“A DOG’S LIFE.”

Mt Benger Mail, 5 October 1938, Page 1

“A DOG’S LIFE.”

CITY W COUNTRY. A dog’s life in the big city, public ' opinion to the contrary, is considerably 1 healthier and more comfortable than , that of his cousins who frolic amid the | trees and lush vegetation of the coun- ’ try, it was reported as nearly 2,000; veterinarians from all parts of the country began to gather at the Hotel j Pennsylvania for the 75th annual convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association (says the New.j York Times). A preliminary investigation of longevity among city and country dogs has revealed that dogs who spend their lives in apartment houses or suburban j homes outlive country dogs by two or | three years, it was explained by Dr C. I P. Zepp, director of the Miller Dogj and Cat Hospital. Dr Zepp, who isj chairman of the small animal section of j the convention, is a member of a committce of veterinarians, dog fanciers,'

and statisticians which is studying the available life records of dogs. While the average life span of dogs in the country is about nine years, that of the city dogs is two or more years longer, Dr Zepp explained. The comparative longevity of the city dog is probably due to the better care the city dog receives, he added. I “The country dog is subject to certain disadvantageous conditions from which the average city dog is free,” ho explained. “The country dog is likely to suffer from too much exposure to the sun, to all kinds of climatic changes, irritations acquired by con- J tacts with vegetation and dietarymaladjustments. ” While city life appears to be a healthier life for the average dog, pet owners can add to the comfort and health of their animals farther if they will remember two things, according to Dr Zepp. Dogs should not be bathed too often and should not be kept in overheated steam apartments for long periods of time. Too much water in bathing, he added, has a tendency to rob the dog of much of the protective oil in the skin which guards against irritations and infections. The dog is the most popular pet in America, and of some* 10,000,000 dogs throughout the United States the majority are in the cities, Dr Zepp reported. He declared that during the last 10 years the number of dogs adopted by city dwellers as pets had doubled. In New York City alone, he said ,there are more than 400,000 licensed pet dogs. The various dog foods on the market are undergoing 'an investigation and tests to determine their nutritive : values, he announced. This study, for . which the Animal Hospital Association, • a group associated with the American J

Veterinary Medical Association, » sponsor, is being made at several mii- ! versities, including Eutgers, Yale, and I the University of Illinois. ! Dog foods found to have the desir--1 able chemical nutritive and health ! values will receive an “approval seal” from, the association. Dr Zepp said that public fears of rabies are much exaggerated. He exj plained that during the last 10 or 13 years there had been little fluctuations from year to year in the number of human beings afflicted with this disease. Ho said the average toll was about 2 per cent, a year, and that this number had been the same for about 15 years. j •