Caring for Canines: A Survey of Dog Ownership and Parasite Control Practices in Ireland

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Dogs are the most common pet chosen by families. Not only are they fun to be around, but they can even benefit our health by encouraging us to exercise when taking them for a walk. They can also reduce our levels of stress and anxiety by acting as a source of comfort and contact. However, living so closely with an animal comes with certain risks. People can catch a number of diseases from pets. These risks can be minimised with proper care and management of our pet dogs. In this study, we aimed to establish if owners were aware of the risks involved in keeping a pet dog and if they were taking the appropriate steps to minimise their own risk of acquiring an illness from their pet. Our results have shown that the majority of owners do not adhere to recommended parasite control practices. Many owners also do not dispose of their dogs’ faeces correctly, further increasing their infection risk. These results indicate that we, as researchers and veterinarians, need to do a better job educating the public about the risks involved in dog ownership and the simple steps that we can take to minimise those risks. ABSTRACT: Dogs are an important part of life for many people. Dog ownership can confer various health benefits to their owners, but it also presents some risks. In order to establish if dog owners were aware of these risks, an online survey of dog ownership practices was carried out. The survey was open during the month of January 2022 and received 662 responses regarding 850 individual dogs. Overall, 52% of people reported deworming their dog between zero and twice a year, which is unlikely to reduce the risk of infection to humans. The majority of dog owners (71%) reported disposing of faeces correctly; however, when comparing urban and rural environments, 33% of those in rural environments did not dispose of their dogs’ faeces at all, compared with 3% of people in urban locations. People who obtained their dog during the pandemic brought their dog to the vet and dewormed them more frequently than those who obtained their dog before the pandemic. There were no differences in how faeces was disposed of between these groups. These results indicate that we, as researchers and veterinarians, have much work to do in terms of educating dog owners about the ways in which we can reduce the risk of infection to ourselves and our communities.