EPIZOOTOLOGICAL MONITORING AND IMPROVEMENT OF DERMATITIS DIAGNOSTIC METHODS IN DOMESTIC CARNIVORES IN A METROPOLIS

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the epizootic situation of parasitic and fungal dermatitis among dogs and cats in urban populations and to develop an express diagnostic method for veterinary clinics lacking specialized laboratories. Materials and methods. The study was conducted in veterinary clinics of Stavropol (2024-2025). Data from 1,240 medical records were analyzed. For express diagnostics, a DigiMicro 2.0 USB digital microscope (20-200x magnification) was used for onychoscopy of hair, scales, and crusts. Results: Infectious and invasive diseases account for 55% of visits. Dermatomycosis constitutes 28% of skin pathologies. Microsporum canis is the dominant pathogen (93.1%). Stray mixed-breed animals (51%) and young animals aged 2-6 months (28%) are the main risk groups. The proposed express method reduces diagnosis time to 10-15 minutes Conclusion: Dermatomycosis in carnivores poses a significant zooanthroponotic threat. Vaccine prophylaxis in Grozny is underutilized. The introduction of digital microscopy and mandatory vaccination could reduce morbidity by 30-40%