Changes in Population, Number of Dogs Registered for Rabies Prevention, and Number of Dog–Cat Veterinary Hospitals in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan: Underlying Data for Considering Veterinary Hospital Management during Population Decline

児玉明日香, 中村有加里, 深瀬 徹

Using 15 years of Hiroshima Prefecture administrative data of 2009–2023, we assessed quantitative
fluctuations of population, numbers of households, numbers of dogs registered for rabies prevention, and numbers
of veterinary hospitals mainly treating dogs and cats. The population showed a decrease during the survey period,
except for Hiroshima-shi which is one municipality of the prefecture. In Hiroshima-shi, the population increased
to 2020 and then decreased. Household numbers increased during these years. The numbers of registered dogs did
not fluctuate remarkably in the entirely of the prefecture, but they increased continuously in Hiroshima-shi. The
number of veterinary hospitals continued to increase during the survey period. The population, the number of
households, and the number of registered dogs per veterinary hospital were found to have decreased continuously
during the investigated years. Based on these findings, we propose that veterinary hospitals devote some effort to
establish preventive veterinary medicine for secure management with a declining population and a dog society.

岡山理科大学紀要

第61巻

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