Relevamiento de la ocurrencia de síndromes clínicos en caninos y felinos en la práctica veterinaria

The information available regarding disease occurrence in companion animals is limited. The purpose of this study is to generate a surveillance system that would allow estimating the incidence of certain diseases in companion animals as well as identifying gaps in the diagnostic methodology that could lead to the development of rapid diagnostic techniques to use in clinical settings. From a total of 167 submitted forms from 5 veterinary clinics, 140 where canine and 27 feline cases. The distribution by dog breed included 48 mixed—breed, 14 Poodles, 8 Golden Retriever, 7 Pitbull, 7 German Shepherds, 7 Labrador, 7 Boxers, and other minor breeds. From the canine cases, a 40 % where included in a vaccination program and 44 % had anti-helminthic treatment under veterinary supervision. A 30 % have had both. Among the reasons for attending the veterinary clinic, we found 27 % associated with a gastrointestinal syndrome, 11 % genito-urinary, 28 % dermatological, 6 % ophthalmological, 17 % cardio-respiratory, 7 % tumoral, and 4 % neurological. The gastrointestinal cases were primarily associated with diarrhea, including parasitic disease and presumptive parvoviral and canine viral hepatitis infections. Regarding the feline cases, 11 were mixed-breed, 5 Siamese, 9 European, 1 Persian, and 1 Burmese. A 22 % had current vaccinations (triple and rabies) and 44% had anti-helminthic treatment under veterinary supervision. Only 15 % have had both. Among the reasons for attending the veterinary clinic, we found 46 % due to genito-urinary syndrome, 7 % gastrointestinal, 26 % cardio-respiratory, 8 % dermatological, 7 % ophthalmological and 6 % tumoral. A single case presented both gastrointestinal and dermatological signs. The data collected here demonstrates that only a small percentage of companion animals (<50 %) are under vaccination and anti-helminthic programs monitored by veterinarians. This highlights the need for intensifying the outreach and educational efforts to pet owners for the prevention of zoonotic diseases.