On occasion we find articles that are interesting that we want to share with our clients, please visit often for new information!Every three minutes a dog or cat is killed in the Metroplex (an average of 200,000 healthy animals per year.)

DID YOU KNOW?

• A female cat can have her first litter of kittens at five months.
• One female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats in 7 years.
• One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in 6 years
• One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in 6 years.
• Severe dog attacks on people are more likely to be done by unaltered dogs.
• Many pet behavior problems (house soiling, marking, spraying, persistent barking/meowing, roaming, escaping, fighting with other pets, biting humans or other pets, bleeding and other issues that go along with female pets being in heat) can be eliminated by a simple spay/neuter.
• Large numbers of purebred animals are destroyed every year in pounds and shelters. It is cruel to bring one more litter, even a purebred litter, into the world as long as we are killing so many healthy animals on a daily basis.
• The cost to US taxpayers every year to impound, shelter, kill, and dispose of unwanted animals is about $2 billion.
• The majority of animals killed every year are young and healthy. Millions of dogs and cats are killed by cars and hundreds of thousands are abandoned, severely neglected, or abused.

Why is flea and tick prevention so important?

Fleas and ticks are tiny pests that can cause big problems, and the damage isn’t just skin deep. Animals can ingest fleas containing tapeworm eggs, which then hatch in their intestines. In a flea-ridden area, the same thing can happen to a child.

Ticks can also carry a variety of diseases, including Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Ehrlichiosis.

Risks vary by region, but Mike Paul, Executive Director of the Companion Animal Parasite Council says no risk is acceptable, so pet owners should be vigilant about flea and tick control.

Paul states, “what we’re trying to do is to get people to say, ‘well, not in my back yard,’ you know, and to keep their pets clean and their yards clean and make sure that their kids stay healthy.”

– Dr. Andrea Looney, DVM for the “Purina® Animal Instincts” Podcast Series

We thought this was very funny! We hope you enjoy! 

This is one for the "What were they thinking?" file.

Jun 15, 2010 VETERINARY ECONOMICS