Welcome to DPH's pet website!

Almost 80 million people in the U.S. own dogs and cats. Dogs and cats enrich our lives, and time spent with animals has been shown to relieve stress and may reduce blood pressure. Pets become much-loved members of the family, and they depend on their human counterparts for their care and well-being.

Pet owners may not be aware of all the ways that animal and human health are connected. Pets can develop some of the same problems as their owners. By preventing certain dog and cat health problems, we can also help prevent these problems in people. Many health problems that affect dogs and cats are avoidable through proper care and maintenance.

To help us create a pet and human public health education campaign, we would like to know more about Los Angeles County dogs and cats, and their owners. For example: What do pet owners know about animal health? How healthy are local pets? Please take our quiz. It requires 6 to 10 minutes to complete. After you submit the quiz, you will have an opportunity to learn more about keeping yourself and your pets healthy.

Once again, I would like to welcome you to the website! Thank you for your help in improving our community's health.

Sincerely,

Jonathan E. Fielding, M.D., M.P.H.
Director of Public Health and Health Officer