ACCEPTANCE OF CANDIDATE BAITS BY DOMESTIC DOGS FOR DELIVERY OF ORAL RABIES VACCINES

Protocols for evaluating oral rabies vaccine baits for domestic dogs w ere field tested in central Mexico, after which dog-food manufacturers and suppliers to the pet-food industry were advised as to potential i ngredients for use in prototype dog baits. Bait-preference trials in w hich confined dogs were used were then undertaken, followed by field t ests of free-ranging farmer-owned dogs in three towns in the Nile Rive r Delta region of Egypt. Both confined and free-ranging dogs showed st rong preferences for certain baits or bait coatings (poultry, beef tal low, cheese, egg and a proprietary product). Fish-meal polymer baits, widely used for wildlife species, were less preferred. In Egypt, a com mercial dog-food-meal bait coated with beef tallow and dry cheese was consumed at a rate approaching that of a chicken-head bait. The percen tage baits that were actually eaten after they had been offered to dog s, ranged from 71-96% for household dogs tested in Mexico, 65-91% for confined dogs (beagles and mixed breeds) tested in the United States, and 32-88% for farmer-owned dogs tested in Egypt.