Prevalence of dog ticks in Jammu region, India

The prevalence of ticks among dogs of Jammu region was investigated. A total of 576 dogs were examined for the presence of adult, nymph and larval stages of ticks, out of which 198 (34.4%) were found to be positive for tick infestation of only one species, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. It was observed that age of animals influenced prevalence, with highest prevalence rate of 43.9% recorded in dogs aged above 3 years, followed by 25.0% prevalence in dogs below one year and 24.3% in one to three years of age group. Infestation rate was significantly higher (p<0.01) in the animals above three years of age group as compared to other age groups. Females showed significantly higher (p<0.05) infestation rate (38.9%) than males (28.8%). The data generated in the study can be helpful to devise control strategy against tick infestation in dogs of Jammu.