A study on prevalence of tick infestation in dogs in Guwahati, Assam

Abstract

The present study was conducted with the objective to study the prevalence of tick infestation in dogs in Guwahati, Assam. A total of 10315 numbers of dogs were screened and tick infestation was recorded in 45 numbers of dogs. The overall prevalence of tick infestation in dog was recorded 0.43%. Age-wise prevalence was highest in 1 to 3 years (0.69%) age group. Male dogs were highly infested (0.63%). Among breeds the highest prevalence was recorded in the Non- Descript dogs (0.80%). Monsoon (0.65%) was found to be the most favourable season for higher prevalence of tick infestation in dogs. The most common clinical sign associated with tick infestation is pruritus which is present in 100% of the cases. As per the distribution of ticks on different body regions of dogs, ear (73.30%) was found to be the most common site for attachment of ticks.