{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,16]],"date-time":"2026-03-16T21:16:27Z","timestamp":1773695787019,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,17]],"date-time":"2025-09-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758067200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Free-roaming dogs pose risks to human, animal, and environmental health, through zoonotic disease transmission, contribution to parasite life cycles, and predation on vulnerable species. Sterilization campaigns are a common method to reduce free-roaming dog populations. A questionnaire was developed to assess the attitudes and practices of dog owners in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico, regarding pet ownership and access to veterinary care. The primary reasons for owning dogs were companionship and protection, and the most common barriers to care reported were cost and access. The professionalism, knowledge, and communication of veterinarians was rated highly, suggesting veterinarians are a trusted source of information and should play an important role in education efforts around zoonotic diseases and animal care, including population management. Short-term sterilization campaigns are effective at reducing free-roaming dog populations and have demonstrated benefits to local wildlife species through reducing predation. These campaigns, however, do not create sustainable change on their own; building local veterinary surgical capacity is an important need in rural Oaxaca.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2025.1644080","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,17]],"date-time":"2025-09-17T14:53:41Z","timestamp":1758120821000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Attitudes of pet owners in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico, towards pet ownership and access to care"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Rachael","family":"Schulte","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guillermo","family":"Arcega Castillo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Melinda J.","family":"Wilkins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.22201\/fmvz.24486760e.2022.1001","article-title":"Use of an extrapolation method to estimate the population of cats and dogs living at homes in Mexico in 2022","volume":"9","author":"Pe\u00f1a-Corona","year":"2022","journal-title":"Veterinaria M\u00e9xico OA"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"617","DOI":"10.1590\/S0037-86822003000500013","article-title":"Contamina\u00e7\u00e3o ambiental por ovos e larvas de helmintos em fezes de c\u00e3es na \u00e1rea central do Balne\u00e1rio Cassino, Rio Grande do Sul","volume":"36","author":"Scaini","year":"2003","journal-title":"Rev Soc Bras Med Trop"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.2752\/175303712X13240472427555","article-title":"Perceptions of village dogs by villagers and tourists in the coastal region of rural Oaxaca, Mexico","volume":"25","author":"Ruiz-Izaguirre","year":"2012","journal-title":"Anthrozo\u00f6s"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"164324","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2023.164324","article-title":"On the causes and consequences of the free-roaming dog problem in southern Chile","volume":"891","author":"Silva-Rodr\u00edguez","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sci Total Environ"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"261","DOI":"10.2752\/089279307X224809","article-title":"A survey of dog populations in urban and rural areas of Yucatan","volume":"20","author":"Ortega","year":"2024","journal-title":"Mexico ResearchGate"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.2752\/089279395787156356","article-title":"Demographics of the owned dog population in Miacatlan, Mor. 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