Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Enteropathogens found in Florida shelter dogs
By Tupler, Tiffany et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2012·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Enteropathogens identified in dogs entering a Florida animal shelter with normal feces or diarrhea.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 100 dogs entering a Florida animal shelter were tested for germs that can cause diarrhea or other digestive issues. The study found that dogs with diarrhea were much more likely to have harmful germs compared to those with normal stools. Specifically, a type of bacteria called Clostridium perfringens was found more often in dogs with diarrhea. Other germs, like hookworms and Giardia, were also present in both groups. This research highlights the need for shelters to have guidelines for preventing and treating infections in dogs, especially those showing signs of illness.
People also search for: dog diarrhea causes · shelter dog health issues · Clostridium perfringens in dogs · Giardia treatment for dogs · dog hookworm symptoms
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of enteropathogens in dogs entering an animal shelter with normal feces or diarrhea. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS: 100 dogs evaluated at an open-admission municipal animal shelter in Florida. PROCEDURES: Fecal samples were collected within 24 hours after admission from 50 dogs with normal feces and 50 dogs with diarrhea. Feces were tested by fecal flotation, antigen testing, PCR assay, and electron microscopy for selected enteropathogens. RESULTS: 13 enteropathogens were identified. Dogs with diarrhea were significantly more likely to be infected with ≥ 1 enteropathogens (96%) than were dogs with normal feces (78%). Only Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin A gene was significantly more common in dogs with diarrhea (64%) than in dogs with normal feces (40%). Other enteropathogens identified in dogs with and without diarrhea included hookworms (58% and 48%, respectively), Giardia spp (22% and 16%, respectively), canine enteric coronavirus (2% and 18%, respectively), whipworms (12% and 8%, respectively), Cryptosporidium spp (12% and 2%, respectively), ascarids (8% and 8%, respectively), Salmonella spp (2% and 6%, respectively), Cystoisospora spp (2% and 4%, respectively), canine distemper virus (8% and 0%, respectively), Dipylidium caninum (2% and 2%, respectively), canine parvovirus (2% and 2%, respectively), and rotavirus (2% and 0%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dogs entered the shelter with a variety of enteropathogens, many of which are pathogenic or zoonotic. Most infections were not associated with diarrhea or any specific dog characteristics, making it difficult to predict the risk of infection for individual animals. Guidelines for preventive measures and empirical treatments that are logistically and financially feasible for use in shelters should be developed for control of the most common and important enteropathogens.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22812470/