Bait acceptability for delivery of oral rabies vaccine to free-ranging dogs on the Navajo and Hopi Nations.
In many areas of the world, only 30 to 50% of dogs are vaccinated against rabies. On some US Indian Reservations, vaccination rates may be as low as 5 to 20%. In 2003 and 2004, we evaluated the effectiveness of commercially available baits to deliver oral rabies vaccine to feral and free-ranging dogs on the Navajo and Hopi Nations. Dogs were offered one of the following baits containing a plastic packet filled with placebo vaccine: vegetable shortening-based Ontario slim baits (Artemis Technologies, Inc.), fish-meal-crumble coated sachets (Merial, Ltd.), dog food polymer baits (Bait-Tek, Inc.), or fish meal polymer baits (Bait-Tek, Inc.). One bait was offered to each animal and its behaviour toward the bait was recorded. Behaviours included: bait ignored, bait swallowed whole, bait chewed and discarded (sachet intact), bait chewed and discarded (sachet punctured), or bait chewed and consumed (sachet punctured). Bait acceptance ranged from 30.7% to 77.8% with the fish-meal-crumble coated sachets having the highest acceptance rate of the tested baits.
Bergman
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Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, United States Department of Agriculture, Phoenix, Arizona 85021, USA. David.L.Bergman@aphis.usda.gov
Bender
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S
Wenning
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Slate
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Rupprecht
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Heuser
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C
DeLiberto
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T
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011818:Rabies / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D011819:Rabies Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014481:United States; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*
D011819:Rabies Vaccines