This DVM360 article explores how our modern understanding of the intimate human-animal bond was enabled by 1990s advancements in veterinary parasite control, allowing pets to transition from outdoor spaces into homes as family members.
Modern parasite control transformed pets into indoor companions by shifting veterinary medicine from reactive treatment to proactive, year-round prevention. Innovations in flea, tick, and worm preventatives eliminated the severe infestations that historically forced pets to live outdoors.
However, the article outlines how current "success amnesia" regarding parasite risks threatens to undermine this progress, where the success of modern veterinary medicine causes both pet families and veterinarians to forget how severe and destructive parasite infestations have the potential to be.
Read the full article here: https://www.dvm360.com/view/the-human-animal-bond-was-built-on-parasite-control
------------------------------
Kayla Anderson
Veterinary Social Worker
Center for Pet Family Well-Being, the University of Tennessee
------------------------------