Gisele Reginaldo

and 7 more

Gastrointestinal parasites are common in pet animals, despite the existence of therapeutic and prophylactic measures. Protozoa and helminths are of great importance for Unique Health, mainly due to their zoonotic potential. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of the main gastrointestinal parasites in domestic dog puppies in the city of Araçatuba, São Paulo. Thus, 100 fecal samples were collected from dogs up to six months of age. The samples were processed using Willis and Faust’s coproparasitological techniques and negative malachite green staining. The statistical analysis consisted of descriptive analysis. In addition, a general assessment of positivity between the techniques was carried out, in which if the animal was positive in a test it was considered positive in this criterion, due to each test being specific to a type of gastrointestinal parasite. With the results obtained it was possible to observe that animals that have age range less than or equal to six months of age had a higher occurrence for Toxocara spp. Eggs, and in some of theses animals it was possible to observe feces with normal consistency. The positivity for the parasites, by at least one of the techniques mentioned above, was: Toxocara spp. (34%); Isospora spp. (28%); Ancylostoma spp. (22%); and, Giardia spp. (8%). Thus, we concluded for the first time the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in domestic dog puppies less than six months of age, with detection of helminths and protozoa with zoonotic potential, being Toxocara spp. most prevalent. Finally, in our study, we diagnosed asymptomatic parasitized dogs, which may represent a risk in terms of Unique Health. Keywords: Helminths, Protozoa, Unique Health, Dogs, Diagnosis