Seroprevalence of Brucella abortus and B. canis in household dogs in southwestern Nigeria: a preliminary report.

A preliminary serological study of 366 household dogs in Lagos and Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria, was carried out to determine antibodies due to exposure to Brucella abortus and B. canis, using the rose bengal test (RBT) and the rapid slide agglutination (RSA) test, respectively. Results showed that 5.46 % (20/366) and 0.27 % (1/366) of the dogs screened were seropositive to B. abortus and B. canis, respectively. Of all dogs, 36 had a history of being fed foetuses from cows and 11 (30.6 %) of these tested positive in the RBT. Our findings, although based on a limited sample size and a dearth of clinical details, revealed that dogs in Nigeria may be infected with Brucella spp. given the wide range of risk factors. Further studies are recommended to elucidate the epidemiology of brucellosis in dogs and its possible zoonotic consequences in the country.

Erythrocytic parameters as indicators for differentiating between the pregnant and pseudopregnant bitches in Nigeria.

The erythrocytic parameters during pregnancy and pseudopregnancy in bitches were studied and compared in 8 bitches aged 2 -3 years and weighing 10-12 kg. Blood samples were collected from the bitches before mating, during the three trimesters of pregnancy and the post partum period. The packed cell volume (PCV %), haemoglobin concentration (Hb gm/dl), red blood cell count(x10(6)/µl) were determined using standard methods. The mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were then calculated. Six of the bitches were pregnant and 2 were pseudopregnant. The results showed that in pregnant bitches, the PCV decreased significantly from the premating values of 51.37+0.94% to 34.00+8.04% during the third trimester of pregnancy (P<0.05). There was also a significant decrease in Hb values (P<0.05) from the premating period (16.30 ± 0.20gm/dl) to the third trimester of pregnancy (11.25±1.80gm/dl). The values of Red blood cells (RBCx10(6)/µl) during the premating period (12.70+3.15) were not significantly different from the values during the first second and third trimesters (11.13+3.87, 10.38+4.54 and 12.24+3.15, respectively). The trend of decrease in PCV and Hb values were not observed in the bitches with pseudopregnancy. This shows that these erythrocytic parameters can be used to detect and differentiate between pregnancy and pseudopregnancy in bitches as early as the first 20 days post mating.

A case of craniothoracopagus (monocephalus thoracopagus tetrabrachius) in a dog.

This report describes a case of craniothoracopagus (moncephalus thoracopagus tetrabrachius) twin puppies in Ibadan, Nigeria. The conjoined twins were given birth to by a 7-year-old bitch that was usually allowed to stray away from home in search of food. Deformities of the cardiovascular, digestive musculoskeletal, respiratory and urinary systems are reported. This is probably the first report of craniothoracopagus twinning in a dog.