http://ojvr.org/index.php/ojvr/article/downloadSuppFile/326/2381Overall prevalence of ectoparasites on examined dogs (<i>n</i> = 200) in Hawassa.
http://ojvr.org/index.php/ojvr/article/downloadSuppFile/326/2392Overall prevalence of ectoparasites on examined cats (<i>n</i> = 100) in Hawassa.
http://ojvr.org/index.php/ojvr/article/downloadSuppFile/326/2403Comparison of the overall prevalence of ectoparasites on male and female study animals.
A total of 1542 ectoparasites were collected from dogs during this study. Species included C. felis (female = 803; male = 175), C. canis (female = 303; male = 84), P. irritans (female = 19; male = 4), Heterodoxus spiniger (nymphs = 13; female = 78; male = 25), nymphs of Amblyomma spp. (n = 19) and H. leachi (female = 4; male = 5). A total of 493 ectoparasites were collected from cats during the study period. Species included C. felis (female = 300; male = 72), C. canis (female = 83; male = 20), and P. irritans (female = 15; male = 3). Amongst fleas and lice, the number of female individuals was higher than that of male individuals. Results showed that, for both cats and dogs, the prevalence of ectoparasites was significantly higher (p < 0.05) on animals presenting with FAD than on those without FAD (Table 5). The prevalence of ectoparasites was significantly higher on animals with skin lesions than on those without lesions (Table 6).
http://ojvr.org/index.php/ojvr/article/downloadSuppFile/326/2414 Comparison of the overall prevalence of ectoparasites on young and adult study animals.
http://ojvr.org/index.php/ojvr/article/downloadSuppFile/326/2425Overall prevalence of ectoparasites on dogs and cats with and without flea allergy dermatitis.
http://ojvr.org/index.php/ojvr/article/downloadSuppFile/326/2436Association between overall prevalence of ectoparasites and skin lesions amongst animals.
DiscussionIn this study a very high overall prevalence of ectoparasites was recorded amongst both dogs (99.5%) and cats (91%) in Hawassa. This prevalence suggests that these ectoparasites are very common and present major problems with regard to the health, use and performances of these important animals in the study area. This observation supports findings from Debre Zeit (Yonas 2008) and from Nekempte in western Oromia in Ethiopia (Melkamu 2008). It also agrees with reports from elsewhere in the world (Alcaino et al. 2002; Aldemir 2007; Beck et al. 2006; Canón-Franco & Pérez-Bedoya 2010; Rinaldi et al. 2007). The higher prevalence of ectoparasites recorded on dogs (99.5%) than on cats (91%) in this study may reflect more efficient grooming behaviour of cats, as has been suggested by Eckstein and Hart (2000). Ctenocephalides felis was identified as the most common ectoparasite amongst both animal groups. This finding is in line with earlier reports from Ethiopia (Melkamu 2008; Yonas 2008) as well as elsewhere in the world (Alcaino et al. 2002; Aldemir 2007; Beck et al. 2006; Canón-Franco & Pérez-Bedoya 2010; Gonzalez, Castro & Gonzalez 2004; Gracia et al. 2008; Rinaldi et al. 2007). C. canis was identified as the second most common ectoparasite species amongst both host groups, which also agrees with the earlier mentioned reports. The current study was the first to examine the prevalence of ectoparasites amongst dogs and cats in Hawassa. Studies from various parts of the world indicated that C. felis, C. canis and P. irritans are the most common flea species that infest dogs and cats, which are regarded as the primary hosts for these three parasitic species. It was reported that C. felis was the most dominant species on dogs in Chile (Alcaino et al. 2002), Georgia, USA (Durden et al. 2005), southern Italy (Rinaldi et al. 2007), and several areas in Germany (Beck et al. 2006), Spain (Gracia et al. 2008) and Colombia (Canón-Franco & Pérez-Bedoya 2010). However, Aldemir (2007) and Xhaxhiu et al. (2009) reported that C. canis was the predominant species of ectoparasites on dogs. Ctenocephalides felis was the most prevalent species amongst domestic cats examined in this study, which agrees with the findings reported by Beck et al. (2006) in several areas of Germany and Xhaxhiu et al. (2009) in Albania. Another species of flea collected from the study animals was P. irritans (2.5% and 6% from dogs and cats, respectively), which is in line with findings by Koutinas et al. (1995), Alcaino et al. (2002), Durden et al. (2005), Gracia et al. (2008) and Canón-Franco and Pérez-Bedoya (2010). Yonas (2008) also reported C. felis as the most dominant ectoparasite species on dogs and cats in central Oromia, Ethiopia, followed by C. canis. Nymphs of Amblyomma spp. represented the most prevalent tick species on dogs (3.5%), followed by H. leachi (0.5%). No ticks were recovered from cats during sample collection. The prevalence of H. spiniger was 4%, which is lower than what was previously reported by Yonas (2008) in Debre Zeit. This may be attributed to several factors, for example, variations in agroecology, time of study and animal management in various study areas. A significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed in the prevalence of ectoparasite infestation between young and adult cats (Table 4), which may be due to young cats being confined to houses and therefore having greater exposure to ectoparasites infestation like fleas, as well as less efficient grooming behaviour than adult cats (Eckstein & Hart 2000). Similar to most other studies of ectoparasite prevalence amongst animals, more female than male fleas and lice were found on animals in this study. The most probable reason for this is that female individuals usually have a longer lifespan than the male individuals. Male individuals also spend more time off the host and are therefore more prone to predation or starvation than female individuals (Durden et al. 2005). ConclusionIn view of the findings it is possible to conclude that different species of fleas, ticks and lice represent common health and welfare problems of dogs and cats in Hawassa. 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