Clinical and some biocemical study of gastrointestinal helminths infestation in dogs in Tikrit city

Abstract

The present study aimed to diagnose the types gastrointestinal helminths in dogs in Tikrit city, with recording the clinical signs and some biochemical changes that the animals suffered from due to this infection. The study included 150 samples of dogs feces and blood were collected (140 dogs suspected and 10 healthy dogs were considered as a control group After checking it), The study conducted from February/2024 to October  /2024, the animals from both sexes, in ages (>6 months) from different areas of Tikrit city. The study revealed a significant increased (P<0.05) in respiratory and heart rate in infected dogs compared with control group, and observation of a number of clinical signs, which differed according to the types of worms and the severity of the infection. The most prominent of these signs suffered by infected dogs was emaciation and general weakness, in percentages of (72.9%), depression (52.9%), pale mucus membrane (42.4%), dry coat (38..8%), easy hair detached  (32.9%), diarrhea 20 (25.9%), dehydration (21.2%), Jaundice (11.8%), couphin (10.6%), bloody diarrhea (8.2%), melena (7.1%) and abdominal distention  (5.9%).  The results of different caprological test showed 85 dogs, at a rate of 60.7%, were infected with gastrointestinal worms. included multiple genus of worms, represented by by Taenia spp. in numbers and percentages of 65(65%), Diplidium spp. 36(42%), Toxocara spp. 35 (41.2%), Ehinococcus spp. 32(37.6%), Ancylostoma spp. 22(25.9%), Trichuris spp. 20 (23.5%), Capillaria spp. 18(21.2%), Strongyloides spp. 14(16.5%), Diphyllobothrium spp. 13(15.3%), Toxascaris spp. 10(11.8%), Spirocerca spp. 10(11.8%), Paragonimus spp. 8(9.4%), Dicrocoelium dendriticum 6(7.1%) and showed the lowest infection rate with worms of the genus Hymenolepis spp. 3(3.5%) The results of biochemical parameters, where a significant decrease was observed in the concentration rates of Fe, Vit. B12, total protein, albumin  and SOD, while showed a significant increase in the rates of MAD in infected dogs when compared with the control group. It was concluded from the current study that dogs were infected gasrointestinal worms, which negatively affected on Animal health status and biochemical parameter in the body.