Universidade Estadual Paulista, Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária
Abstract
Currently, responsible ownership of pets has been widely discussed. In the past, they were brought to our society and it is our duty nowadays to establish this relationship between man and animal. This study aimed at evaluating the level of knowledge of elderly dog owners about responsible ownership with emphasis on control of canine visceral leishmaniasis and at the same time make them aware of the precautions to be taken. An individual questionnaire on the subject was applied to 68 elderly people. They all belong to Nossa Senhora Aparecida Village, located on the suburb of Araçatuba-SP. Along with the interview, veterinary students advised them on the control of canine visceral leishmaniasis, the importance of sterilization in cats and dogs and the responsible ownership, with distribution of informative leaflets. Fecal samples from dogs were collected by the owners and they were sent to the Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases at Odontology Faculty at Araçatuba UNESP to be processed through the Willis-Mollay technique. Anthelmintic were acquired in the project and donated for the treatment of animals tested positive. 56.25% (63/112) out of the total number of dogs examined were females, aged between one and ten years. Only 32.14% (36/112) had access to the streets, 90.18% (101/112) were not castrated and 58% (65/112) were mixed breed (SRD). Among the owners, 88.24% (60/68) did not know what zoonosis is and 14.71% (10/68) were not aware what leishmaniasis is. Regarding the researched animals, 62.50% (70/112) had ectoparasites (fleas and ticks). It was also observed that 67.86% (76/112) of dogs had been dewormed, but in 59.82% (36/112) of cases, the intervals between these processes were irregular. For females, 85.71% (54/63) had no prevention heat and it was noted that 19.51% (8 / 41) had already given birth, had dystocia. With these data we can confirm the lack of information by these elderly and the need to establish community awareness and continued programs
