Retrospective Study of Canine Pathologies Causing Mortalities in Ilorin Kwara State, Nigeria
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Date
2024-04-01
Journal Title
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Publisher
Egyptian Society for Animal Management (ESAM)
Abstract
Canine pathologies refer to the various diseases, disorders, and abnormalities that
can affect a dog’s different body systems and cause mortality. The primary aim of
this study was to investigate the common pathologies that are associated with the
mortality of dogs in Ilorin, Kwara State. A retrospective review of post-mortem
records from 7 years was undertaken at a necropsy unit of the Department of
Veterinary Pathology, University of Ilorin. Data collected included age, sex,
breed, disease pathogens, and year. A total of 150 dog carcasses were presented
for necropsy during the period between January 2016 and December 2022. In this
study, the cases used were confirmed based on PCR results in some cases,
bacterial culture and isolation, parasite identification, gross lesions, and
histopathological findings in other cases. Descriptive statistics were employed to
evaluate the effect of disease pathogens on age, sex, and breed distribution
patterns associated with the mortality of dogs. The prevalence of viral infection
among other diseases was statistically significant (34.00%; OR = 0.53; P<0.01).
The percentage prevalence of each disease showed that bacterial infections were
evident, with Staphylococcosis being the most prevalent at 49.01%, followed by
Salmonellosis at 7.84%, Leptospirosis at 23.53%, and Brucellosis at 19.6%.
Parasitic infections were also notable, encompassing canine babesiosis (34.80%),
acariosis (39.10%), and canine ehrlichiosis (26.08%). Toxicosis cases were
largely dominated by diclovous poisoning, constituting 88.88% of instances,
while medication toxicity was observed in 11.11% of cases. Neoplastic conditions
were represented by hepatic lymphoma, with a prevalence of 1%, while
nutritional deficiencies included hepatic lipidosis, noted in 1% of cases. Traumatic
injuries were common, with bone fracture having the highest prevalence at
66.67% and muscle laceration observed in 33.33% of cases. Intestinal obstruction
cases, specifically gastric impaction, were noted in 1% of cases. Viral infections
comprised parvovirus infection with the highest prevalence at 81%, and canine
distemper was observed in 18.92% of cases. In conclusion, this study has exposed
the leading causes of mortalities among the dog population, which include
parvovirus enteritis, staphylococcosis, and acariosis infections. The emphasis
should be on preventive measures to curtail disease transmission and associated
financial loss.
Description
Keywords
Canine, Bacterial, Mortality, Parasitic, Virus