Canine viral infections can be difficult to diagnose because many of the clinical symptoms are the same in a number of different infections. A differential diagnosis is a system used to determine the cause of the infection by examining clinical signs and performing a series of diagnostic tests.
Clinical Symptoms
Clinical symptoms are the physical symptoms that a dog experiences when he has contracted a viral infection. These symptoms are often similar regardless of the cause of the infection which leads to difficulty making a definitive diagnosis.
Advanced Symptoms
As the disease process progresses, viral infections will often begin to show more specific signs. For example: distemper, influenza and parainfuenza will cause coughing; parvovirus, coronovirus and rotovirus will cause severe diarrhea which may be bloody or foul-smelling. These advanced clinical signs will help your veterinarian determine the next step in the diagnostic procedure.
Laboratory Test
Your veterinarian will perform blood tests to verify the presence of an infection as well as other systems that may be affected. He may also perform nasal and fecal smears to help determine the type of virus present.
Anigen Test
Some viral infections can be diagnosed with a specific blood test that checks for the presence of the actual virus. Some viruses that can be tested include distemper, hepatitis and herpesvirus. Parvovirus can be diagnosed using a specialized fecal test.
Necropsy
There are some viral infections that can only be diagnosed after death by performing a necropsy and examining tissues in the dog's body.
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