Zinc supplementation as a therapeutic managemental tool in diarrhoeal dogs
Muheet, Abha Tikoo, Kaifa Nazim, Shruti Chhibber, Rajiv Singh, Saba Bukhari and Ifat Ashraf
The present study was aimed to ascertain the plasma zinc profile of dogs suffering from diarrhoea and to evaluate the potential benefits of zinc administration in diarrhoeic dogs in order to strengthen the managemental strategies in control of the diarrhoeal episodes in dogs. The study was carried out on dogs presented at Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology – Jammu presented with history of diarrhoea in 2014. Zinc supplementation was done in six dogs suffering from diarrhoea. Plasma zinc levels were found to be significantly lower in the diarrhoeic dogs (8.09±0.87 µmol/L) as compared to healthy control (13.85±1.01 µmol/L). Improvement in the plasma zinc levels of the diarrhoeic dogs was found after they were supplemented with zinc (12.16±1.20 µmol/L). Zinc supplementation in diarrheic cases was found to be effective in therapeutic management of diarrhoea.