Practices and Concerns of Castration of Dogs in Nigeria

Abstract

This study evaluated the practices and concerns regarding castration, and level of awareness of Nigerian Veterinarians on alternatives to surgical castration in dogs. Questionnaires were distributed to one hundred veterinarians during the 2012 annual Veterinary Association Conference. The questionnaire comprised of the demography of respondents, record of castration performed, practice of castration, complications associated with castration and awareness on alternative castration methods. Descriptive statistics comprising frequency table, cross tabs and chi square test were used to analyze data. Ninety five (95) of the questionnaires were completed and returned. Majority of respondents (52.1 percent) had postgraduate qualifications, worked in mixed practices (58.7 percent) and have been in practice for less than ten years (64.2 percent). Castration is often done in mixed breeds of dogs (42.7 percent) and for elective reasons (84.3 percent). Surgical method (95.6 percent) is the major method used for castration. Surgical castrations are done using sedation and local anaesthesia (91.0 percent), while majority of respondent do administer analgesics (54.5 percent) and antibiotics (89.9 percent) after castration. Scrotal swelling (27. 6 percent) and scrotal mutilation (11.5 percent) are the most frequently reported complications following castration. Majority of respondents (67.4 percent) are aware of alternative castration methods, however only few (9.7 percent) have used alternative methods before. In addition, majority of respondent (68.4 percent) are willing to adopt non-surgical castration. Level of education, number of years in practice and type of practice did not significantly (P> 0.05) influence castration method, frequency of complication and awareness of alternative castration method. The results of this study showed that most veterinarians prefer surgical castration and complications associated with surgical castration is minimal.

Keywords: Concern, Practice, Castration, Veterinarians, Alternative, Dogs