Companion animal health and disease: a perspective 1952-2002

Abstract

Extract

Domestic pets, cats and dogs, are important in the lifestyle and recreation of most New Zealanders. New Zealand immigration policy recruited immigrants primarily from Britain and our relationships with and attitudes to pet animals largely reflect those of people from the United Kingdom. The role of the working sheepdog and its health were also of great importance in the development of the country. The dog's ability to move stock not only in intensively farmed areas but also in remote, hilly and bush-covered country is one of the reasons New Zealand has developed as a world leader in animal production. The health of the individual dog was not only important to the farmer, but also to the health of livestock and the quality of the produce. Important livestock diseases were recognised, especially zoonotic diseases from which people could be at risk, as was the role cats and dogs might have in their epidemiology.