Socio-Economic Profile and Knowledge of Dog Owners About Various Canine Practices
Bharti Gujar
Veterinary Officer, Department of Animal Husbandry, Barmer
Government of Rajasthan, India.
Abstract
This study was conducted in veterinary clinic of CVAS, RAJUVAS, Bikaner. A number of 60 respondents (dog owners) were selected by using simple random sampling method. Data were collected through the personal interview with the help of interview schedule. Majority (58.3%) of respondents were in the young age group, graduate or above (45.00%), small size family (53.33), nuclear family (65.00%), medium annual income (51.70%). The results revealed that 55.00 percent of the respondents were belonging to service as occupation followed by 40.00 percent business and 5.00 percent agriculture as occupation. Dog owners had more knowledge about recommendation of dog bathing material (86.11%) & grooming (80%) among management practices and about vaccination (93.33%) and deworming (88.83%) among health care practices. Majority of dog owners had knowledge about home prepared food (100.00%) & feeding schedule (93.33%) and about breed of dog (93.33%) & breeding methods (80.00%).
Key words: Grooming, Deworming, Dog owners and feeding schedule.
Introduction:
Now a day there is increased interest for pets among Indian population. This increased interest has also supported the welfare of pet population. From the time being dogs are associated with mankind, they sometime act as guard as well as companion animal. Man in turn provides protection, companionship and accommodation and a regular source of food for dogs. These mutual benefits have built a trusting relationship throughout history between dogs and people and ultimately have made life easier for both (McGourty, 2002). In the urban areas of the country, dogs are mainly kept for guarding property. A few people in both rural and urban communities keep dogs for both companionship and as pets. The association of human beings with dogs is well known since domestication.
Material and methods:
This study was conducted in veterinary clinic of CVAS, RAJUVAS, Bikaner.
A number of 60 respondents (dog owners) were selected by using simple random sampling method. A semi structured interview schedule was prepared after discussion and consultation with experts. Data were collected through the personal interview. The data were compiled, tabulated, and analysed by using statistical tools (Frequency, Percentage and Mean score).
Results and discussion:
The data presented in Table No.1 showed that majority (58.3%) of respondents were in the young age group followed by adult (30%) and old (11.7%) age groups. These results indicated that majority of dogs were owned by young persons. Majority of respondents were graduate or above (45.00%) followed by intermediate (33.33%), middle (13.33%), primary (8.33%) and illiterate (0.00%).
Majority of respondents (53.30%) had small size family followed by medium (33.30%) and large (13.30%) family. The results revealed that about 65.00 per cent of the respondents had nuclear family followed by joint family (35%). Majority of the respondents (51.7%) had medium annual income followed by low (30%) and high (18.3%) income. The results revealed that 55.00 percent of the respondents were belonging to service as occupation followed by 40.00 percent business and 5.00 percent agriculture as occupation. Lue et al. (2008) reported that households with dogs had higher median incomes ($57,000) and most of the respondents had some education beyond high school (38%) or vocational training or some college (28%). Sawaimul et al. (2009) found that government servants were more interested in dog keeping which found to be 35% followed by businessmen (33 %) and other (32%) .
Management practices:
A perusal of Table No. 2 showed that majority respondents had knowledge about recommendation of dog bathing material (86.11%), followed by knowledge about grooming (80%), purchasing of dog (57.22%), knowledge about important features during dog purchasing (51.66%), registration of dog (50%), and proper trimming of nails(38.33%).
Health care practices:
The results revealed that majority of dog owners had knowledge about vaccination(93.33%) followed by deworming (88.83%), sign and symptoms of common diseases (61.66%), spaying/castration (60.00%), Ist vaccination age (42.22%), Іst deworming age in dog (36.66%) and awareness about euthanasia (35.00%). Matibag et al. (2007) studied on Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of rabies in a community in Sri Lanka and the study revealed that among all the respondents, there was a high level of awareness (90%) that dogs are the most common rabies reservoir followed by the disease is fatal (79%) and rabies can be prevented by vaccination (88%).
Feeding practices:
The data presented in Table No. 2 indicated that majority of dog owners had knowledge about home prepared food (100.00%), feeding schedule (93.33%), quantity of ration (90.00%), balance diet (88.33%), Minerals and vitamins (80.00%) and Processed food/ commercial food (76.67%). Suluku et al. (2012) studied on post-war demographic and ecological survey of dog populations and their human relationships in Sierra Leone. The results revealed that 81% do not feed their dogs with canned food. About 88% dog owners don’t know the cost of feeding their dogs. Approximately, 44% of households allowed their dogs to scavenge garbage dumps and to mix with other dogs.
Breeding practices:
A perusal of Table No. 2 indicated that majority of respondents had Knowledge about breed of dog (93.33%) followed by breeding methods (80.00%) and Mating with same breed or not (78.33%).
Conclusion: In the present scenario attitude of people toward pets (canine & feline) is changing. People who belong to urban society are taking keen interest in pet rearing. The study showed that majority of dog owners were young and well educated. So, they were adopting scientific canine practices properly. They were more aware about vaccination, deworming, grooming, balance diet and breeding.
Table-1: Socioeconomic variables of the respondents
| S.N. | Antecedent characteristics | Category | Frequency (F) | Percentage (%) |
| 1. | Age | Young (15-34) | 35 | 58.3 |
| Adult (35-54) | 18 | 30 | ||
| Old (55-74) | 7 | 11.7 | ||
| 2. | Education | Illiterate | 0 | 0.00 |
| Primary | 5 | 8.33 | ||
| Middle | 8 | 13.33 | ||
| Intermediate | 20 | 33.33 | ||
| Graduate or above | 27 | 45.00 | ||
| 2. | Family size | Small (up to 4 member) | 32 | 53.3 |
| Medium(5-8 member) | 20 | 33.3 | ||
| Large (>8 member) | 8 | 13.3 | ||
| 3. | Family type | Nuclear(1) | 39 | 65 |
| Joint(2) | 21 | 35 | ||
| 4. | Annual income | Low (up to 1.05) | 18 | 30 |
| Medium(1.05-7.41) | 31 | 51.7 | ||
| High (above 7.41) | 11 | 18.3 | ||
| 5. | Occupation | Agricultural(1) | 3 | 5 |
| Business(2) | 24 | 40 | ||
| Service(3) | 33 | 55 |
Table-2: KNOWLEDGE ABOUT VARIOUS PRACTICES FOLLOWED BY PET OWNERS
| S.N. | Item | Percent | Rank |
| General Management practices | |||
| Registration of Dog | 50% | V | |
| Source of purchasing of dog | 57.22% | III | |
| Important features during dog purchasing | 51.66% | IV | |
| Grooming in Dog | 80% | II | |
| Use of bathing material (Shampoo) | 86.11% | I | |
| Proper trimming of nails in Dog | 38.33% | VI | |
| Health care practices | |||
| Deworming in Dog | 88.33% | II | |
| Vaccination in Dog | 93.33% | I | |
| Іst Deworming age in dog | 36.66% | VI | |
| Іst vaccination age in dog | 42.22% | V | |
| Sign and symptoms of common diseases | 61.66 | III | |
| Awareness about euthanasia | 35.00%. | VII | |
| Spaying/castration | 60.00% | IV | |
| Feeding practices | |||
| Feeding schedule in Dog | 93.33% | II | |
| Balance diet | 88.33% | IV | |
| Quantity of ration | 90% | III | |
| Processed food/ commercial food | 76.67% | VI | |
| Home prepared food | 100% | I | |
| Minerals and vitamins | 80% | V | |
| Breeding practices | |||
| Knowledge about breeding methods | 90% | II | |
| Mating with same breed or not | 78.33% | III | |
| Breed of dog | 93.33% | I |
References:
Matibag, G.C., Kamigaki, T., Kumarasiri, P.V., Wijewardana, T.G., Kalupahana, A.W., Dissanayake, D.R., De Silva, D.D., Gunawardena, G.S., Obayashi, Y., Kanda, K. and Tamashiro, H.(2007). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey of rabies in a community in Sri Lanka. Environ Health Prev Med. 12 (2):84-92.
Sawaimul, A.D., Sahare, M.G., Ali, S.Z., Patil, L.V., Taksande, P.E. and Ghule, S.S. (2009). Socio-economic Status of Dog owners in Nagpur city of Maharashtra. Veterinary World, 2(6): 229
Suluku, R., Abu-Bakarr, I., Johnny, J. and Jonsyn-Ellis, F. (2012). Post-war demographic and ecological survey of dog populations and their human relationships in sierra leone. Science Journal of Agricultural Research & Management, ISSN: 2276-8572
Lue, T.W., Pantenburg, D.P. and Crawford, P.M. (2008). Impact of the owner-pet and client-veterinarian bond on the care that pets receive. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 232 ( 4):531-540.
