Demographic and Perception Studies of a Mobile Application among Dog Breeders and Owners

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology is, today, an integral part of our daily world. However, despite the wide use of this technology elsewhere, it has only recently been adopted for engagement in veterinary services, especially in India. It was in this context that an application for dog breeders and owners was developed, and their perceptions about various aspects of the application were assessed, as well as the possible use and impact that veterinary applications could have in improving veterinarian client management. The present investigation was exploratory in nature and conducted with dog breeders and owners from four districts of Kerala. After due consultation with prominent veterinarians and scientists, prioritisation of the contents was followed. The contents were vetted, compiled, and the data was fed to a native mobile application. A sample (n = 40) of dog breeders/owners was chosen from the four districts. Along with telephonic follow-ups, APK (Android Package) and Google form questionnaires were mailed to the dog owners/ breeders. The breeders/owners were mostly young, educated males who had access to and were comfortable using a smartphone. The 'VetCan' mobile application was mainly reported to have an average engagement, was highly functional, possessed pleasant aesthetics, and contained highly informational content.

Keywords

• Dog breeder; Mobile phone; Android Package file; perception study; Kerala