Division of Medicine Indian Veterinary Research Institute Izzatnagar-243122, Bareilly (U.P).
The present study was conducted on 131 naturally occurring cases of Ehrlichiosis in dogs at Referral Veterinary Polyclinic of the institute in a comprehensive manner to study clinical variants. Diagnosis of ehrlichiosis in these dogs was confirmed by cytological examination of peripheral blood and/or buffy coat smears. The disease was detected in as many as 12 breeds of dogs with more predisposition in Pomeranians (34.35%) and German shepherds (25.95%), and more severity in German shepherds. The naturally occurring cases of ehrlichiosis were manifested by wide variety of clinical signs (anorexia, vomiting, erratic pyrexia, weight loss, melena, arrhythmia, tachypnoea, haemorrhages, pale mucus membrane, nervous deficit, lymphadenopathy, ascitis to uveitis) with a mean clinical score of 8.59±0.24 (range 3 to 16) and case fatality rate of 22.14%. There was no specific difference in clinical signs of dogs having ehrlichiosis with or without concurrent infections. Nevertheless, pale mucosa, ascites, hepatomegaly were more marked in dogs having concurrent infection of B. gibsoni and E. canis. Various haemorrhages (epistaxis, haemophysis, skin petechiae, ocular haemorrhages) were observed in 51.15% dogs with mixed infection of babesia and ehrlichia.
