National Pet Health Survey
NOTE: Data collection for the National Pet Health Survey ran October, 2017 to April 2019. Before EPA partners could analyze the data the COVID-19 pandemic hit. When available, updates and summary will be provided.
Healthy Pets, Healthy People
Companion animals can have a direct beneficial effect on the health and well-being of owners and families. They can also be important sentinels of environmental conditions in and around the homes of their people.
The One Health Commission is administering a voluntary survey to gather information from pet owners to evaluate health trends in cats and dogs across the US. The survey takes approximately six minutes (per pet) to complete.
Background
As of 2017, over 55% of U.S. households owned a pet dog or cat. In 2024 the World Animal Foundation reports that statistic at 66%. These companion animals can have direct benefits to their owners’ health and well-being. Because pets often share their owners’ living spaces and have accelerated life spans, they can also be important indicators of human exposure to chemicals and potential health risks. Pets can be sentinels for diseases and exposures in a shared environment.
The One Health Commission (OHC) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are working together on the National Pet Health Survey, a research project using voluntary input from dog and cat owners to help identify pet health trends and disease hotspots across the United States.
The OHC is administering the survey with promotional help from CDC's One Health Office and other organizations. EPA is collaborating with the OHC on this effort and will be analyzing the collected survey data.
Anticipated Outcomes
The intent for the survey data collection is to provide scientists, concerned pet owners, and the general public with one of the largest health and disease databases for pet dogs and cats across the U.S. Where possible the data will be summarized into data layers and integrated into EPA’s EnviroAtlas website (www.epa.gov/enviroatlas). Through EnviroAtlas, the public will be able to display pet health information (collected October 2017 to April 2019) by specified areas, such as zip codes or states, in order to learn about emerging pet health issues.
(OMB Control Number: 2080-0083)
Contact Us
PetSurvey@onehealthcommission.org
Do you have any Comments / Feedback on this survey?
Thank You for being a Citizen Scientist and helping with the National Pet Health Survey.
If you live outside the U.S., consider leading a pet health survey in your region.
