Assessment of Dog Owners’ Knowledge on Dog Rabies Vaccination in Rural Communities in Ogun State, Nigeria

A cross sectional study was designed to assess knowledge of dog owners towards dog rabies vaccination in rural communities in Odeda local government area of Ogun State. A structured questionnaire was administered to 268 dog owners. The questionnaire sought information on demographic characteristics of the dog owners, their association with dogs, and knowledge about dog rabies vaccine. Data obtained were analyzed using chi square and logistic regression with p value set at ≤ 0.05. Dog rabies vaccination coverage in the study area was 4.9%. Most of the respondents (67.2%) were not aware of dog rabies vaccine. Only 3% of the dog owners had good knowledge about rabies vaccination. Socio-economic factors that had significant association with knowledge level were age, occupation, educational level and marital status of the respondents. There was also significant association between age, religion, occupation, educational level, awareness on dog rabies vaccination, knowledge about dog rabies vaccination, danger posed by non vaccinated dogs to the public and other animals and the intention of dog owners to vaccinate their dogs against rabies. One hundred and eighty seven respondents (70%) declared their intention to vaccinate their dogs, although 82% affirmed willingness to pay for vaccination of their dogs against rabies; however the average amount indicated was only ₦200.00 ($0.57). In conclusion, it is free vaccination of dogs against rabies with an aggressive mass orientation on responsible dog ownership and enlightenment on fatality of clinical rabies through the mass media that can significantly alter the vaccination coverage in the studied community Key words: Rabies, vaccination, dogs, rural communities, intention