Comparison of the efficacy of different therapeutic regimen for the treatment of IMHA caused by B. gibsoni in dogs

Abstract

The present study was conducted in dogs presented to small animal OPD, Department of Veterinary Medicine with clinical signs of anorexia, pyrexia, lethargy, pale mucous membrane, lymphadenopathy, ascites, vomiting, diarrhoea, icterus, hematuria suggestive of canine babesiosis. Eighteen dogs were primarily screened for Babesia gibsoni infection by blood smear examination and then confirmed by PCR. Further these dogs were subjected to saline agglutination test, spherocytosis in blood smear examination and Coombs test for diagnosis of immune mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA). Dogs in Group I were treated with a combination of Doxycycline, Metronidazole and Clindamycin at a dose rate of 5 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg, 25 mg/kg respectively b.i.d per orally for 21 days, dogs in Group II were treated with a combination of Doxycycline, Metronidazole and Clindamycin at a dose rate of 5 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg, 25 mg/kg respectively b.i.d per orally for 21 days and prednisolone at a dose rate of 2 mg/kg body weight per orally b.i.d for first 5 days followed by 1 mg/kg body weight per orally b.i.d for next 5 days and drug was tapered to 0.5 mg/ kg body weight per orally b.i.d for another 5 days and dogs in Group III were treated with a combination of Doxycycline, Metronidazole and Clindamycin at a dose rate of 5 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg, 25 mg/kg respectively b.i.d per orally for 21 days and a combination of Azathioprine at a dose rate of 2mg/kg body weight per orally s.i.d for the first 5 days followed by 1 mg/kg per orally s.i.d for next 5 days and 0.5 mg/kg per orally s.i.d for another 5 days and Prednisolone at a dose rate of 1.5 mg/kg body weight per orally b.i.d for a period of 5 days followed by 1 mg/kg body weight per orally b.i.d for next 5 days followed by 0.5 mg/kg body weight orally b.i.d for another 5 days. Though all the therapeutic regimens were efficacious in the treatment of IMHA caused by B. gibsoni, treatment with combination of Doxycycline, Metronidazole, Clindamycin and Prednisolone was found to be more efficacious as all the dogs in this group were negative for Coombs test post therapy with no abnormal elevation in biochemical parameters post therapy.