A study on management practices of rearing pet dogs adopted by veterinarians of Tamil Nadu

Introduction

Dog was the first mammal to be domesticated by humans thousands of years ago. Among various reasons for domestication, the prime reason is companionship. Dogs also thrived the human environment by scavenging (Zhang et al., 2020) [1] . Nowit is estimated that world dog population is around 1 billion (Bryce, 2021) [2] . According to BAHS 2025, the dog population in India is 9.43 million. At present there are only 5 registered native dog breeds in India, namely, Rajapalayam, Chippiparai, Mudhol Hound, Gaddi, Changkhi. There is huge population of non-descript breeds and foreign breeds population in India. Dog population either as companion animal or guarding animal is rapidly growing in India. The management practices of rearing dogs is not so ethical and scientific. The welfare of animal is comprised most of the times. This survey was conducted to give insights on management practices by the veterinarians.

Materials and methods

The study was carried out among veterinarians across Tamil Nadu. The data was collected through questionnaire, direct interview and through phone call from 162 veterinarians. The data of breed, sex and age of the animal, housing, feeding, breeding, health care and animal identification were collected. The data was tabulated and frequency was calculated as per standard statistical methods. The data collected were statistically analysed for frequency and percentage and finally, the rankings were given based on it. The respondents were mostly from rural (63%) area of residence. The majority of the veterinarians have dogs either for companionship (68%) or guarding (31%). Mostly they have either adopted (44%) or purchased (36%) the animal. Among them, non-descript dogs were mostly adopted and foreign breeds were mostly purchased. Almost (70%) of the veterinarians preferred to have male dogs. Majority of owners (78%) onlyone dog and 48%werereared with other species like cattle, sheep and goat. Among them (96%) of the dogs were easy to hand land microchipping was done in dogs in Chennai district were alone. Most of the of the dogs (78%) were housed in and around the house of owner and (21%) were housed in the farm premises where 83% of the dogs were kept free roaming and mostly chained only while taking them out. The always chained dogs were mostly in rural areas in farm reared for guarding purpose. In contrary, Selvakkumar (2021) reported that most of the Rajapalayam dog owners (89.58 per cent) maintain their dog with an individual shelter provision inside their house and (72.92 per cent) of the dog shelter is having concrete cement floor. Also Hedge et al (2009) [5] in Akola city of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra reported that majority of the dog owners kept their dog in a separate house. Most of the dog breeders did not prepare any special food for their dogs/pets. The food was preparing for their home use has been share with dogs. Onlyvery few commercial dog breeders provide small quantity of commercially available branded dog food. Majority of the dog owners fed their dogs with non-vegetarian food (93 p%) for home-made food prepared for humans (52%) and milk and curd ((54%) mostly twice (48%) or thrice (43%) a day. There are 32% of the veterinarians who fed their dog with human snacks and aware of the list of items that are toxic to dogs. The vegetarian diet given dogs were supplemented with micronutrients. Water was made ad libitum by mostly. Stainless steel containers were used mostly for both feeding and watering. 68% cleaned the dog's place daily or on alternate days. The results of the present study are in similar with Selvakkumar, (2021) and Sawaimul et al., (2009) [6] . The results of the present study are in contrast with Hedge et al (2009) [5] who reported that majority of dog owners (89%) offered mix feed (Veg and Non-veg) 3 to 4 times in a day. The dogs in rural areas that are aggressive were not dewormed or vaccinated. In urban areas the dog owners are well aware about vaccination and deworming schedule (48%) of the dog were bathed weekly once and (60%) chemicals were not used for cleaning. In this survey it was observed that (75%) the dogs vaccinate regularly against Anti-Rabies vaccine. The deworming is being practiced regularly (65%) and remaining only during the free health or vaccination campaign organized by the state animal husbandry department or by local voluntary organizations. Majority (70%) of the veterinarians don't allow their dogs for mating. 86% of the animals were not sterilised. The results of the present study in-terms of Anti-rabies vaccination are in agreement with finding of Sawaimul et al., 2009 [6] . In this study, management practices of dogs reared in urban area were similar to Athilakshmy et al., (2020) [4] .

Results and Discussion

Conclusion

The survey conducted in Tamil Nadu revealed that dogs are primarily reared for companionship and farm guarding. However, welfare concerns such as continuous chaining and inadequate management practices were observed, which may negatively affect the physical and mental well-being of dogs and increase the risk of human-animal conflicts. Therefore, improving dog owners' knowledge of scientific dog rearing, welfare-friendly housing, nutrition, healthcare, and behaviour management is essential. Extension and awareness programs should be implemented to promote responsible dog

References

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