Clinical and histopathological findings in German shepherd dogs with hookworm dermatitis and the usage of eprinomectin in the therapy

Abstract

Clinical and histopathological findings in a litter of German Shepherd dogs consisting of seven puppies with acute inflammation confined to the footpads were reported. Affected footpads were characteristically erythematous, swollen and painful. Lesions were present on all four feet in 3/7 cases and on the rear feet in 4/7 cases. None of the dogs had evidence of ectoparasitism. Fecal flotation, deep skin scrapings, bacterial and fungal cultures, and skin biopsies were performed in all dogs. Fecal flotation and histopathological examination revealed Ancylostoma caninum as the cause of pododermatitis. These lesions resolved in response to topical eprinomectin applications, suggesting that clinical signs were linked to hookworm pododermatitis.