Tenencia de animales de compañía y conocimiento de zoonosis en Bambamarca (Cajamarca, Perú)

The aim of this study was to describe the ownership of pets and knowledge of zoonoses among residents in the district of Bambamarca – Cajamarca, Peru, in 2022. In total, 394 surveys were carried out, 30.5% in the urban area (Bambamarca city) and 69.5% in the rural area (Llaucán, San Juan de Lacamaca, Chala and El Tuco). Of those surveyed, 54.8% were female, 20.8% had completed secondary school and the average age was 39.9 years. Besides, 58.4 and 35.5% of interviewees claimed to own dogs and cats, respectively. The person: dog ratio was 4:1 and person: cat was 6.7: 1; 45.2% of dog owners raised them as pets and 45% of cat owners raised them as rodent pest controllers; 67.9% of the dogs were males and 50.5% of the cats were females. The rate of sterilized animals was less than 4% in both species. In the case of dogs, 54.1% walked without restriction and 31.7% of cats were classified as «outdoor»; 50.3% of dog owners and 69.5% of cat owners mentioned performing internal deworming, and 45 and 61.5%, respectively, performed external deworming on a regular basis (at least every 3 months). Moreover, 58% of dogs and 12.8% of cats were reported to have been vaccinated against rabies in the last year. Ignorance of the meaning of the term zoonosis reached 95.4% of those surveyed; however, 90.4% said they knew that animals could transmit diseases to people, the most recognized being rabies (69.8%). It is concluded that it is necessary to develop health education campaigns so that pet owners develop responsible ownership and thus avoid negative impacts on public health and animal welfare.