• Seniors who own dogs go to the doctor less than those who do not. In a study of 100 Medicare patients, even the most highly stressed dog owners in the study has 21 percent fewer physician's contacts than non-dog owners.
• Pet owners have lower blood pressure,lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels than non-owners.
• Companionship of pets (particularly dogs) helps children in families adjust better to the serious illness and death of a parent.
• Pet owners have better psychological well-being.
• Children exposed to pets during the first year of life have a lower frequency of allergic rhintis and asthma.
• Seniors who own pets coped better with stress life events without entering the healthcare system.
• Contact with pets develops nurturing behavior in children who may grow to be more nurturing adults.
• Medication costs dropped from an average of $3.80 per patient per day to just $1.18 per patient per day in new nursing home facilities in New York, Missouri and Texas having animals and plants as an integral part of the environment.
• Pet owners have higher one-year survival rates following coronary heart disease.
• Having a pet may decrease heart attack mortality by 3%. This translates into 30,000 lives saved annually.
• Pet owners have better physical health due to exercise with their pets.
• Dogs are preventative and therapeutic measures against everyday stress.
• Children's cognitive development can be enhanced by owning a pet.
  
• Children owning pets are more involved in activities such as sports, hobbies, clubs, or chores.
• Pet owners feel less afraid of being a victim of crime when walking with a dog or sharing a residence with a dog.
• Positive self-esteem of children is enhanced by owning a pet.
  
• 70% of families surveyed reported an increase in family happiness and fun after getting a pet.

Dogs and cats mature quickly and some may be able to reproduce when
they are as young as six months of age. There are many health and behavior
benefits in having your pet neutered or spayed.

What are some of the behavior problems seen in unneutered pets?

• house soiling, urinating on furniture or other inappropriate places
• persistent barking or meowing
• urge of male dogs to "mount" people's legs
• spraying by tomcats and strong urine odor
• increased tendency to roam
• aggression toward people and other animals
• attraction of males by females in "heat"

Neutering your pet can help curb these behaviors!

What are some of the health benefits of having my pet neutered?

Female Pets:

• Eliminates the problem and risks of pregnancy
• Eliminates the frequent problem of cancer and infection of the uterus later in life
• Decreases the possibility of mammary tumors

Male Pets:

• Reduces the risk of prostate problems and testicular tumors later in life

What are some other benefits of having my pet neutered?

In addition to providing behavior and health benefits, neutering
pets is crucial to decreasing the overpopulation of unwanted dogs and cats---
approximately twenty million unwanted dogs and cats are euthanized each year.

At what age should my pet be spayed or neutered?

Currently most veterinarians recommend that you have your pet neutered
or spayed at six months of age.

Rat Poison

During the winter, we see many cases of animals ingesting rat poison. Most of the cases we see are due to ingestion of anticoagulants (warfarin, brodifacoum) rat poisons. It should be noted that there are actually three general groups of rat poisons.

1. Anticoagulants (warfarin, brodifacoum)
2. bromethalin, a neurotoxin
3. cholecalciferol-containing rodenticides

Pet owners sometimes worry about "getting worms" from pets. It is possible, but the risk is extremely small if you make sure your pet receives proper health care. Furthermore, people can become infected with intestinal parasites (worms) from other people and from eating undercooked meat.

• Very young and old pets


• Pets with a previous history of heat stress


• Overweight pets


• Pets with cardiovascular or respiratory disorders

• Always making sure your pet has access to fresh water


• Never leaving pets in parked vehicles


• Providing adequate ventilation and air circulation when pets are kept in kennels


• Providing access to a shaded area if your pets stays out during the day


• Avoiding strenuous exercise of pets during hot weather

• Excessive panting and salivation


• Vomiting, anxious or staring expression


• High body temperature


• Fast pulse rate


• Muscle weakness or collapse