Epidemiological Survey of Clinical Conditions in Companion Animals in Dhaka, Bangladesh: A Retrospective Analysis

Abstract

A case-control study was conducted to ascertain the prevalence of clinical diseases and conditions of dogs and cats attended at the Vet and Pet Care (VNPC), the oldest one stop pet care center in Bangladesh, from March 2023 to January 2025. A total of 1926 cases of different clinical diseases and conditions were recorded during the study period. Cases were primarily categorized as infectious, non-infectious, and non-specific diseases, and the prevalence of clinical conditions was estimated on the basis of age and breed. The highest prevalence was recorded in infectious diseases in both dogs and cats (49.79% and 52.43%, respectively), but non-infectious diseases were found to be the lowest in both dogs and cats (18.93% and 18.75%, respectively). Among them, disease-specific prevalence was mostly found in dogs: anorexia (7.41%), mange (6.38%), fever (6.17%), accidental injury (5.76%), maggot infestation (5.56%), etc. Meanwhile, noticeable cases were diagnosed in cats as feline panleukopenia (FPV) (7.22%), abscess (5.97%), neutering (5.90%), salmonellosis (5.35%), etc. The prevalence of anorexia in dogs (3.7%) and abscesses in cats (3.68%) were found to be the highest at the older age (> 36 months), whereas anorexia (2.88%) and FPV (4.58%) were estimated to be the highest in dogs and cats below 12 months’ age, respectively. In relation to breed, abscess in local dogs and fever in other exotic breeds were recorded as 2.67% and FPV in mixed breeds (3.19%) were found to be the most prevalent diseases. While the study is limited by its focus on a single clinic and missing details like control data and diagnostics, it still offers valuable insights that can help improve pet care and disease preventive strategies in developing countries like Bangladesh.