Prevalence of Blood Parasites of Dogs (Pet and Stray) in Bhaktapur Municipality

A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2022 to February 2023 to investigate the prevalence of blood parasites in dogs (pet and stray) in Bhaktapur municipality. Altogether, 150 blood samples, 50 from pets and 100 from stray dogs, were collected with the help of a trained veterinary assistant from the saphenous or cephalic veins of dogs. Subsequently, the blood was examined microscopically by using a thin blood smear method staining with Giemsa’s stain. The overall prevalence of blood parasites was recorded at 27.33% in pet and stray dogs. On individual analysis, 21% of pet samples and 31% of stray dogs were found to be infected with various types of blood parasites. Altogether, there are 4 species of parasites observed in the study, Anaplasma spp. (18.67%), Babesia sp. (6.67%), Ehrlichia sp. (2.67%), and Hepatozoon sp. (1.33%). Younger dogs recorded higher infections (31.25%), followed by older dogs (27.2%) and puppies (22.22%). Females showed a higher prevalence (27.65%) than males (27.18%). Higher infection rates of parasites were recorded in the local breed (21.33%), followed by the Japanese breed (1.33%). In the study, the burden of parasites was slightly higher in dogs infested by ticks (52.30%) than in tick-free dogs. A single infection of blood parasites was higher (25.33%) than a double (2%). There was no significant association between factors such as age, sex, breed, and tick infestation and the prevalence of blood parasites (p > 0.05). However, significant relationships were found between species of parasites and the concurrency of parasites (p < 0.001).