Demographic and Ecological Survey of Dog …downloads.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.veterinary.science/...Demographic and Ecological Survey of Dog Population in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria

Research ArticleDemographic and Ecological Survey of Dog Population in AbaAbia State Nigeria

Gbeminiyi Richard Otolorin Jarlath U Umoh and Asabe Adamu Dzikwi

Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine Faculty of Veterinary MedicineAhmadu Bello University Zaria Kaduna State Nigeria

Correspondence should be addressed to Gbeminiyi Richard Otolorin drniyiotolorinyahoocom

Received 19 February 2014 Accepted 20 March 2014 Published 9 April 2014

Academic Editors R Klopfleisch S Whisnant and W Yang

Copyright copy 2014 Gbeminiyi Richard Otolorin et al This is an open access article distributed under the Creative CommonsAttribution License which permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work isproperly cited

Dog ecology is essential in understanding the distribution structure and population density of dogs and pattern of dog ownershipin any given area A cross-sectional study was designed to study dog ecology in Aba Abia state Nigeria from April to June 2013The study revealed that the 500 households surveyed possessed 5823 individuals and 747 dogs giving a dog to human ratio of 1 78hence dog population in Aba was estimated to be 68121 About 495747 (663) of the dogs were exotic and 465747 (622) weremales A total of 319500 (638) of the households had fences that restrained dog movement and there was no incidence of dogbite in 447500 (894) of the households surveyed There were statistical associations between vaccination against antirabies andbreeds of dogs (1205942 = 798 df = 2 119875 lt 0005) Exotic breed (adjusted OR = 039 CI = 023ndash065) and local breed of dogs (adjustedOR = 008 CI = 004ndash014) had less odds of being vaccinated as compared to crossbreed of dogs About 126 dogs (25 dogs perstreet) were estimated from street counts surveyThe relative high dog to human ratio and low vaccination coverage of owned dogspopulation pose public health concerns requiring adequate public health education and proper antirabies vaccination coverage ofdogs in the study area

1 Introduction

Dog ecology involves studies on dog population densitydog population structure and pattern of dog ownership[1] In nearly all parts of the world dogs pose serioushuman health socioeconomic political and animal welfareproblems [2] In developing countries the domestic dog isthe most important reservoir and vector of human rabiesaccounting for 99 of exposures (WHO 1992) Rates ofdisease transmission depend on the density of the dogpopulation and social behaviour that determines the extent ofcontact [3] As recognised by World Health Organization [4]dog demography studies are key to addressing many of theseknowledge gaps even more so as rapid changes in humanand dog demographics have important implications for thedynamics and control of rabies [5]

Rabies epidemiology in the dog reservoir is directlyassociated with dog ecology thus better understanding of

dog ecology would be useful for designing appropriate rabiescontrol measures in the dog population [6] The dog humanratio most commonly lies between 1 6 and 1 10 but con-siderable variation exists [7] Urban areas in Africa have aratio of 1 212 while rural areas in Africa have a ratio of1 74 [8] The ratio of owned dogs to people is usually higherin rural areas of a country but there is also considerablevariation within cities [9] The structure and turnover of adog population are determined by a great number of differentfactors Its analysis depends on vital statistics such as sexand age ratios natality and rearing success and survival andmortality rates [10] Some dog population densities studiesin Nigeria have been carried out applying techniques such astotal street-dog count and estimates from the rate of captureand recapture [11ndash14] This research aims to determine thedistribution structure and population density of dogs andthe pattern of dog ownership (dog ecology) inAba Abia stateNigeria

Hindawi Publishing CorporationISRN Veterinary ScienceVolume 2014 Article ID 806849 5 pageshttpdxdoiorg1011552014806849

2 ISRN Veterinary Science

2 Materials and Methods

21 Study Area The study was carried out in Aba Abiastate located in Southeastern Nigeria consisting of two localgovernment areas Aba North and Aba South Aba is a majorurban settlement and commercial centre in a region that issurrounded by small villages and towns Aba is well knownfor its industrial nature manufacturing industries and largescale trading Aba lies between latitudes 5∘071015840N and betweenlongitudes 7∘221015840E With a temperature of about 21∘C theclimate is humid tropical type and is characterized by wet anddry seasons [15]

22 Study Design A cross-sectional study was carried out toevaluate dog ecology in Aba Abia state between April andJune 2013 in Aba North and Aba South local governmentareas (LGAs)

23 Survey Methods Fifty (50) streets in the study area con-sisting of twenty-five (25) streets each in Aba North and AbaSouth LGAs were surveyed using compound questionnairesurvey and street counts A total of 500 households 250 eachin Aba North and Aba South local government area weresurveyed

231 CompoundQuestionnaire Survey of Dogs Starting fromthe 1st major street of each local government area every5th street was surveyed using systematic random samplingtechnique In each chosen street starting from the 1st houseson either side every 10th house was selected and an adultmember on either side was interviewed using questionnaireInformation obtained included household information suchas numbers of dogs in the premises housing and control ofdog movement and history of dog bites and individual doginformation such as breed sex age source of dog sourceof food and vaccination status A total of ten (10) houseswere surveyed in each street chosen Houses without dogsor houses that refused to participate in the compound ques-tionnaire survey were skipped for the next house possessingdog(s)

232 Street Counts Dogs on the street were counted usingthe photographic recapture technique (Beckrsquos method) Thearea surveyed in AbaNorth andAba South LGAswas dividedinto 4 areas determined by the major roads (Faulks road inAba North Okigwe road in Aba North Asa road Aba southin Aba South and Port harcourt road in Aba South) linkingthe streets It involved two street counts on two different daysand the counts were averaged to reduce sampling error Oneach day of the study the counting of dogs was carried outearly in themorning (between 6 and 9 am) and in the evening(530 to 700 pm) Every dog within a given distance wasphotographed and recorded The number of dogs countedin the selected streets in each area was estimated using thefollowing formula

119873 =sum (119872119899)

sum119898 (1)

Table 1 Household information on dog ecology obtained fromrespondents in 500 households in Aba North and Aba South LGAof Abia state (from April to June 2013)

Variable Frequency Percentage()

Enclosure of homeNo fence 66 132Fencewall but does not restrain dogs 115 230Fencewall completely restrain dogs 319 638

Housing of dogsSpecially constructed housecage 368 736On house passage waycorridor 105 210Anywhere on the premises 27 54

Control of dog(s) movementNever allowed to leave premises 464 928Allow to roam freely 36 72

Do you observe stray dogs on your streetYes 112 224No 388 776

Has any member of the household beenbitten by stray dog in the last 12 months

Yes 63 126No 437 874

Do dogs other than yours eat at yourhome

Yes 29 58No 471 942

Total 500 100

where119872 = the number of dogs photographed each time andconsidered ldquomarkedrdquo that is ldquoobservedrdquo 119898 = the numberof dogs recognised as being previously photographed thatis ldquoreobservedrdquo sum119898 = the summation of 119898 to that pointin time 119899 = the total number of dogs previously observedthat is each dayrsquos observations (119872) less than those previouslyobserved (119898) would be added to each day119872119899 = the productof each days119872 and 119899sum(119872119899) = the summation of119872119899 to thatpoint in time and119873 = the population estimate [10]

24 Data Analysis In this study data generated was analysedusing the statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS)Version 170 Data obtained was presented using tables andcharts Chi-square test was used where appropriate to testfor association of variables obtained from the questionnairesValues of 119875 lt 005 were considered significant Oddsratio and adjusted odds ratio using multivariable logisticregression analysis were also utilized

3 Results

In the 500 households surveyed 638 had fenceswalls thatcompletely restrained dogs movement and 23 householdshad fences that donot restrain dogsmovement while 132ofthe households had no fence Most of the households (736)

ISRN Veterinary Science 3

Table 2 Information obtained from 500 dog owning households inAba North and Aba South LGA of Abia state (from April to June2013)

Variable Frequency Percentage ()Breeds of dogs

Exotic 495 663Local 142 190Cross 110 147

Sex of dogsMale 465 622Female 282 378

Ages of dogs0ndash6 month 284 3807ndash12 month 169 226gt12 month 294 394

Source of dogsFrom own bitch 367 491Bought 334 447Received as gift 46 62

Reason for dog ownershipGuard dogs 474 635Salebreeding 182 244Pet 91 122

Confinement of dogsDay 438 586Night 13 17Day and night 260 348Allow to roam 36 48

Feeding of dogsHousehold members 649 869Neighbours 1 01Find its own food 3 04Neighbourshousehold 94 126

Rabies vaccination statusYes 298 399No 324 434Not up to vaccination age 125 167

Total 747 100

had specially constructed housescages as housing for theirdogs while 54 indicated their dogs were kept anywhere onthe premises About 928 of the households never allowedtheir dogs to leave their premises while 72 allow their dogsto roam freely in the neighbourhood (Table 1)

A total of 747 dogs were present in the 500 householdssurveyed Majority of the dogs (663) were exotic 19 werelocal and 147 were crossbreeds Most of the dogs (622)were males while females were 378 of the total number ofdogs A total of 380of the dogswerewithin 0 to 6months ofage and 394 greater than 12 months of age During the day586 of the dogs were confined to restrict their movementwhile 17 of the dogs were confined during the night A totalof 479 of the dogs were vaccinated against rabies only dogsthat had attained the age of vaccination against rabies were

Table 3 Structure of dogs and human population in compoundcount carried out in Aba North and Aba South LGA

Variables ValuesNumber of compounds surveyed 500Total number of people in the streets surveyed 5823Total number of dogs 747Dog human ratio 1 78Average number of dogs per house 15Total dog population size estimated from street count 1262006 population census of Aba North and Aba SouthLGA 531 340

Estimated dog population in Aba North and Aba SouthLGA 68 121

considered in estimating the antirabies vaccination coveragein the 500 households surveyed (Table 2)

Among the 500 households surveyed there were 5823occupants and 747 dogsThe average number of dogs per eachhouse surveyed was 15 while the dog to human ratio was1 78 The street count of dogs was 126 dogs (67 dogs in AbaNorth and 59 dogs in Aba South) From the 2006 populationcensus figure of Aba North and Aba South which is estimatedas 531 340 people the estimated dog population in AbaNorthand Aba South is about 68121 (Table 3)

Chi-square analysis was used to determine associationbetween dog vaccination status and various pieces of individ-ual dog informationThere were associations between breedsof dogs (1205942 = 798 df = 2 119875 lt 0005) age of dogs (1205942 = 229119889119891 = 2 119875 lt 0005) reason for dog ownership (1205942 = 81 df =2 119875 lt 0005) confinement of dogs (1205942 = 100 df = 3 119875 lt0005) and rabies vaccination status of dog These variableswere further analysed using multivariable logistic regressionanalysis exotic breed (adjusted OR = 039 CI = 023ndash065)and local breed of dogs (adjusted OR = 008 CI = 004ndash014)had less odds of being vaccinated as compared to crossbreedsSimilarly dogs used as guard dogs (adjusted OR = 065 CI= 037ndash112) and dogs used for breedingsale (adjusted OR= 041 CI = 022ndash079) purposes had less odds of beingvaccinated as compared to dogs used as pets (Table 4)

4 Discussion

Information obtained from 500 households surveyed indi-cates a relative high density of dogs in the study area (dog tohuman ratio of 1 78) probably due to the absence of religiousand cultural inhibition to the keeping of dogs in Aba Abiastate This is in contrast to the low density of dogs in otherurban cities in Nigeria where dog to human ratio is 1 43 inMakurdi Benue state [16] 1 21 in Lagos Lagos state and1 1000 in the moslem dominated part of Kaduna NorthKaduna state [7]

Most of the houses had fences that completely restraindog movement as the survey was conducted in an urbanarea where most houses are properly demarcated from eachother by well defined fences Majority of the householdshad specially constructed housescages for their dogs and


Table 4 Chi-square and multivariable logistic regression analysis of vaccination status with individual dog information in Aba Abia state

Vaccination status

Variable Yes No 1205942119875 value Crude OR (95 CI

on OR)

Adjusted OR (95 CIon OR) vaccinated

dogs

Adjusted OR (95 CIon OR) unvaccinated

dogsBreeds of dogs

Exotic 200 182 798 0000 042 (026ndash068) 257 (154ndash428) 039 (023ndash065)Local 23 113 008 (004ndash015) 1330 (700ndash2527) 008 (004ndash014)Cross 75 29 1 1 1

Age of dogs0ndash6 months 82 77 229 0000 171 (116ndash252) 075 (048ndash117) 134 (086ndash209)7ndash12 months 103 66 250 (170ndash369) 040 (025ndash061) 255 (165ndash394)

113 181 1 1 1Reason for dog ownership

Guard dogs 212 224 81 0018 067 (040ndash110) 155 (089ndash269) 065 (037ndash112)Salebreeding 42 69 042 (024ndash078) 243 (127ndash465) 041 (022ndash079)Pet 44 31 1 1 1

Confinement of dogDay 203 192 100 0018 291 (133ndash645) 043 (019ndash102) 230 (098ndash542)Night 7 5 389 (098ndash1542) 035 (008ndash155) 286 (065ndash1270)Day and night 79 102 215 (095ndash487) 055 (023ndash134) 182 (075ndash442)Allow to roam 9 25 1 1 1

Sex of dogsMale 188 193 081 0368 116 (084ndash160)Female 110 131 1

Source of dogFrom own bitch 123 160 45 0104 059 (030ndash117)Bought 153 14 080 (041ndash158)Received as gift 22 17 1

Total 298 324

never allowed their dogs to leave the household premisesDogs owned by inhabitants of the town are mostly exoticbreed hence they are well cared for because of the valueattached to these dogs Most of the respondents interviewedindicated low activity of free roaming dogs in their streetswith majority of the households reporting that no stray dogseat in their homes This is further confirmed by the result ofthe street count where few dogs (126) were seen in the 50streets surveyed in the study area Hence nuisances causedby free roaming dogs pose little problem in the area

The antirabies vaccination coverage of dogs in the housessurveyed was estimated at 479 This still falls below theWorld Health Organization standard of vaccination of 70ndash80 dog population in an area to boost herd immunity [17]This vaccination rate can be further improved if there aremore veterinary clinics in the city and dog owners who aremainly traders create time out of their busy schedules to givetheir dogs the required veterinary care Local breed of dogswas the least vaccinated against rabies due to the low prioritygiven to this breed by most owners as compared with exoticand crossbreeds Dogs within 7ndash12-months-old had higher

antirabies vaccination frequency this may be because dogowners see dogs at this age category as more likely to beaggressive and likely to be involved in dog bites also moremale dogs were kept than female dogs as they are perceivedas better guard dogs than the females and are hence kept forsecurity purposes

5 Conclusion

The study revealed that the relatively high dog to humanratio and the vaccination coverage which falls below therecommended WHO standard pose public health concernsand require proper and well planned intervention aimed atadequate public health education and adequate antirabiesvaccination coverage of dogs in the study area Also dogecology survey was able to determine that 500 householdspossess an average of 15 dogs per household with an esti-mated dog population in Aba being 68121 This informationis very important and can serve as a guide in the planning ofantirabies campaign programme in Aba Abia state


Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interestsregarding the publication of this paper

References

[1] S Cleaveland M Kaare D Knobel and M K LaurensonldquoCanine vaccinationmdashproviding broader benefits for diseasecontrolrdquoVeterinaryMicrobiology vol 117 no 1 pp 43ndash50 2006

[2] M Ratsitorahina J H Rasambainarivo S Raharimanana et alldquoDog ecology and demography in Antananarivo 2007rdquo BMCVeterinary Research vol 5 article 21 2009

[3] World Health Organization Report of the WHO Expert Com-mittee on Rabies WHOTechnical Report Series no 824WorldHealth Organization Geneva Switzerland 1992

[4] WHO Report of WHO Consultation on Dog Ecology StudiesRelated to Rabies Control World Health Organization GenevaSwitzerland 1st edition 1988

[5] K Hampson J Dushoff S Cleaveland et al ldquoTransmissiondynamics and prospects for the elimination of canine RabiesrdquoPLoS Biology vol 7 no 3 pp 0462ndash0471 2009

[6] H C Matter and T J Daniel ldquoDog ecology and populationbiologyrdquo inDogs Zoonoses and Public Health C N LMacpher-son F X Meslin and A I Wandeler Eds pp 17ndash62 CABIPublishing New York NY USA 2000

[7] S I Oboegbulem and I E Nwakonobi ldquoPopulation density andecology of dogs in Nigeria a pilot studyrdquo Revue Scientifique etTechnique de Office International des Epizooties vol 8 pp 733ndash745 1989

[8] D L Knobel S Cleaveland P G Coleman et al ldquoRe-evaluatingthe burden of rabies in Africa and Asiardquo Bulletin of the WorldHealth Organization vol 83 no 5 pp 360ndash368 2005

[9] T Lembo K Hampson M T Kaare et al ldquoThe feasibility ofcanine rabies elimination inAfrica dispelling doubtswith datardquoPLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases vol 4 no 2 article e626 2010

[10] WHOWSPA Guidelines for Dog Population ManagementWorld Health OrganisationWorld Society for the Protectionof Animals WHOZOON90165 World Health OrganizationGeneva Switzerland 1990

[11] PM AkomboDog ecology and epidemiological studies of caninerabies in Benue State Nigeria [MS thesis] Ahmadu BelloUniversity Zaria Nigeria 2009

[12] A D El-Yuguda A A Baba and S S A Baba ldquoDog populationstructure and cases of rabies among dog bite victims in urbanand rural areas of Borno State Nigeriardquo Tropical Veterinarianvol 25 pp 34ndash40 2007

[13] A E J OkohDog ecology with reference to surveillance of rabiesand characterisation of rabies virus in Plateau state Nigeria[PhD thesis] Ahmadu Bello University Zaria Nigeria 1986

[14] E O Ezeokoli and J U Umoh ldquoDog population studiesrdquo ZariyaVeterinarian vol 1 pp 27ndash30 1986

[15] Abia State Government 2012 httpwwwabiastategovng[16] E A Omudu E O Otache and S M Adelusi ldquoStudies on dog

population inMakurdi Nigeriardquo Journal of Research in ForestryWildlife and Environment vol 2 pp 185ndash93 2010

[17] World Health Organization WHO Expert Consultation onRabies First Report WHO Technical Report Series 931 WorldHealth Organization Geneva Switzerland 2004

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ScientificaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Cell BiologyInternational Journal of



Case Reports in Veterinary Medicine


2 Materials and Methods

21 Study Area The study was carried out in Aba Abiastate located in Southeastern Nigeria consisting of two localgovernment areas Aba North and Aba South Aba is a majorurban settlement and commercial centre in a region that issurrounded by small villages and towns Aba is well knownfor its industrial nature manufacturing industries and largescale trading Aba lies between latitudes 5∘071015840N and betweenlongitudes 7∘221015840E With a temperature of about 21∘C theclimate is humid tropical type and is characterized by wet anddry seasons [15]

22 Study Design A cross-sectional study was carried out toevaluate dog ecology in Aba Abia state between April andJune 2013 in Aba North and Aba South local governmentareas (LGAs)

23 Survey Methods Fifty (50) streets in the study area con-sisting of twenty-five (25) streets each in Aba North and AbaSouth LGAs were surveyed using compound questionnairesurvey and street counts A total of 500 households 250 eachin Aba North and Aba South local government area weresurveyed

231 CompoundQuestionnaire Survey of Dogs Starting fromthe 1st major street of each local government area every5th street was surveyed using systematic random samplingtechnique In each chosen street starting from the 1st houseson either side every 10th house was selected and an adultmember on either side was interviewed using questionnaireInformation obtained included household information suchas numbers of dogs in the premises housing and control ofdog movement and history of dog bites and individual doginformation such as breed sex age source of dog sourceof food and vaccination status A total of ten (10) houseswere surveyed in each street chosen Houses without dogsor houses that refused to participate in the compound ques-tionnaire survey were skipped for the next house possessingdog(s)

232 Street Counts Dogs on the street were counted usingthe photographic recapture technique (Beckrsquos method) Thearea surveyed in AbaNorth andAba South LGAswas dividedinto 4 areas determined by the major roads (Faulks road inAba North Okigwe road in Aba North Asa road Aba southin Aba South and Port harcourt road in Aba South) linkingthe streets It involved two street counts on two different daysand the counts were averaged to reduce sampling error Oneach day of the study the counting of dogs was carried outearly in themorning (between 6 and 9 am) and in the evening(530 to 700 pm) Every dog within a given distance wasphotographed and recorded The number of dogs countedin the selected streets in each area was estimated using thefollowing formula

119873 =sum (119872119899)

sum119898 (1)

Table 1 Household information on dog ecology obtained fromrespondents in 500 households in Aba North and Aba South LGAof Abia state (from April to June 2013)

Variable Frequency Percentage()

Enclosure of homeNo fence 66 132Fencewall but does not restrain dogs 115 230Fencewall completely restrain dogs 319 638

Housing of dogsSpecially constructed housecage 368 736On house passage waycorridor 105 210Anywhere on the premises 27 54

Control of dog(s) movementNever allowed to leave premises 464 928Allow to roam freely 36 72

Do you observe stray dogs on your streetYes 112 224No 388 776

Has any member of the household beenbitten by stray dog in the last 12 months

Yes 63 126No 437 874

Do dogs other than yours eat at yourhome

Yes 29 58No 471 942

Total 500 100

where119872 = the number of dogs photographed each time andconsidered ldquomarkedrdquo that is ldquoobservedrdquo 119898 = the numberof dogs recognised as being previously photographed thatis ldquoreobservedrdquo sum119898 = the summation of 119898 to that pointin time 119899 = the total number of dogs previously observedthat is each dayrsquos observations (119872) less than those previouslyobserved (119898) would be added to each day119872119899 = the productof each days119872 and 119899sum(119872119899) = the summation of119872119899 to thatpoint in time and119873 = the population estimate [10]

24 Data Analysis In this study data generated was analysedusing the statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS)Version 170 Data obtained was presented using tables andcharts Chi-square test was used where appropriate to testfor association of variables obtained from the questionnairesValues of 119875 lt 005 were considered significant Oddsratio and adjusted odds ratio using multivariable logisticregression analysis were also utilized

3 Results

In the 500 households surveyed 638 had fenceswalls thatcompletely restrained dogs movement and 23 householdshad fences that donot restrain dogsmovement while 132ofthe households had no fence Most of the households (736)












Total 747 100









4 Discussion





Vaccination status


on OR)


dogs


dogsBreeds of dogs








Total 298 324




5 Conclusion





References

























Microbiology


AnimalsJournal of








Volume 2014



Agronomy







Volume 2014

Zoology



InsectsJournal of




VirusesJournal of

















Total 747 100









4 Discussion





Vaccination status


on OR)


dogs


dogsBreeds of dogs








Total 298 324




5 Conclusion





References

























Microbiology


AnimalsJournal of








Volume 2014



Agronomy







Volume 2014

Zoology



InsectsJournal of




VirusesJournal of








Vaccination status


on OR)


dogs


dogsBreeds of dogs








Total 298 324




5 Conclusion





References

























Microbiology


AnimalsJournal of








Volume 2014



Agronomy







Volume 2014

Zoology



InsectsJournal of




VirusesJournal of









References

























Microbiology


AnimalsJournal of








Volume 2014



Agronomy







Volume 2014

Zoology



InsectsJournal of




VirusesJournal of













Microbiology


AnimalsJournal of








Volume 2014



Agronomy







Volume 2014

Zoology



InsectsJournal of




VirusesJournal of






Documents

Demographic and Ecological Survey of Dog …downloads.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.veterinary.science/...Demographic and Ecological Survey of Dog Population in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria