A total of 733 dogs of either sex which were brought for the treatment to the Veterinary Clinical Complex (VCC), of the College were screened for canine dermatoses. The samples from these animals were examined for external parasites like Demodex, bacterial etiology like
Staphylococcus and other condition (allergy, hypothyroidism
etc.). Cases were selected randomly for all. Clinical examinations were done based on history, vital parameters, physical, clinical observations and laboratory findings. The hospital-based incidence of canine dermatoses in Aizawl was 14.6% (Table 1). Out of 107 animals with dermatoses where 65 dogs were for bacterial etiology, 26 for external parasites (Demodex: Fig 1) and 16 cases other causes (Table 2). Increasing trend in skin diseases may be the result of improved understanding of skin disease diagnostics, increasing the number of pets, greater consciousness among pet owners, or as a result of climate change.
In a similar study at Bangladesh by
Rana et al., (2022) they found similar percentage of canine dermatoses cases (16%).
In this study, hospital-based percentage of canine dermatoses due to bacteria was 60.75%, external parasites were 24.30% and others were 14.95%. Hospital based canine dermatoses incidence due to external parasites were 3.55% (Table 3). In a study by
Mate et al., (2022) at West Bengal they found 29.35% of canine dermatoses due to bacterial cause, 32.24% cases due to parasites and 38.40% cases due to fungal causes registered at OPD.
Among the bacterial dermatoses, 18 dogs were found positive for
S.
aureus, 6 samples were found positive for MRSA (Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus) and 41 dogs were found due to other bacteria. The hospital-based occurrence of canine dermatoses along with
S.
aureus was 2.46%, MRSA was 0.82% and other bacteria were 5.59%. According to a study by
Rana et al., (2022), out of 150 cases 16% cases were positive for
S. aureus and 8.7% were positive for MRSA by PCR (Table 4).
To find out the age-wise incidence of dermatoses in dogs, animals were grouped into 4
viz. below 6 months of age, 6 months -2 years of age, 2-8 years of age and above 8 years of age. As per age wise incidence it was found that canine dermatoses are most significantly (p<0.05) common in 2 to 8 years of age followed by below 6 months of age, between 6 months to 2 years and above 8 years of age (2.18%) (Table 5). It could be because adult dogs spend the majority of their time outside the home. According to
Fungwithaya et al., (2017) it was found that dogs had an average age 6.78±2.3 years have more than 20% occurrence of dermatoses due to
S. aureus infection. However,
Khoshnegah et al., (2013) opined that dogs did not exhibit an age predisposition for dermatological diseases. In breed-wise incidence of dermatoses was more observed in Mixed (8.46%), followed by pure breed (4.37%) and non-descript (1.77%) (Table 6). Variations in the results could be caused by the popularity of a particular breed in a certain area. In the study by
Katariya et al., (2018) reported that Mongrels had the highest number of dermatosis cases (26.34%), followed by German shepherds (19.16%), Labradors (13.17%), Toy breeds (16.7%), Miscellaneous breeds (17.96%) and Saint Bernards (6.58%). Sex-wise incidence of dermatoses in dogs were noted more in female dogs (8.73%) than male dogs (5.87%) (Table 7). The higher incidence in females might be due to the imbalance of oestrogen and progesterone hormone in female dogs. These observations were in agreement with
Kanda et al., (2019). According to
Qekwana et al., (2017) female dogs (4.3%) were more affected with dermatoses than male dogs. Body weight wise incidence of dermatoses in dogs were observed in small (7.91%), medium (4.50%) and large breed (2.18%) of dogs (Table 8), which was consistent with the findings of
Boost et al., (2007) who reported that small dogs accounted for a higher proportion of dermatoses due to
S. aureus infection and this is linked to the colonization of the organism and ease of access to the home by smaller breeds.
Canine dermatoses and deworming and types of food
In this research study, the highest percentage of canine dermatoses was recorded in non-dewormed dogs (5.18%) than dewormed dogs (9.41%) (Table 9). The dog’s immune system may be weakened by internal parasites, leaving them more susceptible to dermatoses and bacterial infections. The natural barrier function of the skin can be compromised by parasites that interfere with the absorption of nutrients. According to
Lynch and Karla (2021) moderate to severe canine pyoderma is triggered by presence of ectoparasite. Hookworm infestation disrupt the skin barrier facilitating the entry of agents can cause skin lesion
(Chu et al., 2013).
In this research study, the highest percentage of canine dermatoses found in the dogs fed with home-made diet (57.94%) followed by commercial diet (25.23%) and mixed diet (16.82%) (Table 10). It could be due to home-made food may not contain balanced nutrients required for the body. In general, commercial diets are ready to eat and include the entire essential nutrient in the correct amounts to maintain health of the skin
(Menniti et al., 2022).
