First Case of Strongyloides stercoralis Infection in a Dog in the Republic of Macedonia

Abstract

A six-month-old Pomeranian male dog was referred due to a month long history of unformed, soft faeces and mild weight loss. Stool analyses by direct faecal smear, Zinc sulphate flotation and the Baermann concentration method revealed an infection with <jats:italic>Strongyloides stercoralis</jats:italic>. The dog was initially treated once with a combination drug of praziquantel, pyrantel and febantel (½ Drontal<jats:sup>®</jats:sup> Plus Tablets for puppies and small dogs; Bayer; i.e. 31.5 mg/kg bodyweight of febantel ). The treatment was repeated after 12 days with the same dosage for 3 consecutive days. The stool analyses performed 14 days and 3 months after the second treatment were negative for <jats:italic>S. stercoralis</jats:italic> larvae. The results suggest that a repeated treatment with Drontal<jats:sup>®</jats:sup> Plus Tablets is effective against <jats:italic>S. stercoralis</jats:italic> in dogs and has no adverse effects.</jats:p>