Can a dog get coronavirus

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many dog ​​owners have been concerned about the health of their pets and worried that they could infect their dog with the COVID-19 virus. Is it possible and how to protect your pet from this disease?

Like most viral infections, the coronavirus spreads through the air. This severe respiratory disease causes general weakness, fever, cough. Penetrating into the human body, the virus can lead to serious complications in the form of pneumonia.

Coronavirus in dogs: symptoms and differences from humans

Canine Covid-XNUMX, or Canine Coronavirus, is a type of virus that infects canines. There are two types of canine coronavirus:

• intestinal,
• respiratory.

The enteric coronavirus is transmitted from one dog to another through direct contact, such as while playing or sniffing. Also, a pet can become infected with it through contaminated food and water, or by contact with the feces of a sick dog. The virus infects the animal’s intestinal cells, its blood vessels, and the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, leading to secondary infections.

Symptoms of the intestinal coronavirus:

• lethargy,
• apathy,
• lack of appetite,
• vomiting, 
• diarrhea, 
• atypical smell from animal feces,
• weight loss.

Canine respiratory coronavirus is transmitted by airborne droplets, just like humans. Most often, they infect animals in shelters and nurseries. This type of disease is similar to the common cold: the dog sneezes a lot, coughs, suffers from a runny nose, and in addition, she may have a fever. There are usually no other symptoms. Most often, respiratory coronavirus is asymptomatic and does not pose a danger to the life of the animal, although in rare cases it leads to pneumonia.

Is it possible to infect a dog with coronavirus

A dog can become infected from a person with a respiratory coronavirus, including COVID-19, but in most cases the disease is mild. However, it is still worth minimizing the contact of a sick person with a pet in order to avoid the risk of developing the disease.

Treatment for coronavirus in dogs

There are no drugs for coronavirus for dogs, so when diagnosing a disease, treatment is based on strengthening the animal’s immunity. If the disease proceeds in a mild form, you can completely get by with a diet, drinking plenty of water. In this case, it is recommended to transfer the pet to special medical feed. For at least a month after recovery, physical activity should be minimized. A detailed treatment regimen should be prescribed by a doctor.

How to save a pet

It is important to vaccinate a pet against enteritis, canine distemper, adenovirus, infectious hepatitis and leptospirosis – the development of these diseases can be triggered by a coronavirus. Otherwise, the prevention of coronavirus in dogs is quite simple: 

• monitor the immunity of the animal, 
• keep him away from the feces of other dogs, 
• avoid contact with other animals.

In addition, it is imperative to carry out deworming in time, since the presence of parasites leads to a strong weakening of the dog’s body.

See also:

• Can a dog catch a cold or get the flu?
• Shortness of breath in dogs: when to sound the alarm
• Temperature in dogs: when to worry