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Basics

• Summary
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

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• Related Issues
• Specifics

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• Journal Articles

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Summary

Pets can add fun, companionship and a feeling of safety to your life. Before getting a pet, think carefully about which animal is best for your family. What is each family member looking for in a pet? Who will take care of it? Does anyone have pet allergies? What type of animal suits your lifestyle and budget?

Once you own a pet, keep it healthy. Know the signs of medical problems. Take your pet to the veterinarian if you notice:

• Loss of appetite
• Drinking a lot of water
• Gaining or losing a lot of weight quickly
• Strange behavior
• Being sluggish and tired
• Trouble getting up or down
• Strange lumps

Prevention and Risk Factors

• 10 Poison Pills for Pets (American Veterinary Medical Association)
• An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure: Protect Your Pet from Heartworms Year-Round (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Household Hazards to Pets (American Veterinary Medical Association)
• How to Report Problems with Flea and Tick Products (Food and Drug Administration)
• Keep Your Dogs and Cats Safe from Holiday Hazards (Food and Drug Administration)
• Potentially Dangerous Items for Your Pet (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Preventing Ticks on Pets (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Read the Label First! Protect Your Pets (Environmental Protection Agency) - PDF
• Vaccinations (American Veterinary Medical Association)

Treatments and Therapies

• Animal Product Safety Information (Food and Drug Administration)
• Treating Cushing's Disease in Dogs (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Be Prepared: Pet Safety in Emergencies (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Disease Precautions for Dog Walkers (American Veterinary Medical Association)
• Dog Bite Prevention (American Veterinary Medical Association)
• Salmonella: Dry Pet Foods and Pet Treats (FAQ) (American Veterinary Medical Association)
• Ticks and Lyme Disease: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Ways to Stay Healthy Around Animals (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Specifics

• About Dog Flu (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• About Dog or Cat Tapeworm Infection (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Birds (Pets) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Canine Distemper (American Veterinary Medical Association)
• Canine Parvovirus (American Veterinary Medical Association)
• Fluorouracil and Pet Safety (Food and Drug Administration)
• Horses (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Keep the Worms Out of Your Pet's Heart! The Facts About Heartworm Disease (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Medication Errors Happen to Pets, Too (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Medicines for Your Pet: What's the Difference Between FDA-Approved and Pharmacy-Compounded Drugs? (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• My Dog Has Cancer: What Do I Need to Know? (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• What You Should Know about COVID-19 and Pets (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Xylitol and Your Dog: Danger, Paws Off (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Comparative genome analysis of Pasteurella multocida from Australian domestic animals suggests...
• Article: Prevalence and risk factors of soil-transmitted helminths in humans and domestic...
• Article: Relationship Between Domestic Animals, Environmental and Behavioral Factors, and Under-Five Diarrhea...
• Pet Health -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish