Occurrence of Malassezia dermatitis in Dogs in and around Navsari (Gujarat)

Malassezia dermatitis is a common clinical disorder in dogs caused by the yeast, Malassezia pachydermatis, clinically characterized by intense pruritus, alopecia, hyperpigmentation, lichenification, and visibly increased skin thickness. As Malassezia dermatitis mimics many other pruritic dermatoses, its diagnosis particularly the differential diagnosis of the disease is quite challenging. A total of 895 dogs presented to the Veterinary Clinical Complex and in and around Navsari during the period of six months, from February 2024 to July 2024 were screened for Malassezia dermatitis. Of these, 140 dogs (15.64%) demonstrated clinical signs indicative of dermatological disorders and were subjected to cytological examination for confirmation. Therefore, 40 dogs (28.57%) were found afflicted with Malassezia dermatitis. The overall occurrence of dermatological disorders in dogs in and around Navsari was 15.64 percent while, the overall occurrence of Malassezia dermatitis was 4.47 percent and among the suspected dogs, the occurrence was 28.57 percent. No significant variation between age, sex, breed, and month was observed for the occurrence of Malassezia dermatitis. However, dogs aged between 1-4 years, Labrador Retrievers and male dogs had higher occurrence of disease.