Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Toxocara canis infection rates in household dogs by age
By Itoh, Naoyuki et al.·Published in Kansenshogaku zasshi. The Journal of the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases·2004·Kamome Veterinary Clinic, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of Toxocara canis infection in household dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 4.3% of household dogs tested positive for Toxocara canis, a type of roundworm that can cause health issues. Most of the infected dogs were young, between 1 month and 5 years old, with puppies aged 1 to 6 months showing the highest rates of infection. Interestingly, outdoor puppies were more likely to be infected than those kept indoors. Dogs from individual households also had a higher infection rate compared to those bought from pet shops or breeding kennels. Keeping puppies indoors and ensuring they are regularly dewormed can help reduce the risk of infection.
People also search for: dog roundworm symptoms · puppy deworming schedule · how to prevent Toxocara canis in dogs
Abstract
The prevalence of Toxocara canis infection in household dogs was estimated by examining feces from 1,743 dogs aged between 1 month and 15 years old. Fecal samples from 75 (4.3%) of the 1,743 dogs were positive for the eggs of T. canis. The dogs with positive fecal samples ranged from 1 month to 5 years old in age. The infection rate in dogs aged 1 to 6 months old was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than that in dogs aged 7 months to 2 years old or over 3 years old. Indoor dogs aged 1 to 6 months old showed a significantly (p < 0.01) lower prevalence than outdoor dogs of the same age group. With respect to the place of origin of the dogs, those originating from individual households (5.7%) showed (p < 0.05) a higher prevalence as compared to the animals purchased from pet shops/breeding kennels (3.5%). Considering the origin and the living conditions, the prevalence in indoor dogs originating from individual households was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that in indoor dogs purchased from pet shops/breeding kennels.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15103902/