Abstract
Dog ecology is essential in understanding the distribution, structure, and population density of dogs and pattern of dog ownership in any given area. A cross-sectional study was designed to study dog ecology in Aba, Abia state, Nigeria, from April to June 2013. The study revealed that the 500 households surveyed possessed 5,823 individuals and 747 dogs, giving a dog to human ratio of 1 : 7.8; hence dog population in Aba was estimated to be 68,121. About 495/747 (66.3%) of the dogs were exotic and 465/747 (62.2%) were males. A total of 319/500 (63.8%) of the households had fences that restrained dog movement and there was no incidence of dog bite in 447/500 (89.4%) of the households surveyed. There were statistical associations between vaccination against antirabies and breeds of dogs (χ 2 = 79.8, df = 2, P < 0.005). Exotic breed (adjusted OR = 0.39; CI = 0.23–0.65) and local breed of dogs (adjusted OR = 0.08; CI = 0.04–0.14) had less odds of being vaccinated as compared to crossbreed of dogs. About 126 dogs (2.5 dogs per street) were estimated from street counts survey. The relative high dog to human ratio and low vaccination coverage of owned dogs population pose public health concerns requiring adequate public health education and proper antirabies vaccination coverage of dogs in the study area.
Highlights
Dog ecology involves studies on dog population density, dog population structure, and pattern of dog ownership [1]
Rates of disease transmission depend on the density of the dog population and social behaviour that determines the extent of contact [3]
Rabies epidemiology in the dog reservoir is directly associated with dog ecology; better understanding of dog ecology would be useful for designing appropriate rabies control measures in the dog population [6]
Summary
Dog ecology involves studies on dog population density, dog population structure, and pattern of dog ownership [1]. As recognised by World Health Organization [4] dog demography studies are key to addressing many of these knowledge gaps even more so as rapid changes in human and dog demographics have important implications for the dynamics and control of rabies [5]. The ratio of owned dogs to people is usually higher in rural areas of a country, but there is considerable variation within cities [9]. This research aims to determine the distribution, structure, and population density of dogs and the pattern of dog ownership (dog ecology) in Aba, Abia state, Nigeria
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