Retrospective Study of Canine Pathologies Causing Mortalities in Ilorin Kwara State, Nigeria

Canine pathologies refer to the various diseases, disorders, and abnormalities that can affect a dog’s different body systems and cause mortality. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the common pathologies that are associated with the mortality of dogs in Ilorin, Kwara State. A retrospective review of post-mortem records from 7 years was undertaken at a necropsy unit of the Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Ilorin. Data collected included age, sex, breed, disease pathogens, and year. A total of 150 dog carcasses were presented for necropsy during the period between January 2016 and December 2022. In this study, the cases used were confirmed based on PCR results in some cases, bacterial culture and isolation, parasite identification, gross lesions, and histopathological findings in other cases. Descriptive statistics were employed to evaluate the effect of disease pathogens on age, sex, and breed distribution patterns associated with the mortality of dogs. The prevalence of viral infection among other diseases was statistically significant (34.00%; OR = 0.53; P<0.01). The percentage prevalence of each disease showed that bacterial infections were evident, with Staphylococcosis being the most prevalent at 49.01%, followed by Salmonellosis at 7.84%, Leptospirosis at 23.53%, and Brucellosis at 19.6%. Parasitic infections were also notable, encompassing canine babesiosis (34.80%), acariosis (39.10%), and canine ehrlichiosis (26.08%). Toxicosis cases were largely dominated by diclovous poisoning, constituting 88.88% of instances, while medication toxicity was observed in 11.11% of cases. Neoplastic conditions were represented by hepatic lymphoma, with a prevalence of 1%, while nutritional deficiencies included hepatic lipidosis, noted in 1% of cases. Traumatic injuries were common, with bone fracture having the highest prevalence at 66.67% and muscle laceration observed in 33.33% of cases. Intestinal obstruction cases, specifically gastric impaction, were noted in 1% of cases. Viral infections comprised parvovirus infection with the highest prevalence at 81%, and canine distemper was observed in 18.92% of cases. In conclusion, this study has exposed the leading causes of mortalities among the dog population, which include parvovirus enteritis, staphylococcosis, and acariosis infections. The emphasis should be on preventive measures to curtail disease transmission and associated financial loss.