CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Cats, 77 million. Dogs, 65 million. Such are the estimated totals, as of 2002, of these popular companion animals living with people in the United States. Two-thirds of U.S. farms have dogs, but 90 percent of the canines are owned by city dwellers. Then there are the various birds, guinea pigs, hamsters, hedgehogs, lizards, mice, rabbits and turtles, to name only a few, that share space in human homes.

So many companion animals, and so many opportunities for jobs as veterinarians, veterinary technicians and technologists, trainers and animal behavioralists, groomers, operators of pet motels and boarding facilities, and pet sitters.

With the rapidly growing number of pets and related job opportunities is a large demand for college-level courses that teach various aspects of both pet ownership and pet-related careers, said veterinarian Karen L. Campbell, head of specialty medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

She is a co-author of a newly published textbook, "Companion Animals: Their Biology, Care, Health and Management," (Pearson Prentice Hall), that is finding its way into university classrooms beginning this fall. The 25-chapter book contains more than 430 photographs, including 152 in color, line drawings and other illustrations.

Campbell teamed up with two others to compile the book: her father, John R. Campbell, former president of Oklahoma State University and former dean of the College of Agriculture (now the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences) at Illinois; and James E. Corbin, who as an animal nutritionist with Ralston Purina in 1954 formulated and extruded the world's first expanded foods, including Purina Dog Chow and Cat Chow. In 1973, Corbin founded the companion animal program in the department of animal sciences when he joined the Illinois faculty.

"This book is not just pre-veterinary; it is much broa
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Contact: Jim Barlow, Life Sciences Editor
jebarlow@uiuc.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
12-Aug-2004

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