Survey on dermatological disorders of dogs during 2020-2022 in Rabat, Morocco

Dermatology is an important specialty in veterinary medicine, focusing on the skin and its appendages. Therefore, the present study highlighted the percentage of skin disorders, as well as their associated risk factors, from cases received at the Parasitology-Dermatology clinic of the Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine (IAV Hassan II), Rabat, Morocco for two years. A total of 1561 dogs (1450 dogs were in 28 different pure breeds and 111 dogs were mongrels, 805 males, and 756 females, with an average age of 6.5 years old) were presented at the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (UVTH) of the IAV Hassan II from the end of October 2020 to the end of May 2022 (including vaccinations) and 125 dogs were assessed and 161 skin diseases were found (a few dogs had more than one skin disease). Dermatological examinations represented an average of 8.00% (125/1561) of all canine cases received at the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The most common clinical signs were pruritus, alopecia, erythema, onychogryphosis, and visible ectoparasites. Parasitic dermatoses were the most frequent, representing 44.10% of all dermatological cases, followed by allergic dermatoses (25.47%) and fungal skin infections (19.25%). Bacterial skin infections and dermatological manifestations of endocrine disorders were infrequent, representing 8.70% and 2.48%, respectively of all observed cases. Risk factors contributing to the occurrence of canine skin disorders included age and lifestyle for sarcoptic mange. An apparent predilection for the living environment was observed in the case of canine leishmaniosis, and an apparent predilection for sex regarding otodectic mange was also demonstrated. Similar results were found for the living environment and lifestyle concerning canine atopic dermatitis. Data reported herein fill gaps in knowledge of skin disorders and their associated risk factors in dogs in Morocco, demonstrating the dominance of skin diseases of zoonotic interest, including flea bite allergy dermatitis (FBAD), dermatophytosis, and canine leishmaniosis.