Dataset Information

Caring for Canines: A Survey of Dog Ownership and Parasite Control Practices in Ireland.

ABSTRACT: Dogs are an important part of life for many people. Dog ownership can confer various health benefits to their owners, but it also presents some risks. In order to establish if dog owners were aware of these risks, an online survey of dog ownership practices was carried out. The survey was open during the month of January 2022 and received 662 responses regarding 850 individual dogs. Overall, 52% of people reported deworming their dog between zero and twice a year, which is unlikely to reduce the risk of infection to humans. The majority of dog owners (71%) reported disposing of faeces correctly; however, when comparing urban and rural environments, 33% of those in rural environments did not dispose of their dogs' faeces at all, compared with 3% of people in urban locations. People who obtained their dog during the pandemic brought their dog to the vet and dewormed them more frequently than those who obtained their dog before the pandemic. There were no differences in how faeces was disposed of between these groups. These results indicate that we, as researchers and veterinarians, have much work to do in terms of educating dog owners about the ways in which we can reduce the risk of infection to ourselves and our communities.

SUBMITTER: Sherlock C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9960321 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Caring for Canines: A Survey of Dog Ownership and Parasite Control Practices in Ireland.

Sherlock Caoimhe C Holland Celia V CV Keegan Jason D JD

Veterinary sciences 20230124 2

Dogs are an important part of life for many people. Dog ownership can confer various health benefits to their owners, but it also presents some risks. In order to establish if dog owners were aware of these risks, an online survey of dog ownership practices was carried out. The survey was open during the month of January 2022 and received 662 responses regarding 850 individual dogs. Overall, 52% of people reported deworming their dog between zero and twice a year, which is unlikely to reduce the ...[more]

PMID: 36851394

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Qatar is one of the wealthiest and fastest growing economies in the world, experiencing a rapid increase in human and pet populations. Given the paucity of data on prophylactic measures against endo- and ectoparasites of pets in Qatar, as well as on the owners' awareness of zoonotic diseases, a questionnaire was conducted. METHODS:From July to November 2017, 150 multiple-choice questionnaires were administered to dog and/or cat owners who attended two veterinary clinics in Doha. RESULTS:Only 54% (81/150) owners were aware of transmittable diseases between animals and humans. "Zoonosis/zoonotic disease(s)" was unknown for 88% (132/150) of the respondents and almost a quarter had no idea of transmission pathways associated with parasitic diseases. Thirteen owners (8.7%) reported to have suffered from zoonotic diseases (10 had dermatophytosis, 2 cat-scratch disease and 1 an unknown tick-borne disease) and 24.7% had dewormed themselves. Approximately 83% had their pets yearly vaccinated and 51% identified endo- and ectoparasites on their pets. Only 10% had their animal faeces tested for intestinal parasites as requested by a veterinarian. As for internal parasite control, only 19.3% dewormed their pets with the recommended treatment regimen (minimum quarterly); 52.7% (79/150) dewormed every 4 months to 1 year; 10% (15/150) without periodicity and 8% (12/150) had never done it. For external parasite control, only 16% (24/150) treated their pets with ectoparasiticides on a monthly basis; 44.7% (67/150) every 2 months to 1 year; 6.7% (10/150) without periodicity and 24.7% (37/150) had never done it. Approximately two thirds (63.3%) of pets were allowed to sleep in the owner's bed and 60% to lick their owner's face. Almost all pets were fed with dry/canned food, but 4.7% were fed with raw meat. Approximately 79.5% of dog owners collect their pet's faeces from public areas. CONCLUSIONS:These results highlight the need to raise pet owners' awareness towards prophylactic measures to minimize the potential impact of zoonotic diseases on the health of both animals and humans in Qatar.

Project description:Interventions tackling zoonoses require an understanding of healthcare patterns related to both human and animal hosts. The control of dog-mediated rabies is a good example. Despite the availability of effective control measures, 59,000 people die of rabies every year worldwide. In Tanzania, children are most at risk, contributing ~40% of deaths. Mass dog vaccination can break the transmission cycle, but reaching the recommended 70% coverage is challenging where vaccination depends on willingness to vaccinate dogs. Awareness campaigns in communities often target children, but do not consider other key individuals in the prevention chain. Understanding factors related to dog ownership and household-level responsibility for dog vaccination and child health is critical to the design of vaccination strategies. We investigated who makes household decisions about dogs and on health care for children in rural Tanzania. In the Kilosa district, in-depth interviews with 10 key informants were conducted to inform analysis of data from a household survey of 799 households and a survey on Knowledge Attitudes and Practices of 417 households. The in-depth interviews were analysed using framework analysis. Descriptive analysis showed responsibilities for household decisions on dogs' and children's health. Multivariate analysis determined factors associated with the probability of dogs being owned and the number of dogs owned, as well as factors associated with the responsibility for child health. Dog ownership varied considerably between villages and even households. The number of dogs per household was associated with the size of a household and the presence of livestock. Children are not directly involved in the decision to vaccinate a dog, which is largely made by the father, while responsibility for seeking health care if a child is bitten lies with the mother. These novel results are relevant for the design and implementation of rabies interventions. Specifically, awareness campaigns should focus on decision-makers in households to improve rabies prevention practices and on the understanding of processes critical to the control of zoonoses more broadly.

Project description:Dog ownership satisfaction relates to the quality of life of both owner and dog, and when seriously compromised may even lead to dog abandonment. Knowledge on determinants of dog ownership satisfaction is limited, obstructing solutions for promoting satisfaction, and here we quantified causes making dog owners less than very satisfied with their dog. We focused on the owner perceived relationship with the dog, unwanted dog behaviour, and dog obedience class attendance. The study population included only few seriously dissatisfied dog owners, preventing discrimination of multiple levels below 'very satisfied'. Consequently, existing relationships in the entire population may have been missed or underestimated and the findings apply specifically to dog owners that are relatively contented with dog ownership. Nine hundred seventy-seven Dutch dog owners completed an online questionnaire and we found the probability of being very satisfied to associate with all three subscales of the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale. Most strongly with perceived costs of ownership and less so with shared activities between owner and dog, and perceived emotional closeness to the dog. Aggression and/or disobedience related directly to high perceived ownership costs and to an increased probability of being less than very satisfied. Interaction effects indicated that dog disobedience was less influential on ownership satisfaction at high levels of aggression. Surprisingly, dog ownership satisfaction was unrelated to dog obedience class attendance, raising questions about the effectiveness of these classes in establishing satisfying dog-owner relationships. Training aids used during classes could play a role here, as choke chain use associated with high perceived costs and increased probabilities of being less then very satisfied with dog ownership. Ownership satisfaction in relatively contented dog owners, seems more influenced by unwanted dog behaviour and perceived costs of ownership, than by perceived emotional closeness to the dog, shared activities and dog obedience class attendance.

Dataset Information

Caring for Canines: A Survey of Dog Ownership and Parasite Control Practices in Ireland.

Publications

Caring for Canines: A Survey of Dog Ownership and Parasite Control Practices in Ireland.

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