If your pet eats a lot but remain relatively inactive, is 4 years old or older, or if your young female has been spayed, the odds are that your pets may suffer from obesity sooner or later.

Yes - Although rare cats have been infected by the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Dogs at this time have not been found infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus, however other mammals have become infected and it is thought dogs could also become infected.

A large proportion of cancers is life-style related. The chances of developing cancer depends upon choice of foods, smoking habits, drinking habits, personal hygiene standards and exposure to certain agents at workplace environment. (One should visit for medical counseling to a cancer specialist and identify whether one belongs to high risk group of people likely to suffer from cancer and get adequate investigations

Animal Rescue Center does not accept stray animals unless they are injured. All stray animals should be taken to your local Animal Care & Control so that their owners have an opportunity to find them.

Different digestive disorders occur more frequently in different people according to the disease, the individual and the environment. While everyone may be at risk of developing digestive disorders, these diseases occur most frequently in people who are overweight or those who have a hereditary predisposition to the disease. These are just a couple of examples of factors that increase a person's risk of developing digestive disorders.

Colorectal cancer occurs in men and women of all racial and ethnic groups. Approximately 75% of colorectal cancers occur in people with no known risk factors. Other important facts about risk for colorectal cancer include: More than 90% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed in people aged 50 or older. The risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age. A family history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps may increase a person's risk of developing colorectal cancer.

There are different kinds of cataracts; the most common of which are senile cataracts. These cataracts develop in people over the age of 50. The lens clouds with damage to its fibers over time. The human eye does not shed these damaged fibers, nor are they replaced by the body. Instead, new layers are added continuously throughout life. Ultraviolet sunlight, free radicals and oxidizing agents have been connected to senile cataract formation.

The greatest risk factor for AMD is age. Although AMD may occur during middle age, studies show that people over age 60 are clearly at greater risk than other age groups. For instance, a large study found that people in middle-age have about a 2 percent risk of getting AMD, but this risk increased to nearly 30 percent in those over age 75. Another risk factor for AMD is a family history of AMD.

Cataracts are quite common. About half of the population has a cataract by age 65, and nearly everyone over 75 has at least one. Older people are generally more at risk of developing cataracts than younger people. For people over age 55, cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss.

There are issues about vitamin C and vitamin A supplements in dogs. Dogs have the ability to produce their own vitamin C. For this reason, some people are strongly against giving supplemental vitamin C to dogs for any reason. Vitamin C is a vital nutrient in bone and cartilage metabolism and there is evidence that older dogs do not produce enough to meet the effects of aging. The issue with vitamin A is toxicity.

You can always visit your vet to have tests done, but for self evaluation, you can ask yourself does my pet scratch too much, have hot spots, severe reaction to insect bites, hyperactivity, lethargy, diarrhea, and does it vomit? These are just some of the possible signs of allergies. If your pet has allergies, then you should consider feeding good, natural foods and consult your vet for professional help. You may want to read the part on assisting allergies again.

If he or she strains without passing any poo then he/she may either be constipated or in the case of females may have a bladder irritation or blockage.

Pain is normally represented by the following behaviors: panting, restlessness, increased anxiety, loss of appetite or vocalizing. You know your pet better than anyone else and you will probably recognize their pain readily.

If ingested, make sure the pieces pass in the pet's bowel movement. If nothing passes within 24-48 hours or the animal seems uncomfortable, contact your vet and let them know of the incident.

Please check FDA's Web site at www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html to see if your pet food has been recalled: If your pet food is not listed, the pet food is not affected by the recall and you can continue to feed it to your pets. If your pet shows a sudden onset of symptoms, including loss of appetite, vomiting, or lack of energy, stop feeding the pet food and contact your veterinarian. If the pet food is one of those being recalled, do NOT feed it to your animals.

For any dead animal in the road, call Public Works at 561.804.7000 and they will remove it. If the animal is on private property, it is the property owner's responsibility to remove it.

Please refer to the list provided on Metro Animal Services website). An application can also be downloaded from the Metro website.

Call the Oakland Pet Adoption Center at 248-391-4102 to find out if the pet has been reported missing. If so, you will be given the name and phone number of the possible owner. If you wish to keep the pet for a few days to see if the owner turns up, you should leave a found report at the Pet Adoption Center. Otherwise, you can bring the pet to the center or request that the pet be picked up.

All Rock Island County residents should obtain their pet registration tags from Rock Island County Animal Care and Control. Pet tags may be purchased at the county animal shelter located at 4001 - 78th Avenue in Moline, or by calling (309) 558-3483 and requesting a tag by mail. Pet owners must have a copy of a current rabies vaccination certificate to buy a tag.

People at the highest risk for developing melanoma are those that have fair skin, freckles, light eyes, family history of skin cancer (especially melanoma), sunburns as a child or teenager, tanning salon usage and sun sensitivity. Those who have many moles, large moles, atypical or unusual looking moles should monitor their moles and see a dermatologist regularly.

African American, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic American/Latino heritage Abnormal cholesterol with HDL ("good") cholesterol is 35 or lower, or triglyceride level is 250 or higher

Yes, although this increased risk of developing MS remains relatively small. The chance that a child of an MS parent will acquire the disease is 1 in 40, as compared to a 1 in 750 chance in the general population.

Although RB51 was developed as a less pathogenic strain, it does retain pathogenicity for humans so exposures can pose a human health risk. Post-exposure prophylaxis should therefore be considered for persons with RB51 exposure. RB51 was derived by selection in rifampin-enriched media and is resistant to rifampin in vitro. Use of rifampin for post-exposure prophylaxis or treatment, a recommended choice for other pathogenic bacteria, will not be effective for RB51.

The measurements of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides are commonly performed to determine such risk. Very few methods measure LDL cholesterol directly. Instead, it is calculated.

Women need to examine their breasts once a month, as well as get regular breast examinations, mammograms, and Pap smears Ask your doctor for other specific recommendations, particularly if you have a family history of cancer

While any woman may develop endometriosis, the following women seem to be at an increased risk for the disease:

Follow the testing guidelines set by the American Cancer Society. Testing can find precancerous polyps. Removing these polyps can prevent most colon cancers. Testing also can help detect colon cancer early, when the chances for successful treatment are greatest. Know your family history. If colon cancer runs in your family, you may need to be tested earlier and more often.

B. canis is the species of Brucella species that can infect dogs. This species has occasionally been transmitted to humans, but the vast majority of dog infections do not result in human illness. Although veterinarians exposed to blood of infected animals are at risk, pet owners are not considered to be at risk for infection. This is partly because it is unlikely that they will come in contact with blood, semen, or placenta of the dog.

Plaque is a soft deposit that develops into hard calculus (tartar). Young dogs have whiter teeth than people, but their teeth, instead of appearing white, will appear yellow or light brown with the infection-laden deposits.

Factors that could increase a person's risk for developing AMD can be genetic or environmental/behavioral such as age, cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, overexposure to sunlight (especially blue wavelengths), diet and estrogen and early menopause. Researchers are looking at hyperopia (farsightedness), light skin and eye coloring, cataracts, high blood cholesterol levels and race as possible factors that raise the risk of developing AMD.