Table 7—
Lifestyle factors for the dogs of Table 4.
| Lifestyle factor | No. of case dogs* (%) | No. of control dogs† (%) | Unadjusted OR (95% CI) | Adjusted OR‡ (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home area | ||||
| Urban or suburban | 43 (98) | 275 (98) | REF | REF |
| Rural, farm, or ranch | 1 (2) | 6 (2) | 1.1 (0.02–2.5) | 0.98 (0.02–12.2) |
| Water feature§ at home | ||||
| Yes | 9 (21) | 54 (19) | 1.1 (0.5–2.5) | 1.3 (0.54–2.9) |
| No | 33 (79) | 224 (81) | REF | REF |
| Water bowl location | ||||
| Inside home | 38 (88) | 251 (89) | REF | REF |
| Inside and outside home | 2 (5) | 22 (8) | 0.60 (0.07–2.6) | 0.45 (0.05–2.1) |
| Outside home | 3 (7) | 8 (3) | 2.5 (0.4–10.9) | 1.8 (0.28–8.2) |
| Food bowl location | ||||
| Inside home | 41 (95) | 272 (97) | REF | REF |
| Inside and outside home | 0 (0) | 2 (1) | — | — |
| Outside home | 2 (5) | 7 (2) | 1.9 (0.19–10.4) | 1.2 (0.1–7.8) |
| Indoor-outdoor time | ||||
| Always outdoors | 0 (0) | 1 (< 1) | — | — |
| 50% indoors-50% outdoors | 9 (21) | 27 (10) | 17.5 (2.2–803.1) | 13.2 (1.6–636.3)∥ |
| Mostly indoors | 33 (77) | 199 (71) | 8.9 (1.4–370.9) | 7.3 (1.1–315.5)∥ |
| Always indoors | 1 (2) | 54 (19) | REF | REF |
| Location when outdoors¶ | ||||
| Fenced yard | 31 (70) | 222 (79) | 0.63 (0.31–1.3) | 0.66 (0.30–1.4) |
| Leashed walk | 29 (66) | 183 (65) | 1.0 (0.53–2.0) | 0.97 (0.47–2.0) |
| Dog park | 12 (27) | 36 (13) | 2.6 (1.2–5.4) | 1.8 (0.80–4.1) |
| Hiking trail | 1 (2) | 33 (12) | 0.18 (0.004–1.1) | 0.08 (0.002–0.55)∥ |
| Roams outdoors | 2 (5) | 9 (3) | 1.4 (0.15–7.3) | 0.94 (0.09–5.5) |
| Park (other) | 1 (2) | 12 (4) | 0.5 (0.01–3.7) | 0.49 (0.01–3.8) |
| Contact with rodents | 8 (18) | 8 (3) | 7.5 (2.3–24.5) | 7.2 (2.2–23.6) ∥ |
| Contact with livestock | 2 (5) | 4 (1) | 3.3 (0.29–23.6) | 2.5 (0.22–28.5) |
| Contact with wildlife | 4 (9) | 7 (3) | 2.0 (1.04–3.75) | 1.9 (0.94–3.92) |
| Rodents seen inside home | 4 (9) | 8 (3) | 3.5 (1.0–12.0) | 5.1 (1.3–20.7)∥ |
| Rodents seen on property | 19 (44) | 81 (30) | 1.9 (1.9–3.6) | 2.0 (0.96–4.1) |
Denominator varied among lifestyle factors for case dogs: water bowl location, food bowl location (inside or outside) home, indoor-outdoor time, contact with wildlife, rodents seen inside the home, and rodents seen on the property, n = 43; and food bowl location (inside and outside house), 42.
Denominator varied among lifestyle factors for control dogs: a water feature at home and rodents seen inside home, n = 278; contact with livestock, 280; contact with wildlife, 277; and rodents seen on property, 271.
Adjusted for age, body weight, sex, and neuter status.
Included swimming pool.
OR was significantly (P < 0.05) different from 1.0.
Responses were recorded as yes or no; dog owners could select > 1 location.
REF = Reference group for calculation of unadjusted and adjusted ORs.
— = Not determined.