Diseases of dogs and cats recorded in the Bangladesh Agricultural University Veterinary Teaching Hospital during 2009−2020

Abstract

Background: A retrospective study was performed to estimate the occurrence and distribution of diseases or conditions in dogs and cats belonging to the Mymensingh division and the surroundings that were brought to Bangladesh Agricultural University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (BAUVTH) for treatment and management from January 2009 to December 2020. Methods: Data on animal species, age, sex, and reporting time of clinical cases were collected from the case register book of BAUVTH to determine the percentages of various diseases or conditions in dogs and cats using Microsoft Excel (2007). Results: In this study, 2535 small animals (e.g., dogs and cats) with various diseases or conditions were considered. Of the total diseases or conditions, 72.39% and 27.61% belonged to dogs and cats, respectively. From 2009 onwards, there was a progressive trend in the number of cases recorded in these animals. The highest occurrence of diseases was found as cutaneous wounds (18.89%), and the lowest was found as conjunctivitis (0.72%) as well as epistaxis (0.79%) in the animals. In addition, male dogs (49.69%) and female cats (16.94%) showed greater frequencies of various diseases or conditions than the corresponding female dogs (23.35%) and male cats (10.63%). Although the adult dogs (42.67%) were more frequently affected by different diseases or conditions than the younger ones (20.53%), cats (15.65%) up to six months of age were predominantly affected by several diseases or conditions than the older ones (11.94%). Moreover, the diseases or conditions in dogs were observed to be higher in the winter (28.41%) followed by the rainy (23.15%) and summer (20.84%) seasons. Likewise, cat diseases or conditions were more frequently observed in the winter (11.70%) followed by summer (8.99%) and rainy (6.90%) seasons. Furthermore, 48.32% of surgical and 51.68% of non-surgical cases were found in all the animals. Conclusion: Dogs and cats were usually presented with various clinical cases in that particular region. Male dogs and female cats suffered more frequently than female dogs and male cats. Age and seasonal variations may also be responsible for different affections. These findings might be helpful for the development of certain disease control and management strategies for pet animals.