By Monique Balas, Special to The Oregonian OregonLive.com
A new study by Portland-based Banfield Pet Hospital shows our pets are increasingly suffering from illnesses that could be prevented by more frequent visits to the vet.
The “State of Pet Health Report” examined disease trends among the 2.1 million dogs and 450,000 cats between 2006 and 2010. The study shows that dental disease, diabetes, parasitic infestations and ear infections plague our pets most often.
“We wanted to focus on the diseases that are very common in dogs and cats,” says Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, Banfield’s chief medical officer. “We wanted to focus on those, because anything we can do to prevent those diseases has a huge impact.”
Dental disease: This is the most common disease among pets, affecting 68 percent of cats and 78 percent of dogs. Periodontal disease has been linked to heart, kidney and liver disease, but it can be prevented by annual teeth cleaning.
Otitis externa (inflammation of the outer ear canal) was the second most-common disease, increasing by 34 percent in cats and by 9 percent in dogs.
Diabetes: The report found the diabetes rate in dogs has gone up by 32 percent in dogs and...
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