Study finds owners are humanizing their pets more and moreOctober 28, 2019Thinking about moving to the beach because your dog loves water? You're not alone. A new survey finds a pets-are-people-too mentality is influencing marketing and retail trends.
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Program funds pets' positive impact on learningOctober 22, 2019Thousands of children across North America will soon benefit from having pets in their classrooms, thanks to PetSmart.
Service dogs may help children with ASDSeptember 23, 2019Researchers at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine are set to evaluate the therapeutic effects of service dogs on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Human-animal bond the focus of National Pet WeekMay 6, 2019In honor of National Pet Week, the Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) is reminding veterinarians to advise their clients to cherish the human-animal bond and to embrace responsible pet ownership. National Pet Week runs from May 6 to May 12 and this year's theme is a "Lifetime of Love—The basics: Seven days to a happier, healthier pet." Each day is dedicated to a specific pet-related topic: May 6 emphasizes the importance of selecting pets that mesh well with people's lifestyles and making a firm commitment to caring for pets May 7 encourages pet owners to socialize their companion animals early and prep them for various interactions with places, activities, animals, and people May 8 urges pet owners and their pets to engage in regular exercise May 9 recommends regular visits to the veterinarian May 10 celebrates the human-animal bond May 11 provides tips for developing emergency kits for unexpected incidents, such as natural disasters May 12 summarizes the week's advice TVMA says its goal for this week is to remind pet owners to give pets' a lifetime of love and improve their quality and length of life by taking them in for regular veterinary exams and by providing regular …
Zoetis becomes first Human-Animal Bond-certified companyMay 3, 2019Zoetis is the first company to become Human-Animal Bond certified. More than two dozen company employees completed the program, and were taught the science behind the human-animal bond. The employees were also shown how this science supports the practice of veterinary medicine. The certification program was created by the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI). "For years, Zoetis has been a leading advocate of the bond between humans and animals, and we are honored to have earned this important certification," says Zoetis Petcare marketing executive director, J. Michael McFarland, DVM, DABVP, chair of the HABRI board of trustees. "Veterinarians play a key role in strengthening the relationship between animals and people, and Zoetis is committed to helping them, their clients, and the animals they care for experience the benefits of the human-animal bond." In its first year, more than 500 professionals have signed up for this certification, which offers 22 hours of RACE-approved continuing education credit. Zoetis also developed educational resources related to the program for its own employees, for the veterinary community, and for pet owners. "With its long-term commitment to funding human-animal bond research, education, professional development, and programming, Zoetis …
Five trends in pet medical insuranceApril 3, 2019The human-animal bond is evolving, and pet parents want their canine and feline family members to live longer, healthier lives. As human life expectancy and quality increase, we want our loyal companions with us well into their/our senior years, because, let's face it, those years come far too soon. Veterinary medicine, in parallel with human medicine, has advanced leaps and bounds over the years. As a result, veterinarians can now routinely detect and treat disease before clinical signs of illness ever appear. Pet parents are expecting and demanding their pets are treated as family. But more often than not, budgeting is problematic. With human-quality medicine comes the cost of care for advanced, though, routinely available diagnostics, such as digital X-rays, ultrasound, and blood chemistry analysis. Yet, six out of 10 Americans don't have $500 in savings for an unplanned expense.1 The widespread budgeting challenge became even more evident for federal workers (including veterinarians) with the government shutdown earlier this year. Many pet owners and veterinarians are quickly realizing quality medical insurance can help fill the financial gap so their pets can have access to the treatments recommended by their trusted family veterinarian. Yet, just as the human-animal bond is evolving, …
Can The Pet Effect play a role in practice success?March 22, 2018Zoetis has released two new videos as part of The Pet Effect, an educational campaign to raise awareness of pets' positive health benefits for humans, and how, by extension, veterinary professionals are key contributors to public health. To help publicize The Pet Effect, Zoetis has partnered with the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI). "The Pet Effect aims to put veterinarians at the center of the conversation with pet owners and potential pet owners about how human and pet health are connected," said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, DABVP, executive director, Zoetis Petcare Marketing. "As a HABRI co-founder, Zoetis firmly supports human-animal bond research, and we hope these videos and new research results will help spread the word of the physical and emotional benefits of pet ownership." Who saved who? The Pet Effect campaign has assembled scientific evidence that demonstrates how pets improve heart health, alleviate depression, increase well-being, support child health and development, and contribute to healthy aging, as well as assist in treating a range of conditions from autism spectrum disorder to Alzheimer's disease to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The campaign videos, Comrade and Adopt a Human, portray two situations in which pets can positively affect …
Human behaviors may increase dog bite risk, study findsFebruary 13, 2018In an observational survey study of almost 700 individuals in the U.K., those who experience greater levels of anxiety, irritability, and depression may be at greater risk of being bitten by either a strange dog or one in the home. The findings were published online this month in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Previous research has shown that most bites come from dogs that are familiar; 55 percent of the bites in this study came from unfamiliar dogs. According to lead author Carri Westgarth, Ph.D., Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at the University of Liverpool, Cheshire, U.K., although the latter finding was surprising, the real significance lies in the personality finding. "This has never been reported before, and I wasn't even really looking for that," said Westgarth. "But to me, how we behave regarding our health is likely to be influenced by our personality." More research is needed to see whether the results can be replicated using "a more detailed measure of personality," she added. Annually, about 9,500 U.S. citizens are hospitalized due to dog bite injuries, according to "Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Stays Involvind Dog Bites," Laurel Holmquist, M.A. and Anne Elixhauser, Ph.D., …
