National Pet Week® Celebrations Urge Americans to ‘Celebrate Healthy Pets’

Veterinarians are urging Americans to “Celebrate Healthy Pets” during this year’s National Pet Week, held May 4-10. National Pet Week, which falls on the first full week of May, was established in 1981 by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Auxiliary to the AVMA to celebrate the pets in our lives and promote responsible pet ownership.

“Our pets rely on us for just about everything,” said AVMA President Dr. Clark Fobian. “In addition to food and love, our pets need annual checkups, proper nutrition, dental care, exercise, fun, and even a plan for when disaster strikes.”

In the most recent AVMA U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook, 53.9 percent of cat owners and 48.6 percent of dog owners reported that they did not take their pet to the veterinarian, indicating they felt no need to do so because the animals were not sick or injured.

“Waiting for your pet to show signs of illness can waste valuable time,” said Dr. Fobian. “Because pets often hide symptoms of illness, regular check-ups are vital to catching potential health problems early. Not only can early treatment mean better results for your pet, it can also save money in the long run.”

To go along with this year’s National Pet Week theme of “Celebrate Healthy Pets,” those in the 74.1 million U.S. households with pets can show the world what is unique and wonderful about their animals by:

1. Changing their Facebook profile pictures to pictures of their pets;
2. Sharing their pets’ pictures and stories on the AVMA National Pet Week Facebook page;
3. Nominating their favorite veterinarian to be named America’s Favorite Veterinarian beginning May 5 at www.americasfavoriteveterinarian.org;
4. Viewing and sharing the National Pet Week video;
5. Scheduling an annual checkup for their pets.

Remember, a healthy pet is a happy pet. To learn more about keeping your pets happy and healthy, visit the AVMA’s website or petweek.org.

Posted by chesliepickett on May 5 2014. Filed under Featured, Health & Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.