The epidemiology of canine ear diseases in Northwest China: Analysis of data on 221 dogs from 2012 to 2016

Abstract

Background and Aim: Ear disease is relatively important in veterinary medicine as it significantly affects the quality of life of pets. Two hundred and twenty-one cases of canine ear diseases were collected and collated at the Xi'an Teaching Hospital of Northwest A&F University from 2012 to 2016. An epidemiological analysis was conducted to evaluate the prevalence and causes of various ear diseases in various breeds of dogs in Xi'an. Materials and Methods: Data were collected and statistically analyzed by reviewing previous cases and obtaining medical history data and laboratory results. This study included the following experiments: systematic examination of the animals' skin, auricular skin scraping test, ear canal endoscopy, and examination of ear canal secretion. Results: The top three dog breeds most commonly afflicted with ear diseases in Xi'an were Toy poodles , Cocker Spaniels, and Golden Retrievers, accounting for 18.5%, 10.4%, and 9.5% of the total cases, respectively. The prevalence was the highest in August and September, with male dogs having a higher prevalence rate than female dogs. Common ear diseases were categorized as otitis externa, otitis media, otitis interna, or ear hematoma. Conclusion: This study determined the prevalence of external otitis, ear hematoma, otitis media, and inner otitis in dogs in the Xi'an area. These results can help expand the current understanding of the development and epidemiology of canine ear diseases and provide a reference for clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Keywords: dog, epidemiology, otitis externa, Northwest of China.

Microbiological Survey and Evaluation of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Microorganisms Obtained from Suspect Cases of Canine Otitis Externa in Gran Canaria, Spain

“…However, similar isolation rates have been described when directly analyzing suspect otitis samples. For example, Tesin et al [ 1 ] observed a detection rate of 88.3% for bacteria and yeast from 60 ear swabs, similarly to Li et al [ 26 ], who found an 86.4% prevalence of otitis externa.…”

“…Other authors have found relatively similar percentages of ear disease cases when analyzing diagnostic results from large diagnostic facilities. For example, Li et al [ 26 ], observed 1% of samples associated with ear disease in sample set of 20,404 outpatient records. Although the total number of samples submitted for ear disease diagnosis were low overall, the dataset evaluated is representative of the local dog population based on statistical sample size calculation [ 27 ].…”