Dog ecology and population studies in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Sunday Emmanuel Hambolu,Dupe A Hambolu,Jacob K P Kwaga,Haruna M Kazeem,Jarlath U Umoh,Asabe A Dzikwi

doi:10.5539/gjhs.v6n2p209

Abstract

Dog population dynamics have a major impact upon the effectiveness of rabies control strategies. As such, understanding domestic dog ecology has been recognized as central to the design of effective rabies control programmes. This study was conducted to determine the dog ecology in Lagos State using compound dog count and street dog count in the three senatorial districts (Lagos West, East and Central) of Lagos State from February, 2011 to January, 2012. A total of 546 questionnaires were distributed for the compound dog count and all were completed and returned. Various aspects of dog ecology were determined, including size, sex, breed of the dog population, management of dogs and rabies awareness among the respondents. Out of the 546 compounds surveyed, 518 (94.87%) owned at least one dog. A total of 1,427 dogs were counted from the street counts while a total of 1,447 dogs (2.8 dogs/compound) were counted from the compound count. The dogs comprised of 583 males and 864 females, out of which 64.10% are confined. The dog vaccination coverage in the dog population surveyed was 64.10% and administered majorly (91.30%) by veterinarians. Security (60%) and pets (26%) were the major reasons for keeping dogs. Majority (88.80%) of the respondents were aware of rabies and its mode of transmission, but still believed in the use of concoctions (40.40%), herbs (19.90%) and consumption of the organ of the offending dog (11.50%) for the treatment of rabies. The findings of this study showed a male: female ratio of dog to be 1:1.5 and a dog: human ratio of 1:5.6. There was also a responsible dog ownership as majority of the respondents do confine, vaccinate and provide food for their dogs. Vaccination coverage of the total dog population was however below the 70-80% target recommended by the World Health Organization to achieve herd immunity.

Highlights

Dog population dynamics have a major impact upon the effectiveness of rabies control strategies
This variation may have resulted from the increased human population and the need for dogs for security purposes in the face of the increasing security challenges.In spite of this high dog: human ratio only about 64.1% of respondents vaccinated their dogs against rabies suggesting that only about 64% of the dogs in Lagos State are likely vaccinated against rabies
The results of this study indicate a high density of dogs in Lagos State with a dog to human ratio of 1:5.6., and an average of 2.8 dogs per compound

Summary

Introduction

Dog population dynamics have a major impact upon the effectiveness of rabies control strategies. In Africa, dogs are intimately dependent on humans for food and shelter (Brooks, 1990), and this association means that dog populations can be correlated, in size as well as distribution with human populations. Social change, such as urbanization, resulted in an increase in human and dog movement as well as interactions between domestic and stray dogs. Domestic dogs are the main reservoir of rabies throughout the developing world (Arai et al, 2001). In Africa and Asia, an estimated 24,000-70,000 people die of rabies each year (Knobel et al, 2005) and the domestic dog is the main source of exposure and primary vector www.ccsenet.org/gjhs

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion