Health

Do you have a beloved dog or cat or perhaps you have another house pet that you want to get insurance for? If so, you're not alone. U.S. pet owners spent more than $1 billion on insurance for their pets in 2018. That is a jump of 23% in money spent on covering pets from previous years.

The CDC does not recommend keeping venomous animals as pets or in household settings. While that seems like commonsense, there are still people who disagree. If you are keeping a venomous animal then it's important you understand the risks, and how to respond if you are bitten or get venom on your skin.

Prior to adopting a new pet, you should evaluate the potential risk of animal carried diseases. Certain people are more susceptible to diseases animals can carry then others, this includes but isn't limited to young children, seniors, individuals with compromised immune systems, and pregnant women.

Not only do pet owners have a responsibility for the care, feeding and general welfare of their pets, they have a responsibility for proper disposal of pet waste.

Anyone who takes medication prescribed for someone else puts themselves at risk of illness or even death - and this applies to your pets, too! Although there are many medications used in both animals and people, the effects, doses needed, and other things aren't always the same.

There are many health benefits of owning a pet. They can increase opportunities to exercise, get outside, and socialize. Regular walking or playing with pets can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels.

Ferrets have become common household pets in the United States, however ferret owners should be aware that although ferrets can make good pets, they can sometimes carry germs. Although rare, germs from ferrets can cause a variety of illnesses in people, ranging from minor skin infections to serious illnesses.

Here are seven (7) tips you can learn to help give your pets a long and healthy life.

Brutus, Duke, Coco, Lola and Jake... they're fairly common pet names, and they're also the names of just a few of the pets who have died because they were left in cars on warm (and not necessarily hot) days while their owners were shopping, visiting friends or family, or running errands. What's so tragic is that these beloved pets were simply the victims of bad judgment.

People attending dog social events can be at risk of zoonotic diseases, which are diseases that spread from animals to people. Some of these diseases can be spread directly from dogs to people, while other diseases may come from the environment where the dog social gathering is taking place.