Canine enteric coronavirus (CCoV) is a common, highly contagious cause of mild diarrhea in puppies, especially where many dogs are housed together. On its own it rarely kills; it matters because it makes parvovirus worse, because rare pantropic strains cause fatal systemic disease, and because a positive PCR result in a healthy dog is easy to over-interpret.
Key facts
Canine enteric coronavirus at a glance- Agent: canine coronavirus, an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus in the genus Alphacoronavirus; two types, CCoV-I and CCoV-II (subtypes IIa and IIb).
- Species and system: dogs; small intestinal enterocytes. Pantropic CCoV-IIa also spreads to lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, lymphoid tissue and brain.
- Typical patient: a puppy under about 12 weeks old from a shelter, kennel, breeder or pet shop.
- Classic presentation: anorexia, vomiting and soft to watery diarrhea with dehydration; most dogs recover, and many infections are subclinical.
- Transmission: fecal-oral, directly or via contaminated bowls, bedding and hands.
- Diagnosis: fecal RT-PCR, interpreted with care because healthy dogs shed the virus.
- Prevention: hygiene and robust parvovirus vaccination; the CCoV vaccine is not recommended (WSAVA 2024).
- Not SARS-CoV-2: CCoV is a different virus from the cause of COVID-19.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 3 tables, 3 figures, 3 self-test questions and 11 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
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