(2) Vetviana- Consultório Veterinário
(3) CLILEGRE-Clínica Veterinária de Portalegre
(4) Centro Veterinário da Vidigueira
(5) VetAlter-Clínica Veterinária
(6) Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL)
Ana Prata (2)
Ricardo Oliveira (3)
Lina Costa (1)
Vânia Gonçalves (4)
Madalena Roquete (5)
Gabriela Santos-gomes (6)
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a chronic disease that can range from moderate to severe. Therapy with antileishmanial drugs often leads to clinical cure, although treated dogs may continue to harbor the parasite. This study aims to characterize the management of CanL patient in an endemic region and determine factors that influence disease outcome. Medical records of 86 dogs with CanL from five veterinary medical centers of Alentejo (Portugal) were retrospectively reviewed. The disease was confirmed by positive serology in association with characteristic clinical signs. The majority of dogs were male, adult, mixed-breed, and Labrador retriever. Mild anaemia was a common haematological abnormality. The majority of dogs presented normal serum creatinine (IRIS 1), and high uraemia. IRIS stage, uraemia, and severe anaemia at diagnosis were associated with decreased survival times. IRIS 1 patients presenting normal urea have a median survival of more than four years. Dogs with severe anaemia had a median survival of 132 days. Half of the patients presented renal failure at the time of death or euthanasia. However, economic constraints prevented the realization of complementary exams and therapeutic measures. Although the majority of dogs were initially treated, about 25% was lost in the first year after diagnosis. This fact may have implications in terms of public health since the uncontrolled disease is associated with parasite transmission. Knowledge of prognostic factors and expected survival time of dogs with CanL can help veterinarians to improve decision-making expertise and the management of these patients in economically disadvantaged regions.
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