Pet Care Articles

Courtesy of CatChannel.com...
 

According to the Banfield Pet Hospital State of Pet Health 2012 Report, chronic disease in dogs and cats is on the rise. Consequently, or coincidentally, cats came into focus of the prestigious Banfield Pet Industry Summit, held August 14-15 in Portland.
 
Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, director of medicine at Banfield started the conference by noting that cats and also dogs suffer from illnesses that can be prevented. “It’s tragic,” he said. Klausner expressed a concern about a real lack of new knowledge, because relatively few studies are being funded. “This clearly doesn’t bode well for our pets’ future.”
 
Cats are especially hard hit on all ends; for starters, cat veterinary visits continue to decline. Veterinarians can’t treat cats they don’t see, or find disease early, and early detection often yields better results for cats, and less dollars spent by pet owners.
 
On the other side of the paw, research for cats continues to lag far behind dollars spent on studying dog diseases.
 
Bob Rohde, president/CEO of Denver Dumb Friends League suggested that what must come first is to continue to elevate the status of pets. I suggested "awareness" — for the most part, the public is unaware of this problem. Dr. Patricia Olson, chief veterinary advisor for the American Humane Association and past president/CEO Morris Animal Foundation, and several others said if pet owners could check a box as they pay their veterinarian and offer an extra dollar per transaction, millions of dollars would be raised for cat health.
 
Ultimately, millions are needed – particularly for cats.