Nonprofit Hits the Road to Promote Pet Health

The Companion Animal Parasite Council’s national education program kicks off this summer to draw greater attention to the importance of year-round parasite control in dogs and cats. The 17-day tour begins July 22 at the conclusion of the American Veterinary Medical Association Conference, leaving New Orleans for Houston.

Some pet owner activities are scheduled along the way. During some of the educational tour stops, the CAPC will host events at places such as Wrigley Field in Chicago, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and popular dog parks across the country. Pet owners who visit the tour bus will enjoy free giveaways – including a chance to win a tropical vacation package – and family-oriented activities such as Frisbee dog demonstrations. The CAPC will also distribute information about parasites and zoonotic disease. The complete summer 2008 schedule can be found at www.petsandparasites.org.

“Parasites can be found in all 50 states, every day of the year – regardless of the weather. So the CAPC recommends that pet owners use easy-to-administer preventive medicines year-round to control internal and external parasites – such as roundworms, heartworms, fleas, and ticks – for the life of their dog or cat, no matter where they live,” said Michael Paul, DVM, executive director of the CAPC.

The dates and cities included in the tour are:

• July 22, Houston
• July 24, Oklahoma City
• July 25, Kansas City, Mo.
• July 26, Indianapolis
• July 27, Chicago
• July 30, Boston
• July 31, Mystic, Conn. (pet owner event only)
• August 1, Paramus, N.J.
• August 2, New York City (pet owner event only)
• August 3, Baltimore
• August 4, Raleigh, N.C.
• August 5, Atlanta
• August 6-7, Charleston, S.C.

The tour will feature presentations from several CAPC board members, including Byron Blagburn, Ph.D., from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Susan Little, DVM, Ph.D., from the Center for Veterinary Health Science, Oklahoma State University, on “More than Just Pests: Understanding the Risks of Vector-borne Diseases.”

Dwight Bowman, Ph.D., from Cornell University, will speak on “Parasites are Everywhere: The Case for Aggressive, Year-Round Control.”

A similar tour focusing on the West Coast is in the works for next summer.