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Differences in Disaster Preparedness Among Dog and Other Pet Owners in Oporto, Portugal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2021

Zélia Pereira ,
Luís Cardoso  and
Ana Cláudia Coelho Open the ORCID record for Ana Cláudia Coelho [Opens in a new window]
Zélia Pereira
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, Vila Real, Portugal
Luís Cardoso
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, Vila Real, Portugal Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, Vila Real, Portugal
Ana Cláudia Coelho*
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, Vila Real, Portugal Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, Vila Real, Portugal
*
Corresponding Author: Ana Cláudia Coelho, Email: accoelho@utad.pt.
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Abstract

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and practices related to disaster preparedness among pet owners in North Portugal. The present research provides an evaluation of differences among pet owners regarding preparedness in the event of disasters.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenience sample of 155 pet owners between September and November 2018. Subjects were interviewed using a structured questionnaire with items addressing sociodemographic characteristics and questions related to owners’ emergency preparedness and practices.

Results:

In this study, 53.5% of the respondents thought about the possibility of a disaster. Only 21.3% of respondents reported having knowledge on the existence of a disaster kit for pets in case of an emergency. The majority (94.8%) of respondents said they were not aware of the preparedness county-level organization plans. Knowledge and preparedness were found to be significantly higher among dog owners compared with owners of other pet species.

Conclusions:

The results suggest that Portuguese pet owners have inadequate knowledge on how to prepare for inclusion of their pets in a disaster.

Keywords

disasterknowledgeownerspetspreparedness
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 4 , August 2022 , pp. 1490 - 1495
Copyright
© Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2021

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