What is canine rotavirus infection?

Rotavirus infection is mainly an intestinal infectious disease of puppies. Diarrhea is its main characteristic, and adult dogs generally undergo a subclinical course after infection. Rotavirus exists in the intestines of sick dogs and is shed in the feces, contaminating the surrounding environment. The digestive tract is the main route of infection for this disease. Recovered animals can still shed the virus in their feces, but how long the shedding period lasts is still unclear. Rotavirus has a certain degree of cross-infectivity between humans and animals, so as long as the virus persists in humans or one species of animal, it is possible for this disease to spread in nature over the long term.

Key points for diagnosis: (1) Epidemiological characteristics: dogs of all ages can be infected, but adult dogs generally have a subclinical infection and lack obvious symptoms. This disease mostly occurs in cold seasons. Poor sanitary conditions can often predispose to this disease.

(2) Clinical characteristics: puppies often develop severe diarrhea, with watery to mucous feces, which can last for 8 to 10 days. However, appetite and body temperature show no major changes. A preliminary diagnosis can usually be made based on the above changes. A definitive diagnosis depends on electron microscopy examination. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is also a commonly used diagnostic method at present.

Prevention and control measures:

First: sick dogs should be immediately isolated to a clean, dry, and warm place, milk feeding should be stopped, and they should instead be given glucose-glycine solution (glucose 45 g, calcium chloride 8.5 g, glycine 6 g, citric acid 0.5 g, potassium citrate 0.13 g, potassium dihydrogen phosphate 4.3 g, water 200 mL) or glucose-amino acid solution to drink freely. They can also be injected with glucose saline and 5% sodium bicarbonate solution to prevent dehydration and loss of salts.

Second: ensure that puppies can consume enough colostrum so that they obtain immune protection. Subcutaneous injection of serum from adult dogs can also be tried. At present, no vaccine is available.