Owned and free-roaming dogs in the North West of Tunisia: estimation, characteristics and application for the control of dog rabies

Kalthoum, Sana; Salah, C. Ben; Rzeigui, Houcine; Gharbi, Raja; Kaouther, None Guesmi,; Salem, Abeer; Ferchichi, Salma; Zammel, F.; Fatnassi, N.; Bahloul, Chokri; Seghaier, Chedia

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08347

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…In contrast, although the mean number of dogs per household is similar, the incidence of rabies is higher in developing countries due to a lack of regulations, sufficient veterinary services, and certifications. In addition to the average number of dogs per household, the dog: human ratio (1:9) observed in this study was comparable with reports from Ethiopia 1:7 (Gebremedhin et al, 2020), Tunisia 1:11 (Kalthoum et al, 2021) and Nigeria 1.1: 6 (Kwaghe et al, 2019). The observed differences may be due to differences in human and dog population density in the given communities and countries.…”

Section: Dog Demography and Vaccination Coveragesupporting

confidence: 85%

Dog demography, rabies awareness and dog bite cases in Bishoftu town, Ethiopia

Worku¹,

Amenu²,

Kassa³

et al. 2023

Ethiop. Vet. J.

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Rabies is a zoonotic viral disease that affects humans and animals and dogs are the primary source of infection. Information on domestic dog populations is vitally important for rabies control. The present study is to assess the demography of dogs, the incidence of dog bites, and the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of the communities concerning rabies in Bishoftu town. Cross-sectional household surveys were conducted from April to June 2021 involving a questionnaire survey and collection of retrospective patient records from healthcare facilities. A total of 244 respondents were interviewed using a structured questionnaire format to determine their KAP about rabies and dog ownership. Data on the incidence of dog bites and suspected cases of rabies from November 2019 to June 2021 were retrieved from the records of four health centers in Bishoftu town. In interviewed households (HH) 51.2 % owned at least one dog with a dog: human ratio of 1:9 and 1.54 dogs/household. In the participating households, 71% of dogs had been vaccinated against rabies. Almost all, 99% of the respondents had heard of rabies and identified the mode of transmission of rabies. However, 61.8%, had a moderate level of knowledge and 59.8% had an intermediate level of attitude, and 64.3% satisfactory level of appropriate rabies prevention practices score. There was a statistically significant association between knowledge score and age, occupation, and source of information as well as attitude score with age and source of information (p<0.05). Respondents who attend higher education were more likely to have higher practice scores in the prevention of rabies (p <0.05). There were significant correlations among the participant’s knowledge, attitude, and practice (p<0.01). A total of 612 victims were registered and received the post-exposure vaccine in Bishoftu over two years (2019 to 2021). We identified critical knowledge gaps related to factors influencing rabies prevention and control. The veterinary and public health sectors should play an important role in educating and raising community awareness. Moreover, the production and use of the banned nerve tissue vaccine in the public health sector in Ethiopia need attention.

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Section: Dog Demography and Vaccination Coveragesupporting

confidence: 85%

Dog demography, rabies awareness and dog bite cases in Bishoftu town, Ethiopia

Worku¹,

Amenu²,

Kassa³

et al. 2023

Ethiop. Vet. J.

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“…Stray dogs can be perceived as both victims and enemies [ 5 ], which reduces donations to pet charities. This attitude is caused by the fact that, left unattended, stray dogs can become a source of rabies [ 6 ] or other diseases [ 7 ] and behave aggressively [ 8 ]; this leads to their cruel treatment [ 5 , 9 ], which makes it vitally important to solve the problem of homeless pets before anything negative happens to either animals or humans. Supporting charitable organizations with individual donations contributes to a humane solution to the problems caused by homeless pets as it allows the use of modern methods such as sterilization, vaccination, and the promotion of responsible ownership [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between charitable giving and emotional facial expressions: Results from affective computing

Shepelenko,

Obukhova

et al. 2024

Heliyon

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“…Second, our results provide insights that are important for monitoring the free-roaming dog population from surveys that cannot differentiate the ownership status of dogs based on simple observations ( 22 , 23 ). For example, surveys by observers to count free-roaming dogs in the early morning must make assumptions about the ownership of dogs based on features such as body coat or presence of collars ( 24 , 25 ). Our data indicate that 33% of owned dogs do not wear collars and that only 1% of all free-roaming dogs roaming at night are actually owned.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Owned dog population size and ownership patterns in Costa Rica

Flockhart¹,

Rowan²,

Boone³

2022

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are one of the most common pets around the world but ownership patterns and human-dog interactions have been changing, particularly in developing nations. We conducted household surveys in Costa Rica to characterize dog ownership, the owned dog population, where dogs were confined at night and in the morning, and behaviors regarding selected dog care issues. We also compared these results to similar questionnaires used in Costa Rica over the past 20 years. We found 76% of households in Costa Rica owned at least one dog and on average there were about 1.4 dogs owned per household. These dog ownership rates are higher than previous estimates. The probability of owning a dog was highest on farms and lowest in single family dwellings without a yard, higher among respondents that owned their homes and decreasing with increasing human population density The total number of owned dogs in Costa Rica was estimated to be 2,222,032 (95% confidence intervals: 1,981,497–2,503,751). The sterilization rate for homed dogs in 2020 was approximately 62% (females: 67%, males: 61%) which is higher than the 18% of owned dogs that were sterilized in a 2003 survey. Overall, only 1.2% (95% CI: 0.3–2.5%) of owned dogs slept on the street with a slightly higher proportion on the street at 8 am. The number of owned dogs roaming the streets at night nation-wide was estimated to be 27,208 (95% CI: 7,557–56,619) compared to 43,142 (95% CI: 20,118–73,618) on the street at 8 am. The number of unowned free-roaming dogs in Costa Rica has never been estimated but we can generate some idea of the size of the unowned dog population by determining the proportion of free-roaming dogs on the street wearing collars. There was a negative relationship between human population density and owned dogs being on the street meaning fewer dogs roam the streets in highly populated areas compared to less populated areas. Overall, we identify trends against which future progress can be measured and provide information that are critical in designing effective humane dog management programs in Costa Rica in the future.

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Owned and free-roaming dogs in the North West of Tunisia: estimation, characteristics and application for the control of dog rabies

Cited by 5 publications

References 53 publications

Dog demography, rabies awareness and dog bite cases in Bishoftu town, Ethiopia

Dog demography, rabies awareness and dog bite cases in Bishoftu town, Ethiopia

The relationship between charitable giving and emotional facial expressions: Results from affective computing

Owned dog population size and ownership patterns in Costa Rica

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