Drugs prescription pattern in dogs diagnosed with parvovirus enteritis in some veterinary clinics in Nigeria

Canine parvovirus enteritis affects predominantly puppies with a high prevalence rate in Nigeria and is characterized by diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia and leucopenia. Treatment is non-specific; hence array of medications are usually prescribed to manage the condition symptomatically. Irrational drugs prescription has been reported to be one of the causes of therapeutic failures and adverse drug reactions in veterinary medicine. This study was therefore designed to evaluate the pattern of drugs prescription in dogs diagnosed with parvovirus enteritis in some small animal clinics in Nigeria. The study was carried out in 10 states of Nigeria and Abuja. A retrospective study of drugs prescription pattern in dogs diagnosed with CPE, including polypharmacy, prescription rates, and dose regimen of gentamicin in 20 veterinary clinics were conducted from January, 2010 to December, 2014. Results showed that 554 (80.6%) of 687 patients were administered ≥4 drugs per encounter. Of the 2,482 drugs prescribed at the different clinics, antibiotics had the highest prescription rate of 42.3% (1,050). Gentamicin was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic which accounted for 23.8% (250) prescription rate. However, 57.2% (143) of the patients were under-dosed (<6mg/kg). Also, non-essential prescription of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and gastrointestinal modulating drugs, including ranitidine were observed. This study has demonstrated that most drug prescriptions for dogs with parvovirus enteritis in Nigeria are inappropriate. This could have contributed to poor therapeutic outcomes common in parvovirus enteritis management. Consequently, Veterinarians should be rational in drugs prescription in order to optimize therapeutic efficacy and minimize adverse drug effects.Keywords: Parvovirus enteritis, Prescription pattern, Gentamicin, Dog, Nigeri

Dog population and ecology in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) main campus and Bomo village, Kaduna state, Nigeria

The availability of reliable estimates of dog populations is crucial in developing a control strategy for canine rabies in developing countries. The frequent roaming of dogs around Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) campus coinciding with reported cases of rabies outbreaks informed this study. The aim was to determine dog population size in ABU and Bomo, a village 500 meters away from Area C residential area of ABU main campus. From December, 2013-March, 2014, a questionnaires study was carried out in selected 510 households including urban (210 in ABU) and rural (300 in Bomo village) areas of Kaduna state. The questionnaire solicited information about dog’s usage, age, sex, anti-rabies vaccination status, differences in population density, frequency distribution and factors contributing to straying of owned dogs. Our findings showed that urban households (79 in ABU) owned dogs more than rural households (22 in Bomo village) which was significant (P<0.05, χ2). There was no significant difference between the numbers of dog with up to date anti-rabies vaccination recorded in urban (41%) than in rural areas (9.1%). Male to female ratio was higher in rural (5.8:1) than in urban areas (2.9:1). Dogs were used for security purpose in both urban (82.3%) and rural areas (95.5%). Adult dogs dominated both urban (68.8%) and rural (65.9%) dog populations (P<0.05, χ2). The dog-to-human ratio was higher in urban (1:7.6) than in rural areas (1:219.5). Similarly, the dogs’ abundance in the urban areas was five times higher than that of the rural areas. The low anti-rabies vaccination status of dogs, abundance of male and older dogs over female and younger ones, low restriction rate of dog movements constitute a great public health risk to human populations in terms of dog bites and rabies outbreaks.Keywords: Dog, Ecology, Nigeria, Rabies, Vaccinatio