Comparative therapeutic efficacy of imidocarb and diminazene aceturate against Babesia gibsoni in dogs

Abstract

The present study estimated the therapeutic management of Babesia gibsoni in the dog population located in and around Jabalpur (M.P.). A total of 2103 dogs that were brought to Veterinary Clinical Complex, College of Veterinary Science & A.H., Jabalpur and different government and private clinics of Jabalpur (M.P.) were screened for a period of six months (June 2021 to November 2021). 503 dogs found suspected based on clinical history viz. anorexia, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, bleeding from the nostrils, pale of the mucous membrane, maelena, anaemia, jaundice, weight loss etc. and detection of the organisms in the blood of infected dogs and out of which 76 samples were haemoprotozoan positive amongst which 26 were B. gibsoni positive. For the therapeutic study, a total of 12 dogs confirmed for B. gibsoni were divided randomly into two treatment groups i.e., T2 and T3, each comprising of 6 dogs. Dogs of group T2 and T3 were treated with Doxycycline @ 5mg/kg bodyweight, PO, q12 h for 30 days +Metronidazole @ 15 mg/kg bodyweight, PO, q12 h for 30 days +Imidocarb @ 6.6 mg/kg bodyweight, S/C, two doses14 days apart and Doxycycline @ 5mg/kg bodyweight, PO, q12 h for 30 days +Metronidazole @ 15 mg/kg bodyweight, PO, q12 h for 30 days + Diminazene aceturate @ 5 mg/kg bodyweight, I/M, two doses 48 h apart respectively. The best therapeutic response was observed in the T2 group. A blood smear examination reveals a lower the degree of Parasitemia on the 15th-day post-treatment and on the 30th-day post-treatment blood smear was negative in all affected dogs.