Demographic and clinical aspects of Keratoconjunctivitis (KCS) sicca in dogs

Abstract

This research was carried out at the Veterinary Clinical Complex, Co.V.Sc. and A.H., Jabalpur, between May and October 2024, to investigate the occurrence and clinical features of keratoconjunctivitis sicca in dogs. During the study period, a total of 2375 dogs presented at VCC, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Jabalpur (M.P.) from May 2024 to October 2024 were screened. Among the total number of dogs, 183 dogs were suspected based on the clinical signs pertaining to keratoconjunctivitis sicca and 18 dogs were confirmed with Schirmer tear test. The overall occurrence of KCS among the total dog population was recorded as 0.75% and among the suspected dogs, it was 9.83%. The higher occurrence was observed in dogs of 6-9 years of age group (13.04%), while gender-wise it was higher in males (10%), however, these findings were non-significant. Among different breeds, Pug had a significantly higher occurrence (23.08%) followed by Lhasa Apso (20%) and Shih Tzu (7.69%). The prevalent clinical signs observed in KCS were dullness of cornea (100%) followed by mucopurulent discharge (88.88%) and eye irritation (83.33%). Bilateral KCS predominated (83.33%) while unilateral cases affected the right eye in 11.11% and the left in 5.55%