Knowledge and Practices Related to Dog-Associated Zoonoses in Ekiti State, Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Human-dog contact has been associated with increased risks of zoonoses. However, dog owners’ knowledge and practice in preventing zoonoses transmission from dogs in Nigeria are limited. This study ex-plored dog owners’ knowledge and practices concerning zoonotic disease transmission. Methods: Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to households owning dogs to assess knowledge and practice of dog-contact-associated zoonoses (DCAZ). This cross-sectional study involved mothers, fathers, and young adults who closely interacted with dogs in households in Ado, Ido, Ikole, and Oye Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Ekiti State, Nigeria, from December 2021 to May 2022. The demographic characteristics of respondents were collected for statistical analysis using the statistical package for social sciences IBM-SPSS version 25.0. The relationship between respondents’ knowledge and demographic features was analysed using the Chi-square test of independence on SPSS. Results were considered significant at p < 0.05. Results: Overall, 200 dog owners participated in the study. The mean age of participants was 32.47 (±10.99). A significant difference (p<0.05) was observed in the number of dogs owned per household. The knowledge of dog contact-associated zoonoses (DCAZ) was estimated at 25.5% (51/200). Association between knowledge of DCAZ and sociodemographic factors showed that age, respondents’ identity, and level of education were signifi-cantly associated (p<0.05) with knowledge being highest among age group 41-50 and respondents with high lev-el of education. The practices of kissing dogs, walking barefooted, eating dog meat, and respondents’ preference for consumption of dog meat were observed to vary significantly among the study locations, with respondents from Ikole ranking higher at 54.0%, 50.0%, 14.0%, and 38.0% respectively (p<0.05). A significant difference was observed in the type of meat the respondents gave to their dogs (p<0.05). Overall, this study showed that 23.5% (47/200) of the respondents consumed dog meat, of which 68.1% (32/47) of the consumers showed a pref-erence for undercooked dog meat (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed the low level of knowledge regarding dog contact-associated zoonoses in Ekiti State and the need to intensify awareness of transmission routes and practices that facilitate disease transmission, utilising a One Health approach.