GASTROINTESTINAL PARASITES IN HUNTING DOGS IN ZARIA

Hunting has been a practice in many parts of the country and mostly dogs have been use because of their close relationship with man. These dogs are usually at risk in the wild where they are exposed to wild animals, infections and ectoparasites. Among these parasites are haemoparasites that transmit different diseases to the dogs and also to humans. These diseases cause major economic losses and eventually death. There is a dearth of information about hunting dogs. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites among hunting dogs within Zaria based on age, sex and breed. Sixty one hunting dogs comprising of males (39) and females (22) were grouped into 3 based on their ages; less than a year, 1-3-year-old and above 3-year-old. Dogs aged 1-3-year-old had the highest prevalence of 30%, <1 year-old (19.5%) and >3-year-old (10%). Male dogs have a higher prevalence of 23.08% and females 13.64%. Nigerian indigenous dogs had a prevalence of 22.92% while cross breed 7.69%. There were no significant association of age, sex, breed and the prevalence of haemoparasites among hunting dogs in Zaria. Further investigation should be conducted among hunting dogs in the Zaria, so as to put appropriate control and preventive measures in place.