Springer Pets as Sentinels, Forecasters and Promoters of Human Health

This book provides an up-to-date overview of the current knowledge and research concerning domestic pets as sentinels, forecasters and promoters of human health. Written by leading specialists in the fields of medicine, veterinary, environment, analytical chemistry, sociology and behavioral science, this volume provides a comprehensive understanding of the capabilities of pets in what regards to human health. The first seven chapters are devoted to the use of pets as sentinels for their human companions, in terms of exposure to different classes of environmental chemicals. The following five chapters address the use of pets as models for human diseases and promoters of human health. The final two chapters highlight the psycho-social and psychophysiological aspects of human-animal interactions. The book offers an integrated approach to the One Health concept, providing, in a truly holistic manner, tools to assess the equilibrium between   the environment, men and animals. This exercise will highlight and reshape our position towards the planet that despite being “a microscopic dot   on a microscopic dot lost in the unimaginable infinity of the Universe” is still our own. At the end of the day, pets will always be there to help us. Review “The book appears to be written for stakeholders in One Health initiatives and brings together perspectives of basic scientists in biological and chemical sciences and human and veterinary health professionals. … This is an interesting compilation of comprehensive reviews of varied topics in the health aspects of pet animal-human relationships with an unclear overall goal or target audience. Well written and formatted in a useful manner … .” (Marcella Ridgway, Doody's Book Reviews, June 5, 2020) From the Back Cover This book provides an up-to-date overview of the current knowledge and research concerning domestic pets as sentinels, forecasters and promoters of human health. Written by leading specialists in the fields of medicine, veterinary, environment, analytical chemistry, sociology and behavioral science, this volume provides a comprehensive understanding of the capabilities of pets in what regards to human health. The first seven chapters are devoted to the use of pets as sentinels for their human companions, in terms of exposure to different classes of environmental chemicals. The following five chapters address the use of pets as models for human diseases and promoters of human health. The final two chapters highlight the psycho-social and psychophysiological aspects of human-animal interactions. The book offers an integrated approach to the One Health concept, providing, in a truly holistic manner, tools to assess the equilibrium between the environment, men and animals. This exercise will highlight and reshape our position towards the planet that despite being “a microscopic dot on a microscopic dot lost in the unimaginable infinity of the Universe” is still our own. At the end of the day, pets will always be there to help us. About the Author Dr. M. Ramiro Pastorinho was born in Braga, northern Portugal, in 1970. He graduated in Biology from Coimbra University, Portugal in 1997. After several years teaching at high school, he started research conducive to his Doctorate thesis on the latitudinal calibration of standardized marine bioassays, which created the opportunity of working, besides Aveiro University, at the University of Iceland and the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, UK. His passion for bioassays granted him a post-Doctoral fellowship which took him to the radically different setting of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, USA and the Colorado School of Mines where he became a Research Scholar, with periods spent at Ehime University, Japan as an International Invited Researcher. Working in a mining-focused setting steered him towards human health and an invitation to become an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Health Sci