Today on Word of Mouth we look at our unflagging dedication to our pets. Americans spend $20 billion a year on healthcare for our pets. We treat them like family - 70 percent of pet owners sleep with their dogs and three-quarters of married pet owners say they greet their pet before their spouse when they arrive at home.
Writer and passionate dog owner Vicki Constantine Croke visited animal treatment centers where dogs are having brain surgery, cats are getting kidney transplants, and ferrets and lizards are getting cancer treatments. Her article, "How Far Should We Go to Save Our Pets?" will be featured in the Boston Globe Magazine on Sunday. She’s also co-author of "Dogology: What Your Relationship With Your Dog Reveals About You," which will be out this fall.
Croke joins Word of Mouth from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, where a two-year-old goose named Boswell is undergoing chemotherapy.
We also speak with Dr. Joerg Mayer, who is treating Boswell.
(Photos by Mark Wilson/Boston Globe Staff)
