WASHINGTON, April 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing commitment to the welfare, wellness, and well-being of America's millions of pets, American Humane Association, the first national humane organization, is pleased to announce that it has joined Partners for Healthy Pets as an associate member. This committee of the American Veterinary Medical Foundation is comprised of more than 110 veterinary associations, colleges of veterinary medicine, and animal health nonprofits and companies that all feature a shared vision of improving pet health and welfare. Partners for Healthy Pets provides tools and resources that help communicate the value and benefit of preventive care, enhance the veterinary client relationship, improve the overall quality of preventive healthcare provided for patients, and has recently launched an advertising campaign to promote the importance of annual veterinary checkups.

Research has shown that pet owners are receptive to making changes to their pets' care and are more amenable to preventive care if they are aware of how it will benefit their pets. Partners for Healthy Pets offers resources for veterinarians to relay to their clients about different aspects of pet health, including vaccinations, nutrition, dental care, and heartworm prevention. A key component of Partners for Healthy Pets is its member success stories, which highlight what veterinary practices have done to improve the quality of care provided to their patients by utilizing the tools and resources offered on the partnership's website. Many of these resources utilize the American Veterinary Medical Association's and the American Animal Hospital Association's Canine & Feline Preventive Healthcare Guidelines, which American Humane Association also endorses.

Since its founding in 1877, American Humane Association's mission has been fortified with a scientific background. The organization understands that staying abreast of scientific breakthroughs is key to building humane communities and strengthening the human-animal bond, the inextricable link between people, pets, and they world they share. Veterinarians are essential to achieving programmatic goals, and their expertise will continue to guide American Humane Association's policies.

"American Humane Association is honored to join Partners for Healthy Pets," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane Association's President and CEO. "Like our fellow members, we share the vision of improving the well-being and health of our pets. It is so important that they receive proper veterinary care, and we will continue to espouse the importance of yearly check-ups for our furry, winged, and scaled friends."

"Partners for Healthy Pets is a wonderful collaborative group of like-minded companies, associations, and veterinarians all committed to bettering the health of our pets," added John Payne, Chair of American Humane Association's Board of Directors. "I cannot think of a better initiative for America's first national humane organization to partner with."

"Preventive care is the ideal," said Dr. Ron DeHaven, Partners for Healthy Pets Chairman. "The conversation we want to have is, 'You need to get your pet in for that annual checkup.' We want to point out that the annual checkup is as essential to the well-being of the pet as food and love."

For more information about Partners for Healthy Pets and for a list of all member organizations, please visit www.partnersforhealthypets.org.

About American Humane Association
American Humane Association is the country's first national humane organization and the only one dedicated to protecting both children and animals. Since 1877, American Humane Association has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in protecting our most vulnerable from cruelty, abuse and neglect. Today we're also leading the way in understanding the human-animal bond and its role in therapy, medicine and society. American Humane Association reaches millions of people every day through groundbreaking research, education, training and services that span a wide network of organizations, agencies and businesses. You can help make a difference, too. Visit American Humane Association at www.americanhumane.org today.

About Partners for Healthy Pets
Partners for Healthy Pets, a committee of the non-profit American Veterinary Medical Foundation, was created to ensure that pets receive the preventive healthcare they deserve through regular veterinary visits. The organization actively works to communicate the value and benefit of preventive pet healthcare and has launched a consumer advertising campaign to promote the importance of annual veterinary checkups. For more information, visit www.partnersforhealthypets.org

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SOURCE American Humane Association