Therapeutic strategies of canine babesiosis in Tarai-Bhabar area of Uttarakhand

Abstract

The present research was conducted to assess the therapeutic effectiveness of various drugs against canine babesiosis in the Tarai region of Uttarakhand. A total of 18 dogs that tested positive for babesiosis were randomly assigned to three groups. One group consisted of six healthy dogs serving as the control. In Group I, the efficacy of Dimenazine aceturate was evaluated, in Group II, a combination of doxycycline and clindamycin was tested, and Group III received Imidocarb dipropionate. Hematological and biochemical tests conducted on days 0, 7, and 28 indicated a significant decrease in hemoglobin, total erythrocyte count, packed cell volume, platelets, neutrophils, total protein, albumin, globulin, and glucose in the infected dogs. At the same time, there was a significant increase in eosinophil count, lymphocytes, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and total bilirubin. The therapeutic results showed that all three drugs effectively cleared Babesia spp. infections, with Dimenazine aceturate demonstrating the most favorable outcomes, marked by clinical improvement and reduced parasitemia, followed by Imidocarb and the doxycycline-clindamycin combination therapy.