Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Common diseases and death rates in dogs treated at Makerere
By Okwee-Acai, James et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2024·Department of Veterinary Pharmacy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of common conditions and associated mortalities of dogs treated at the small animal clinic, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study of dogs treated at a veterinary clinic in Uganda found that many young dogs, especially puppies, were suffering from serious health issues. The most common problems included parvovirus infection, which is highly contagious and can be deadly, along with skin infections and other conditions. Sadly, about 12% of the dogs died during treatment, with half of those cases linked to parvovirus. This highlights the importance of vaccinations and awareness about dog diseases to help reduce these risks.
People also search for: why is my puppy sick · parvovirus treatment for dogs · dog skin infection symptoms
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In developing countries such as Uganda, domestic dogs suffer high burdens of infectious diseases often with high mortalities. Surveillance data on the common diseases and associated mortalities is however scanty. We thus, present results of a retrospective study of common clinical conditions and mortalities of dogs brought for treatment at the small animal clinic, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. METHODS: We analysed data from the case records register of the clinic from January 2021-December, 2022. Descriptive statistics were generated using the frequency functions of R (R-4.3.3 for Windows). Records were reviewed for all 650 cases presented at the clinic except those presented for routine care services like vaccination and grooming. RESULTS: Up to 51% of the dogs were female, mostly (56%) under two years old. The Alsatian (30.7%) and mongrel (22.7%) were the commonest breeds. Cases were recorded as: elective surgeries (29.2%), parvovirus infection (13.9%), skin infections (09.7%), canine babesiosis (6.9%), fractures (6.0%) and neoplasms (6%); mainly transmissible venereal tumour (TVT). Some (3.4%) dogs developed post-operative complications, while 4.8% were euthanized and 12% died during treatment. Of the dogs that died, 50% were parvovirus infection cases while other conditions included babesiosis (13%), poisoning (7.8%), pyometra (7.8%) and liver dysfunction (5.1%). CONCLUSION: We impute that parvovirus infection and other preventable diseases were the most frequent reasons for morbidity and mortality of especially puppies in Uganda. This points to the need for epidemiologic surveillance of dog diseases and community sensitisation for improved control of dog diseases.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39736747/