Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Intestinal parasites found in pet dogs in northern Portugal
By Neves, Diogo et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2014·Hospital Veteriná·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Frequency of intestinal parasites in pet dogs from an urban area (Greater Oporto, northern Portugal).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that about 21% of healthy dogs and 34% of dogs with gastrointestinal issues had intestinal parasites. The most common parasites in healthy dogs were Cystoisospora canis and Giardia, while Giardia was the most prevalent in dogs showing symptoms. Puppies under six months old were at a higher risk for these infections. This highlights the importance of regular check-ups and fecal tests, even if your dog seems healthy, to catch any hidden infections early.
People also search for: dog intestinal parasites symptoms · Giardia treatment for dogs · puppy parasite prevention
Abstract
The present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in dogs with no clinical signs (n=175; group H) and in dogs with gastrointestinal disease (n=193; group D) that were admitted to a veterinary hospital. In group H, the overall prevalence of intestinal parasites (i.e. the presence of at least one species) was 20.6%. Cystoisospora canis was the most prevalent protozoon (8.0%) followed by Giardia spp. (7.4%); Toxocara canis (5.1%) was the most frequent helminth, followed by Trichuris vulpis (1.1%) and Toxascaris leonina (0.6%). Among group H, age ≤ 6 months was found to be a risk factor for infection with C. canis and with at least one agent (odds ratio [OR]=3.4). In group D parasites were found in 33.7% of the dogs, with Giardia spp. (15.5%) being the most prevalent species, followed by C. canis (13.5%), T. canis (7.8%), T. vulpis (2.6%) and T. leonina (0.5%). In group D dogs, age ≤ 6 months was a risk factor for infection with Giardia spp. (OR=3.2), with C. canis (OR=32.7) and with at least one agent (OR=7.2). This study reveals a remarkable number of dogs infected but with no clinical signs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24433853/