|
News>
Pet Experts Announce Healthiest Cities For Pets
July 8, 2004
A new study reveals which U.S. cities are top dogs when it
comes to pet health.
The study, conducted by the Purina Pet Institute,
ranked those cities that exemplify superior care, services
and legislation for pets' health and well-being. It
analyzed 30 different criteria ranging from
veterinarian-to-pet ratios to incidence of obesity to
rabies legislation. The top five Pet Healthiest Cities are:
1. Denver, Colo.
2. Oakland, Calif.
3. Portland, Ore.
4. Anaheim, Calif.
5. San Francisco, Calif.
"This is the only comprehensive evaluation of factors
that impact pets' health and affect their quality of life,"
said Dan Christian, DVM, executive director of the Purina
Pet Institute.
The data revealed that pet obesity/body condition and
preventative care are major issues. According to
veterinarians surveyed, more than half of the nation's cats
and dogs are overfed, which can lead to health problems. An
unprecedented 14-year Purina study proved that feeding dogs
properly throughout their lifetime to maintain ideal body
condition can significantly extend their healthy years.
Other significant results:
• Cats and dogs in San Francisco can claim clean lungs-the
city has the lowest cigarette usage in the report and
boasts zero annual ozone alert days.
• New York City and Oakland scored highest for percentage
of dogs neutered (83 percent) and New York City tied with
San Jose for highest percentage of cats neutered (86
percent).
• In the body condition category, New Orleans scored
highest for percentage of dogs at ideal body weight (50
percent) and Nashville took top score for percentage of
cats at ideal body weight (50 percent).
• Columbus, Ohio leads the country in the
veterinarian-to-pet ratio with one veterinarian for every
745 pets.
While it is important to understand the environmental
elements that affect a pet's health-such as the
availability of qualified care, the prevalence of fleas or
the requirements of licensing-there are many things
individual pet owners can do to help improve their pet's
health.
"The things pet owners control -obesity, preventative care,
spaying and neutering-can literally add, or detract,
healthy years from a pet's life," said Christian.
Pet enthusiasts can log on to www.purina.com to find out
more about the report and what they can do for their own
pet's health. enne, a Border Collie from the Denver Dumb
Friends League, shows off Purina's Pet Healthiest City
award.
|
|
|
