Also, serologic testing, which detects the presence of antibodies and antigens, is an option. However, the results of these tests can be expensive and generally take time to be analyzed by a laboratory. Thus, they not are performed often. For dogs that are not severely affected, the prognosis is excellent, although diarrhea can persist for as long as a few weeks. Young puppies that are very ill may have a guarded or poor prognosis if they do not receive immediate veterinary care.
Dogs get the coronavirus when they ingest the feces of another dog with the infection.
The majority of dogs that are not severely affected recover without any treatment. Puppies or adults that do develop severe symptoms of infection often need supportive care such as fluids delivered directly into the vein or below the skin. Infected dogs should be kept away from healthy dogs. Sanitation should be maintained by keeping the environment free of feces and cleaning the area with appropriate disinfectants. A vaccine is beneficial, especially for show dogs and kennel dogs that are at a high risk for contracting the virus.