Guarda responsável de animais de estimação na área urbana do município de Pelotas, RS, Brasil

Résumé 0

"The study sought to estimate the pres - ence of cats and dogs in households in the urban area of the city and assess responsible guardian - ship and associated factors. A population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted using the multi-stage sampling process and the census sectors of the demographic census of the year 2010 carried out by IBGE were used as conglomerates. The unit under study was the household. The outcome was responsible guardianship, defined by a score that took into account the following variables: steril - ization, anti-rabies vaccination, veterinary med - ical consultation, control of endoparasites, access of animals to public areas, control of ectoparasites and the collection of feces of animals in public ar - eas. Of the 1,558 households investigated, 58.9% had pets (cat or dog). The study reveals that the score of responsible guardianship increases with the education level of the head of the household and is highest among apartment dwellers. The majority of the households investigated met only half of the criteria. The results of this study point to the need for public policies that instruct the population on responsible guardianship, and that offer immunizations and sterilization services for animals."