Assessment of the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Dog Owners on Rabies in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Rabies is an acute viral zoonotic disease that affects all warm-blooded animals. Its constant evaluation of the perception of the public is essential. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and practices of dog owners on rabies in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. This was achieved by administering 150 structured questionnaires to dog owners, breeders and hunters in the study area using face to face interviews. The data collected were analysed using SPSS version 21. Dog owners with more than 3 dogs (13.3%) and those with one dog (50.7%) had the highest (80%) and least (47.4%) rabies vaccination rates respectively. Dogs kept for both breeding and security (18%) were vaccinated more than those kept for (74.1%) other reasons. Lhasa apso and local breeds were the highest (100%) and least (14.3%) vaccinated dogs in the study. Dogs < 1 year (30.7%) and those >6 years (0.7%) recorded (65.2%) and (0%) current rabies vaccination status respectively, while 90% and 72.6% of the respondents knew about rabies and its transmission to man respectively, only 58.7% had updated rabies vaccination for their dogs. Although 56% of the dog owners in this study rightly indicated how rabies is transmitted, 16% and 64.7% didn’t know how humans contract the disease and the clinical presentations in dogs respectively. Most (35.6%) respondents that didn’t have up to date vaccinations for their dogs didn’t have cogent reasons for failing to do so. Dog owners that were not knowledgeable about pre-exposure rabies vaccination were 58.7% while only 7.3 % of them had received previous shots of the vaccine. Dog bite experience was recorded in 78% of the respondents while only 20.7% of the 82.7% that claimed to know what to do when bitten by a dog identified the right course of action. Most (69.3%) respondents however indicated they would seek medical help at the government hospital (40%) if bitten by a rabid dog. The result of this study showed that there is some knowledge gap in the knowledge of rabies among stakeholders in the study area. Periodic mass rabies awareness campaigns to improve the perception of the disease in the study area is indicated.