The human-animal bond is the cornerstone of my work as a vet, and as a vet in the media. I was delighted to see this being the focus of a UK-based awareness day recently.
Visit their website to find out more, and see their social media profiles to view videos of the presentations created on the topic.
I wrote a piece on the topic myself, in Irish regional newspapers, which you can read here.
By the way, this photo shows my own childhood pets – Sheba the Golden Retriever and Honey the cat. Sheba often cleaned Honey’s ears, placing her paw on Honey’s neck to hold him still, and Honey came up to Sheba to ask her to do this. Interesting behaviour! These two animals had a seminal influence on my interest in pets as I was growing up.
Please note that I am unable to answer veterinary questions in comments. If you have questions or concerns about your pet's health it is always better to contact your vet.