Lloyd, Janice (2019) A One Health/One Welfare approach to dog ownership in rural and remote Indigenous communities. In: Proceedings of the One Welfare Conference II. 15. pp. 44-47. From: One Welfare Conference II, 14-15 October 2019, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

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Abstract

Dogs and dingoes are an integral part of many Australian Indigenous cultures. However, similar to human health and welfare, animal health and welfare in Indigenous communities can be far below the standards seen in non-Indigenous populations. The reasons for this are multi-factorial and include remoteness, lack of funds/resources and lack of education/awareness programs. Poor standards of dog health and welfare also affect people – physically, by increasing the risk of some zoonotic diseases, and mentally, through worry and shame about the animal's state (Constable et al. 2008).

More recently, Smout et al concluded that dogs pose a significant public health risk and act as reservoirs for hookworm (2017a) and human scabies (2017b) in some Aboriginal communities. Smout et al. (2017b, p. 500) recommendation that sarcoptic mange must be controlled in dogs to successfully mitigate the effects of scabies in Indigenous communities differs significantly from current public health policy, and may have substantial implications for human and dog health.

A study that evaluated a teaching resource package (entitled 'Be a Friend to Your Dog') developed by Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities (AMRRIC) to build the capacity of people to care for their dogs and to stay safe around them (Lloyd 2018) supports the findings of Constable et al (2008) in that although knowledge of animal health and welfare issues by community members was high, it was restricted to areas that were empirically evident and little was known of less apparent zoonotic risks such as some gastrointestinal conditions and parasitic infections. In light of this and Smout et al. (2017a,b) findings, Lloyd (2018) concludes that a One Health/One Welfare approach to improving human and animal health and welfare in rural and remote Indigenous communities would be beneficial. This would require a multifaceted approach involving raising public awareness of the major issues and their possible solutions though appropriate community education, as well as improving accessibility of veterinary services at the local level.

Item ID:	60745
Item Type:	Conference Item (Scholarly Work)
ISBN:	978-0-909973-00-1
Keywords:	dog health; Indigenous; education; One Health; One Welfare
Date Deposited:	05 Feb 2020 04:03
FoR Codes:	13 EDUCATION > 1399 Other Education > 139999 Education not elsewhere classified @ 20% 07 AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY SCIENCES > 0707 Veterinary Sciences > 070799 Veterinary Sciences not elsewhere classified @ 30% 11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111701 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health @ 50%
SEO Codes:	92 HEALTH > 9203 Indigenous Health > 920301 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health - Determinants of Health @ 50% 93 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 9399 Other Education and Training > 939901 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education @ 50%
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