Abstract
A questionnaire on animal breeding and sanitary control of facilities was conducted at 147 pet shops in Kanagawa Prefecture. The following results were obtained.
1. Eighty-two (55.8%) pet shops responded. Of those, 57 sell dogs and cats, and 25 do not. We only analysed the data of the 57 pet shops for the other 25 were inadequate. In the 57 pet shops, 35.1% sell mammals other than dogs and cats, 54.4% sell birds and 8.8%, reptiles.
2. In the 57 pet shops, 24.6% specialized in animals sales and 75.4% other forms of business such as trimming or lodging.
3. The mean number of workers, including shop owners and employee, in 57 shops was 2.6. In most (78.9%) shops, they had a license for animal treatment. A breakdown of the licensed worker, expressed by percentage of shops, was as follows : trimmers, 59.6% ; pet care advisers, 35.1% ; handlers, 14.0%; veterinarians, 8.8%; others, 8.8%.
4. The main problems of the sanitary control were that facilities could not prevent the entry of harmful insects or rats, and containers for waste matter were not adequate ; workers often did not disinfect their hands, or change clothes when they work.
5. The shops with licensed workers had sanitary facilities and better breeding animals than those without such workers. Shop owners should thus employ licenced workers to ensure high standard at pet shops.
