Pet Ownership and Parasitic Infections in Companion Animals in Selected Communities in Southern Ghana

Abstract

In Ghana, companion animals such as dogs are rarely given medical treatment and thus serve as reservoirs of zoonotic diseases. The close relationship of dogs and horses with humans poses risk of zoonoses. Identifying the factors that affect dog ownership and infections in dogs and horses is useful for provision of veterinary services and reducing risk of human infections. A cross sectional study was conducted to identify factors that affect dog ownership and to evaluate the factors that affect helminth infections in dogs and horses in Ghana. Using coprological, haematological and interviewing techniques, 428 dogs, 78 horses and their owners or handlers were studied. It was found out that gender, reason for keeping dogs, occupation and religion influenced dog ownership (p ˂ 0.001). The prevalence of helminth infections in dogs was 66.6%. Ancylostoma caninum (39.5%), Toxocara (40%), Dipylidium caninum (26.2%) were the zoonotic helminths identified in the study. Spirocerca lupi (3.0%) was the only helminth that was not known to be zoonotic. A chi-square analysis suggested that deworming status was significantly associated with helminth infection in dogs (p ˂ 0.001). The prevalence of Babesia spp. in dogs was 7.7%. It was found that 69.4% of dog owners never dewormed their dogs and 89.7% of respondents knew rabies as a canine zoonosis. However, none of the respondents were aware of any helminthozoonoses or protozoonoses. The prevalence of helminth infections in horses was 39.7%. The helminths identified in horses were Parascaris (32.9%), Strongyle-type eggs (26.0%) and Trichostrongylus (8.2%). Inherent factors such as age, sex and breed were not statistically associated with helminth infection in horses (p ˃ 0.05). The prevalence of Babesia spp. in horses was 11.0%. None of the stable keepers were aware of any equine-related zoonoses. It is concluded that gender, religion, occupation and reasons for keeping dog were significant factors that may influence dog ownership. Deworming status was also a significant factor associated with helminth infection in dogs. The difference in proportion of dog owners based on factors such as gender, religion could be influenced by the high number of male heads in Ghanaian households and religious or socio-cultural beliefs. Variations in parasite prevalence could possibly reflect differences in pet management practices, parasite and host species, anthelminthic treatment, local climatic conditions and possibly, diagnostic techniques. Based on the limited knowledge of respondents on zoonoses, integrative approaches on creating public awareness on zoonoses, and management of companion animals is recommended to protect the health of dogs and humans.