We all know that our wonderful furry canine kids have fairly short lives compared to us humans but there are 13 risk factors that can shorten their lives even more. Dr. Jon from PetPlace.com listed them recently in his newsletter. They are:

1) no ID tag

2) no microchip

3) dogs are allowed to roam

4) secondhand smoke

5) no training

6) access to trash

7) feeding elevated

8) feeding table scraps

9) no vaccines

10) no heartworm prevention

11) not being spayed or neutered

12) no veterinary check ups

13) no emergency plan ( finances in case of illness or accident).

Some of these may surprise you. They certainly did me. For more information and to find out what to do to prevent premature death please visit www.petplace.com.