus

Canine parvovirus is a contagious disease caused by the parvovirus, mainly transmitted through the digestive tract. The main clinical symptoms of parvovirus include severe vomiting, hemorrhagic enteritis, bloody stools, dehydration, and a significant decrease in white blood cells. Due to the similarity of early symptoms to common gastroenteritis, it is easily misdiagnosed and requires acpv test for canine parvovirus diagnosis.

Additionally, parvovirus can be divided into two types: myocarditis and enteritis. Myocarditis-type parvovirus usually has no obvious clinical symptoms, and the affected dog will die quickly. Enteritis-type parvovirus presents with symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and increased body temperature, along with the excretion of fetid, bloody diarrhea.

In terms of treatment, the disease course of canine parvovirus infection is about 7-8 days. The 5th to 6th day is the most difficult to endure. If treatment is not timely or the dog's constitution is weak, death may occur.

  1. Canine Coronavirus

Canine coronavirus is caused by coronavirus and is generally susceptible to young dogs who have not been vaccinated and those with poor resistance. The clinical manifestations of coronavirus include vomiting, dehydration, loss of appetite, depression, and the excretion of fetid, watery stools with mucus. Diagnosis requires accv test for canine coronavirus at a pet hospital.

Although the symptoms of coronavirus are similar to those of parvovirus, it is relatively mild. As long as appropriate symptomatic and supportive treatment is provided, the cure rate is relatively high.