Demographics and health care profiles of dogs and cats associated with the socioeconomic profile of their tutors in areas assisted by Family Health Strategies in Brazil

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the demographic and healthcare situation of dogs and cats owned by families assisted by the Family Health Strategy (FHS), from Santa Maria/RS, Brazil. This research was a cross-sectional and population-based study developed by applying a questionnaire to residents in the 16 FHS areas of the city. This was the first study addressing pet animal conditions in the FHS area. A total of 414 households were studied, and 88.5% of them had pets (dogs and/or cats), with an average of 2.2 dogs and 0.8 cats per household. Only 18.4% (228/1.241) of the animals were sterilized (dogs, 15.1% [135/891]; cats, 26.7% [93/348]). When considering the number of dogs, households with one resident had fewer dogs than households with two or more residents (p=0.006). The level of education and family income were not associated with the number of animals (p>0.001). However, higher levels of education and family income were associated with the sterilization of dogs, veterinary monitoring, vaccination, and treatment of ectoparasites in dogs and cats (p