Comparison of behavioral and hematological parameters before and after treatment in dogs with demodicosis

This study aims to compare behavioral and hematological parameters of 12 dogs with demodectic mange infection before and after the treatment. Following the parasitological examination, an appropriate treatment protocol was planned for the dogs diagnosed with demodex canis. Blood samples were collected from the cephalic vein of the dogs and transferred into vacuum tubes containing EDTA before and after the treatment A complete blood count was performed for all dogs. Behavioral parameters before and after treatment were obtained with a video camera recording system. Compared to pretreatment values, WBC, Mon (%), Neu (%), MCHC, and Eos (%) values were significantly lower after treatment while Lymph (%), RBC, Hb, MCV, MCH values were significantly higher after treatment, and the difference between the values was found to be statistically significant (P<0.01). Behavior parameters related to stress were detected in fewer dogs after the treatment compared to pre-treatment. This study provided valuable inputs to the literature as the concurrent examination of blood parameters and stress behavior was performed for the first time in dogs with demodectic mange infection.