A Study on Occurrence of Ascites Associated with Hepatic Origin in Dogs

The present study was undertaken to investigate the diagnosis and therapeutic management of ascites in dogs associated with hepatic origin. During the study period, from May 2024 to October 2024, a total of 2948 dogs presented at VCC, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Jabalpur (M.P.) were screened. Among them, 186 dogs had abdominal distension, out of which 44 cases of ascites were confirmed after ultrasonography. The parameters like age, sex and breed pertaining to ascitic dogs were recorded to study the epidemiological pattern of canine ascites. The overall occurrence of ascites in dogs among the total dog population was recorded as 1.49% and among the suspected dogs, the occurrence was 23.66%. Age wise occurrence was significantly higher in 3-6 years of age i.e. 31.03%. The breed wise highest occurrence of ascites was recorded in the Non-descript breed of dogs i.e. 33.33%. Gender wise occurrence was observed significantly higher in females i.e. 24.51%. Ascites associated with hepatic origin was identified as the underlying cause in 52.27% (23/44).