Abstract
Information on the socioeconomic aspects and the health status of dogs in 2 resource-limited communities in the North West and Gauteng provinces of South Africa was gathered using semi-structured interviews and a standardised questionnaire. The dogs were examined clinically to determine their health status, and their body condition and age were scored. Most of the dogs (93 % in Jericho and 90 % in Zuurbekom) were infected with hookworm, which poses a threat to animal and human health in the 2 study areas. Many dogs were also being given a protein-deficient diet, which together with hookworm parasites would impact considerably on the dog's health. Dogs were mainly kept for security reasons. The need indicated tobe most important by the residents of the 2 communities was a lack of available and affordable veterinary services.
Highlights
Poverty results in a lack of political power to make choices, access to education and information by the communities and limited or less than optimal use of resources[2]
‘Dogs sampled’ refers to dogs from which at least 1 sample of a possible set of 3 was collected. In these resource-limited communities, residents kept an average of 3 dogs
This may have been supplemented by scavenging in many cases, as 66–74 % of all dogs roamed the area freely
Summary
Poverty results in a lack of political power to make choices, access to education and information by the communities and limited or less than optimal use of resources[2]. Understanding the needs of these communities is essential and can be achieved through a variety of assessment methods[14]. One such method is the Veterinary Needs Appraisal (VNA)[9,11]. This provides a rapid means of assessing the socioeconomic needs and health status of animals within human communities. In 2 other studies the animal owners in resource-limited communities indicated an awareness of the importance of animal health and the need for accessible and affordable veterinary services[8,16]
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